This article contains a list of glitches from Sonic Generations. Unless otherwise noted, all glitch names are conjectural. Many of them have not been confirmed by Sega.
List of glitches
- Stuck in walls:
Much like in the Classic games, certain actions can cause the player to become stuck in walls, forcing them to restart.
- Super grinding:
If Sonic jumps while grinding and turns into Super Sonic in midair, he will continue grinding with the Chaos Emeralds briefly hovering around him instead of transforming. Sonic will not be able to turn into Super Sonic until he collects at least one more ring.
- A sonic boom:
To perform this glitch, the player must boost and pause at almost the same time, then hit Restart. When Sonic re-enters the level, the wave sent from the boost will be seen.
- Static rings:
If the player takes damage as Classic Sonic in any level and falls next to a wall, a large portion of their rings will stick to and climb up the wall.
- Super Sonic denied:
If Sonic gets crushed or hit by certain objects while trying to turn into Super Sonic, he will lose Rings and not be allowed to turn into Super Sonic. This happens to Classic Sonic more often than Modern Sonic.
- This very likely isn't a glitch, but rather a way to prevent exploits that used to happen in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, such as going through a crusher or wall.
- White Space camera glitch:
The White Space Camera glitch.
There is a loop positioned right behind Metal Sonic's standing point. If the player jumps over the Dash Panel at the beginning of the loop and stands on the curve, the camera will tilt slightly to the left. This glitch can happen with either Classic Sonic or Modern Sonic and ends once the player leaves the loop.
- Loop jumping:
In the same loop mentioned in the above glitch, there is another glitch that allows the player to jump halfway through the loop and fall down directly onto the ground. Should Classic Sonic return to the loop after he has already run through it and jump over the Dash Panel in this way, he can Spin Dash behind the Dash Panel. If he then jumps at exactly the right time about halfway through the loop, between the foreground and background, he will fall down onto the ground, stuck halfway between the foreground and background.
- Gravity? What's that?:
In Act 1 of Green Hill, the player should go to the area that looks like wooden rigging with swings. While moving at top speed on the half-pipe at the end of the section, they must then try to stop Sonic at the edge of the half-pipe. If done correctly, Sonic will stand sideways for several seconds.
- Glitchy Classic Sonic animations in Green Hill:
There is a 3D hill that Classic Sonic runs down in Green Hill Act 1. If the player stops and walks back up a certain way, Sonic will start running in place. Pressing up to look up will cause him to look forward, and pressing down will cause him to look towards the screen.
- Rocket shoes:
The Rocket Shoes glitch.
In Green Hill Act 2 when Sonic is being chased by the Giant Chopper, the rails dip before a sharp incline, but Sonic does not dip with the rails.
- Rewinding rails:
In Act 2 of Green Hill Zone in the cave section where the Giant Chopper chases the player, if they manage to stop, jump off the rail, and go back, the robot will "rewind" and Sonic will be able to grind on the broken rails.
- Modern Sonic needs to concentrate more...
Sometimes in the start of Doppelganger Races, Modern Sonic's eyes will start drifting off and shaking continually.
- Drifting off the edge:
In Act 2 of Green Hill, if Sonic keeps drifting towards the right wall near the end of the level where he is running in a half-cave with puddles and a Trick Jump Panel that takes him to the final stretch of the level, he will sometimes go through the wall and fall down a bottomless pit.
- Stubborn box:
Normally, if Sonic boosts into a box in Chemical Plant Act 2, he will kick the box back. If Super Sonic tries to do this however, he will be unable to push or kick the box.
- Super Sonic stuck:
Super Sonic getting stuck.
In Chemical Plant Act 2, should Super Sonic boost up a vertical 2D incline, he will stop at the top of the incline if he is still boosting. He will still face upwards, but his boost aura will be horizontal. In order to end this glitch, the player must stop boosting.
- Someone tell Silver about this...:
In the Xbox 360 version, if the player were to boost in Sky Sanctuary (the section where Sonic uses quick steps), Sonic can glitch out the graphics and will be floating in mid-air. The player can still walk, and Dash Panels and springs are still visible and usable. If this occurs in the 2D section, Sonic can walk in a 3D manner until walking off of an invisible cliff.
- Altitude sickness:
At the end of Sky Sanctuary Act 2 where Sonic runs up the crumbling building, should the player boost along the path as Super Sonic, Super Sonic will miss the spring at the end completely, flying directly over it and dying because he has risen off the ground.
- Invisible speedway:
At the end of the Metal Sonic rival battle in Stardust Speedway, should the player defeat Metal Sonic on a long stretch of flat road, the road will disappear in the following cutscene.
