About the game
Bigger levels, saves on the cartridge, Knuckles showing up to ruin your run, and elemental shields that change how Sonic moves.
Sega, 1994. Designed as one half of a game that joined with Sonic & Knuckles.
Controls
- Arrows — move
- Z and X — action buttons
- Enter — Start
- Shift — Select
- On a phone the buttons appear on screen
The version in short
- Platform: Sega Mega Drive
- Year: 1994
- Genre: Platformer
- Size: 2.0 MB, loaded once
How this runs
The emulator and the cartridge are hosted by us and everything is computed in your browser: nothing goes to a third-party site. Saves are written into this browser on this device. More about the section on the retro games page.
FAQ
Is this the actual 1994 cartridge?
Yes, the original Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ROM, unmodified. The emulator runs it the way the console did.
How big is it and what loads?
The cartridge is 2.0 MB plus the emulator. It loads once and then comes from the browser cache.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. On a touch screen the emulator draws its own d-pad and action buttons. Landscape gives a much bigger picture.
Are saves kept?
In this browser on this device. Another browser or a cleared cache means starting over.
