Choose Sonic Mania
Choose Sonic Mania if you want an Adventure game with Steam Leaderboards, Shared/Split Screen PvP, and PvP. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 93.4% positive across 13,860 reviews.
Sonic Mania vs Sonic Colors: Ultimate
Sonic Mania and Sonic Colors: Ultimate both land in Action, 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, Casual on Steam. Sonic Mania (2017) is 6 years older than Sonic Colors: Ultimate (2023). Sonic Mania scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Sonic Colors: Ultimate (63.6% 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 Colors: Ultimate
Choose Sonic Colors: Ultimate if it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Sonic Colors: Ultimate launched in 2023.
Both Sonic Mania and Sonic Colors: Ultimate sit in Action and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op, 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 Colors: Ultimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Casual | Action, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 11.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 93.4% positive (13,860 reviews) | 63.6% positive (818 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, PagodaWest Games | Blind Squirrel Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Casual on Steam.
- Sonic Mania (2017) is 6 years older than Sonic Colors: Ultimate (2023).
- Sonic Mania scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Sonic Colors: Ultimate (63.6% positive).
- Sonic Mania is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Sonic Colors: Ultimate (4.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Sonic Mania vs Sonic Colors: Ultimate — FAQ
- Which is better, Sonic Mania or Sonic Colors: Ultimate?
- On Steam reviews Sonic Mania scores higher (93.4% positive) than Sonic Colors: Ultimate (63.6% 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 Colors: Ultimate first?
- If you want chronology, Sonic Mania (2017) came out before Sonic Colors: Ultimate (2023). 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 Colors: Ultimate similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Do both Sonic Mania and Sonic Colors: Ultimate have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Sonic Mania ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Sonic Colors: Ultimate ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.
- Do Sonic Mania and Sonic Colors: Ultimate 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.