- Golden Sonic Boost:
In Speed Highway, if the player were to run out of Rings as Super Sonic during the segment where Sonic is running down the building, Sonic would turn back to normal but his boost aura would stay gold. This also works on Rooftop Run and City Escape in the Auto-Running sections. Additionally, this is possible if Sonic runs out of Rings as Super Sonic while boosting on a large loop, most notably in Chemical Plant or Green Hill. The inverse can also occur while boosting when activating Super Sonic, and the boost will be colored blue. This happens during Green Hill when the Giant Chopper is chasing Sonic, and also happens in the Time Eater fight, where running out of Rings while using the Super Sonic Boost causes the player to still be boosting as they plummet to their death.
- Classic Sonic can slide:
The player must have the Classic Homing Attack skill equipped to perform this glitch and should go to Speed Highway Act 1. Once there, they need to Homing Attack toward the first balloon on the downhill start while avoiding hitting it. When Sonic runs at top speed down the rest of the hill, he will be angled as if running on a flat surface.
- Blockade:
The player should start Speed Highway Act 1 and begin by charging Classic Sonic's Spin Dash to full speed. They must then release the Spin Dash and jump before the massive slope. Classic Sonic will fly towards the first loop, but be stopped by the part of the loop that is pointed downward due to the initial camera angle.
- Illegal skateboard:
The player must equip the Boardmaster skill for this glitch. At the very beginning of City Escape Act 1, the player should hop onto the first grind-rail with a skateboard, then jump onto the second grind-rail above for the shortcut. From there, they should continue on the shortcut until a spring launches them diagonally into the background. Instead of landing on the ground as Sonic would without a skateboard, he will continue through the side of the building and into a bottomless pit.
- Super Sonic skater:
The Super Sonic skill is required to perform this glitch. The player must enter City Escape Act 1 and hit the first skateboard monitor, then jump through the dash rings on the board and turn Super Sonic while in midair. Sonic will be in his Super State running animation and ride his skateboard simultaneously.
- 32 feet per second:
During the loop in City Escape Act 2, Sonic can jump just before he runs down the side of the building to fall down the side instead, just like he could in Sonic Adventure 2.
- Out of gas:
During the GUN Military Truck chase in City Escape Act 2, the race can be slowed down to almost frame-by-frame speed. After the first two turns, if Sonic ventures to the right of the screen and too close to the GUN Military Truck, both will move frame-by-frame for a few brief seconds.
- Delayed reaction:
During the GUN Military Truck chase in City Escape Act 2, if Sonic boosts over a Dash Panel, he will briefly curl into a ball a few seconds later rather than doing so as he hits the dash panel.
- Invisible Seaside Hill Act 1:
There is a chance that the player can bypass a part where Seaside Hill Act 1 is supposed to load but does not, resulting in the level becoming invisible. Enemies and obstacles are visible in this state, but the terrain is not.
- Behind Seaside Hill Act 2:
It is recommended that the player has Endless Boost and Power Brake equipped for this glitch. At the start of the level when Sonic is running forward along sets of Dash Panels, the player must keep holding down on the left analog stick to have Sonic come to a stop just behind the area where the submerging of the white platforms is usually triggered. They must then go back while jumping over the Dash Panels. From there, the player can jump over the edge of the hill, hold the Boost button, and keep moving backward. Sonic can keep running until he hits a bottomless pit, goes past the buoys or runs out of boost (if the player does not have Endless Boost equipped). There will be small islands behind the stage, but they have no collision detection in place and Sonic will go straight through them.
- Slow motion running:
The player must have zero lives before attempting this glitch, and have the Super Sonic skill equipped. The player should go to Seaside Hill Act 2 and activate Super Sonic in the temple area. Next, they need to go to the area below where the last Red Star Ring is, go into the water and wait on a spike trap. Once Sonic has died and gotten the Game Over, the player should choose to restart the level. Sonic will do his normal scripted action starting the level as usual, except he will move his legs at a slower speed.
- Inverted fall:
When running up the loop to meet Shadow above City Escape, the player will hit a wall to fall next to Shadow. Sonic will fall upside-down. Once he hits the ground, he will land as if he fell the correct way.
- Shadow can bend space!:
When the player performs the above glitch as Classic Sonic, he will look glitched until he lands.
- Aerial shot:
In the angled curve area of the Shadow Rival Battle, should Sonic quick-step into the outside rail, he will be flung out into space.
- Shadow crash:
While battling Shadow, the player should let him get his power-up and then start tapping boost rapidly while sliding to get out of his section of the track before he throws the last Chaos Spear. If done correctly, Shadow's AI will glitch, running in one direction while retaining his forward acceleration and speed and occasionally boosting. Power Cores will cease to spawn.
