Sonic standing on a platform while facing Wrecking Ball Eggmobile.
A platform is a small floating stage that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Since the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game for the Sega Genesis, platforms have became a staple in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, serving to save the player from bottomless pits or spikes, or to direct the player to a higher elevation.
Platforms have varied in size and style, but have typically appeared as long, rectangles that fit the zone's theme. Some of them are able to remain indefinitely, and others fall once the player gets on, returning once the player moves from it. The latter appears in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors, as a yellow, holographic platform. Some platforms move along in a set pattern, which usually allows the player to cross bottomless pits in an action stage.