Choose Sonic Mania
Choose Sonic Mania if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 93.4% positive across 13,860 reviews.
Sonic Mania vs Sonic Origins
Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins both land in Action, Adventure, Casual on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Adventure, Casual on Steam. Sonic Mania (2017) is 5 years older than Sonic Origins (2022). Sonic Mania scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Sonic Origins (73.7% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Sonic Origins
Choose Sonic Origins if it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 3,344 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins sit in Action, Adventure, and Casual on Steam and both list Steam Leaderboards, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Sonic Mania |  Sonic Origins | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Casual | Action, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 8.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 93.4% positive (13,860 reviews) | 73.7% positive (3,344 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, PagodaWest Games | Sonic Team |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- Sonic Mania (2017) is 5 years older than Sonic Origins (2022).
- Sonic Mania scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Sonic Origins (73.7% positive).
- Sonic Mania is currently ~44% cheaper on Steam than Sonic Origins (4.99 USD vs. 8.99 USD).
- Sonic Mania has co-op; Sonic Origins does not.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Sonic Mania vs Sonic Origins — FAQ
- Which is better, Sonic Mania or Sonic Origins?
- On Steam reviews Sonic Mania scores higher (93.4% positive) than Sonic Origins (73.7% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Sonic Mania is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Sonic Mania or Sonic Origins first?
- If you want chronology, Sonic Mania (2017) came out before Sonic Origins (2022). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure, Casual on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Sonic Origins have multiplayer like Sonic Mania?
- No. Sonic Mania supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while Sonic Origins is listed as single-player only.
- Do Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.