- The above may also happen in the 3DS version, where Shadow will run in place for a long period of time, but will begin moving after a while. This is very rare, however.
- Zoom x2:
When fighting Shadow, if the player powers up, misses a meteorite, and defeats him, the camera will sometimes zoom in for the end scene and the ranking.
- Silver's ghost:
If the player goes between the Perfect Chaos portal and the Crisis City portal, they can see Silver's shadow on the ground near Sonic.
- Endless rewind:
In the first loop in Crisis City Act 2, should Sonic attempt to slow down right before the loop's scripted action, the action will glitch. Sonic will appear as if he is running forward, but he will be slowly moving backward. Every second or so, the game will skip back to where it was a second ago. The only way out of this glitch is restarting.
- Crisis City in 3D:
In Crisis City Act 2 when Sonic reaches the area where an Iblis Worm is in front of a set of Dash Panels and springs, if he jumps on the springs without both defeating the Iblis Worm and going through the Dash Panels, the camera will glitch out and face Sonic's back and the background will not load correctly. Eventually, things will go back to normal after he lands. However, after he lands on the area after another 3 springs, the camera will glitch out again and will shift to the right in a 3D perspective, which may make the level difficult to beat. The only way out of this glitch is to either lose a life or restart the level.
- Classic Sonic in 3D:
The Classic Sonic in 3D glitch.
To perform this glitch, the player must have the Thunder Shield skill equipped and go to Act 1 of Rooftop Run. Once there, they should go to the area with the spring that sends Sonic next to a swinging axe. After about half a second of being in mid-air, they need to jump off and back down to the area. If performed correctly, the player should be able to control Classic Sonic in 3D. If they restart from a checkpoint, the controls will glitch and the camera will swing behind him. This glitch can also be replicated with any spring that launches Sonic diagonally into the background.
- Classic Sonic = no sense of direction:
In Rooftop Run Act 1, there is a steep hill Classic Sonic runs down. After dropping down this hill, the player should walk back up it (making sure Classic Sonic is facing the hill the entire time). At the steepest point, the player can let go of the walk button. If done correctly, Classic Sonic will run down the hill backwards and then run sideways for a few seconds.
- Do an awkward barrel roll!:
To perform this glitch, the player should go to the same hill from the above glitch. At the top, they must tap the spin button so Classic Sonic does a weak spin, then immediately hold the down button. Sonic will start to roll down the hill, and at the bottom, it will look like he is spin dashing towards the screen while moving sideways.
- Stuck in a wall:
The Super Sonic skill must be equipped to perform this glitch. The player should go to Planet Wisp Act 2 and gain 50 or more Rings before using the Orange Wisp to get into the first factory. From there, they must go to the second step before Sonic reaches the platform where the rockets launch and harm him. The player must then run into the wall and activate the Super Sonic skill. Sonic will not be able to jump unless the player moves left first.
- Orange Rocket in 3D:
The Orange Rocket used in 3D.
To perform this glitch, the player must make sure Sonic is behind the first Orange Wisp in Planet Wisp Act 2. They then should get an Orange Wisp and go below the point that Sonic entered from. The player must wait until another Orange Wisp appears and use the rocket, and Sonic should still have the rocket power. They can then venture through the first factory until the part with red platforms leading up to an Orange Wisp, and use the rocket below the orange wisp. When performed correctly, Sonic should still have a Wisp.
The player should continue venturing until they reach an area with a platform and a line of rings. They then need to jump onto the platform, wait until half-way, homing attack across (avoiding the rocket onto the red platform) and then jump to stable ground to the left. From there, they must continue up the red platforms and wall-jump from left to right to reach the checkpoint. Once Sonic passes the checkpoint, the player should hit the spring set leading to a 3D area and move forward. From this point to the end of the 3D section, the Orange Rocket Color Power can be used. This is the only time in Sonic Generations where Sonic can use the Rocket Color Power in 3D; in Sonic Colors, he cannot do so at all (Wisps that are only supposed to be used in 2-D in Sonic Colors simply jump out of Sonic's body, and eventually, they will fly away).
- Rocket Sonic :
If the player performs the same first steps from above, goes under the accelerator gun (before the spring that sends Sonic to the 3D section in the factory), and uses the orange rocket underneath, Sonic will be inside the accelerator gun. He will control normally, except that he will stay as the rocket after he is shot out, and will be invincible to any kind of damage (except bottomless pits). This makes the stage impossible to complete because can no longer swing on objects.
- Cave-in:
In Planet Wisp Act 2 in the area where the roof is falling on Sonic, if he jumps at the roof the split-second before it crushes him, he will end up inside of it. He can then move around the inside of the roof. The only way out is restarting the level.
- Houdini's last vanishing act:
During the Egg Dragoon boss stage, the Egg Dragoon will sometimes split and fuse without its splitting animation.
