Choose Sonic Mania
Choose Sonic Mania if you want a Casual game with Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 93.4% positive across 13,860 reviews.
Sonic Mania vs Sonic Forces
Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces both land in Action, Adventure 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 on Steam. Both released in 2017. Sonic Mania scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Sonic Forces (56.1% 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 Forces
Choose Sonic Forces if it's a focused single-player run rather than a multiplayer commitment. 3,909 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces sit in Action and Adventure on Steam, 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 Forces | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Casual | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 93.4% positive (13,860 reviews) | 56.1% positive (3,909 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, PagodaWest Games | Sonic Team, Hardlight |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Both released in 2017.
- Sonic Mania scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Sonic Forces (56.1% positive).
- Sonic Mania is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Sonic Forces (19.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
- Sonic Mania has co-op; Sonic Forces does not.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Sonic Mania vs Sonic Forces — FAQ
- Which is better, Sonic Mania or Sonic Forces?
- On Steam reviews Sonic Mania scores higher (93.4% positive) than Sonic Forces (56.1% 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.
- Are Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure 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 Forces have multiplayer like Sonic Mania?
- No. Sonic Mania supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while Sonic Forces is listed as single-player only.
- Do Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces 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.