Angryverse/Sonic Dash

Sonic Dash is a 2013 endless runner mobile game developed by Hardlight and published by Japanese game studio Sega. It is Hardlight's second Sonic the Hedgehog game, the first being 2012's Sonic Jump. The game was released in March 2013 for iOS, November 2013 for Android, and December 2014 for Windows Phone and Windows, along with an arcade release in November 2015 as Sonic Dash Extreme. It was initially released as a paid application, but was made free-to-play a month after its iOS release.

The goal of Sonic Dash is to avoid obstacles and enemies while collecting rings. In mission mode, players must complete objectives. Players can compete for higher positions on leaderboards. Rings, which can be earned through gameplay or purchased in app, allow access to upgrades and additional characters.

Hardlight, a British development studio owned by Sega, began developing Sonic Dash after completing Sonic Jump. Selection of the game for development came from the insistence of parent company Sega Sammy Holdings president and COO Haruki Satomi. Although the game received mixed reviews, Sonic Dash has reached 500 million downloads. Hardlight continues to support the game with updates, additional characters, and features. Sequels have also been produced based on Sonic Boom and Sonic Forces.

Gameplay
Sonic Dash is an endless runner, similar to Temple Run (2011) and Rayman Jungle Run (2012). The player directs Sonic or another character through levels, collecting rings and avoiding obstacles and enemies. Unlike other games in the series, Sonic automatically moves forward at all times, similar to Sonic and the Secret Rings. Players are able to share and compete for position on leaderboards.

The game features 3D graphics, including a level set in an environment based on the Seaside Hill level of Sonic Heroes. Rings can be collected throughout the levels or purchased via microtransactions, along with red star rings. Accumulated rings and red star rings can be used to purchase power-ups, upgrades, or unlock additional playable characters. The game also features a mission system, giving players an objective to target as they play the game.

The game features several playable characters from the Sonic universe. Characters are unlocked by purchasing them with red star rings or real-world currency. After the game's release, further updates added additional characters and new features. On October 31, 2013, an update was released that included a boss battle against Zazz, a member of the Deadly Six from Sonic Lost World. A similar boss battle against Doctor Eggman was added in a later update. Several characters from other non-Sega franchises have been added to the game as part of temporary cross-promotional events, available to unlock only during a limited time period. These include the Angry Birds characters Red, Chuck and Bomb during June 2015; the Sanrio characters Hello Kitty, My Melody, Chococat and Badtz-Maru during December 2016; Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man in February 2018, and Bongo the Danimals mascot in May 2021. The Android version of the game also features an exclusive character in the form of the Android robot. Content themed around the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog film and IDW comic series has been added, as well as a "Zone Builder" feature.

Sequels
A sequel based on the Sonic Boom TV series, Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom, was soft-launched on Android devices in Canada on July 1, 2015, and received a full iOS launch in October, along with a later full Android launch. For the iOS version, the game included compatibility with the Apple Watch via a companion app. Like the original game, Sonic Dash 2 has received "mixed or average reviews" according to Metacritic.

A mobile version of Sonic Forces, Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, was released in 2017. It features similar gameplay to Sonic Dash, but is based around competitive online multiplayer. Within its first five days of release, Sonic Forces Speed Battle had been downloaded 1.3 million times, and reached 2 million downloads within its first two weeks. By April 21, 2020, Sonic Forces Speed Battle had been downloaded over 50 million times and reached US$4.2 million in revenue. Ric Cowley of Pocket Gamer called the game "a lot of fun to play, though it's probably best off experienced in short bursts". Sonic Dash is getting a boost with a spinoff game on Apple Arcade called Sonic Dash+.