- Past the boundaries in Ring Collector mission (3DS version):
During the Ring Collector mission in the 3DS version of Sonic Generations, it is possible to go past the lower metal barrier by boosting repeatedly down the hill, jumping when the barrier is in the middle of the right half of the screen and pressing and holding down the boost button in midair in front of the barrier.
- Behind the scenes (3DS):
While playing as Modern Sonic, if he jumps off or falls off the side of the top of a loop and boosts in the right direction at the right time, he'll go behind the stage and die immediately, usually seeing some messed up geometry. If he's in Water Palace, then he'll die when he stops boosting. If he has the temporary infinite boost from maxing the gauge out activated then he can make it to the end of Water Palace and just barely reach the goal for a faster time.
- Disc read error:
In the Xbox 360 version, when Sonic finishes one of these stages: Metal Sonic, Chemical Plant Act 1, City Escape Act 1, Crisis City Act 2, or the Time Eater boss fight, and the ending stage theme doesn't play, the player will get a disc read error and the system will send them back to the home screen of the Xbox 360. This might be due to a scratch on the disc. These glitches can also happen during gameplay, which is caused by going in the background of stages, but they can happen randomly, too. If the glitch is repeated multiple times, it will start to spread over to other stages.
The glitch possibly starts by going under the G.U.N. Military Truck at the end of the level in City Escape Act 2. However, it does not permanently ruin gameplay, although it will kick the player from the game.
- This is most likely to happen due to a bad update, reading speed mismatch, scratched media, pirated copy or a problem with the disc read drive.
- There are various confirmed cases of the game crashing for no apparent reason. When Sonic is in a challenge, playing a stage, learning something from Omochao, obtaining a wisp (see below in Wisp Explanation Crash), doing Rouge's Assist Mission, etc. The only confirmed way to fix this glitch is to install Sonic Generations to the Hard Drive of the player's Xbox 360. The game should no longer crash after this.
- Falling through the floor:
Near the end of the underwater section of Seaside Hill Act 2, there is a small section with a floor and two moving platforms. If Sonic sets foot on the floor, jumps up and tries to land back on the floor, he will fall through it.
- Wisp explanation crash:
This apparently rare glitch happens after Sonic gets a Wisp. He receives it, Omochao begins to explain, and the game crashes. There are no known causes for this.
- Classic Sonic in 3D Camera:
Sonic Generations Classic Sonic In 3D Camera Glitch (Speed Highway Act 1)
Classic Sonic's camera glitch.
In Speed Highway Act 1, if Classic Sonic goes too fast before the moving platform section in the middle of the level, the camera will break. Many times, Classic Sonic will appear from the front in a 3D perspective, or the camera will flip it's position. It is still possible to beat the level with this glitch.
- A variant of this glitch can happen if the camera can't keep up with the player, causing the camera to turn partially in a curve rather than completely. This causes some objects, such as the rail, to block the player's movement. This can be easily dealt with by jumping over that rail, which will force the camera and character to snap into the correct path.
- M-Speed:
Sonic Generations Speed Glitch Tutorial
Tutorial on how to use the Speed Glitch
M-Speed is a glitch that can be performed by both Classic and Modern Sonic that, when used, will send Sonic flying at speeds faster than when going through the level legitimately (often resulting in parts of the level not loading) which is very useful in speed runs. To perform it, the player needs to hold the control stick at a specific spot (just enough so that Sonic starts walking) and then either spindash (classic) or Boost (modern) before jumping almost immediately after. In order to keep the glitch going, the player needs to hold the control stick in the same position and jump just as Sonic touches the ground.
- Frozen with time:
In Speed Highway Act 2, if Modern Sonic is equipped with Time Break, the game will crash when Sonic reaches a curve at some point after the pursuit section.
- I'm too cool to drown:
In Chemical Plant Act 1 or Seaside Hill Act 1, if Super Sonic drowns, he will simply walk offscreen rather than going into the drowning pose that normal Classic Sonic goes into.
- Rocket crash:
In Planet Wisp Act 2, if the player uses the Orange Rocket while Sonic is traveling up one of the sideways slopes, Sonic will go sideways as the Orange Rocket, causing intense lag, and then the game will crash.
- Falling with style:
In Chemical Plant Act 2 while playing as Super Sonic during the skydiving section, if Super Sonic skydives faster, Super Sonic will use his walking animation instead of his normal fast skydiving animation.
- 3D Spindash:
This is not much of a glitch, but it is interesting to do. In any 2D section with Classic Sonic, spindashing and changing the player's direction at the same time will result in Sonic spindashing mid-change. The dust effect and speed after releasing the charge will also be affected.