A chaotic, cinematic, explosive ROM hack of Sonic the Hedgehog™ (16-bit) — 15 years in the making!

Downloads

Windows
Zenith Edition
(ZIP file, 2.61 MB)
Standalone widescreen EXE for Windows (64-bit) — RECOMMENDED
 Mega Drive
Classic 4:3 ROM
(BIN file, 1013 KB)
Compatible with any SEGA Mega Drive emulator and real hardware
 RetroArch
Widescreen 16:9 ROM
(ZIP file, 650 KB)
ONLY compatible with RetroArch (Genesis Plus GX Wide core)
Current version: 8.1
(2025-08-08)

About

Sonic ERaZor is a complete reinvention of Sonic 1 for the SEGA Mega Drive: a chaotic, cinematic, and often absurd remix that throws out most of the original game's rules in favor of unpredictable spectacle. Fans of the game have been describing it as "What if Michael Bay* directed Sonic 1?" due to its very generous use of explosions.

* Disclaimer: the creator has never seen a single Michael Bay movie in his entire life.

Originally released in 2010, ERaZor began as a messy, punishingly hard ROM hack. Since then, it has evolved into a carefully balanced, polished, and highly replayable full-game experience. It won first place in the annual Sonic Hacking Contest twice — once in 2012 and again in 2024.

Whether you're here for secrets, speedrunning, or just pure chaos: this game is built to give you a good time with lots of replay value!

Overview

  • 8 Unique Levels:
    Inspired and based on the original Sonic 1 levels, each one comes with its own gimmick, theme, and challenge
  • 2 Unique Difficulties:
    Casual and Frantic, both being delicately handcrafted and wildly different experiences to allow everyone to get started with the game while also rewarding practice!
  • Crazy Mechanics:
    From Inhuman Mode to Space Golf, from lethal cinematic black bars to intense escape sequences; this isn't a typical Sonic game anymore
  • Cinematic Flair:
    Lots of cutscenes, stylized transitions, visual effects, and story text screens that aren't shy to break the fourth wall and give you a good laugh
  • Tons of Secrets:
    Unlockables, alternate endings, and easter eggs (some obvious, some very hidden)
  • And Also:
    A save select with three slots, a ton of options to customize your experience to your liking, a custom sound test, and so much more...

For even more info, check out the official Sonic Retro Wiki page!

FAQ

Which version should I download?

If you are on Windows 10/11, go with the Zenith Edition for the most optimal experience. If you aren't on Windows, there's a good chance that it'll work anyway — I've got confirmation that it works flawlessly on Linux via Wine and on a Steam Deck via Proton.

If that isn't an option or if you want the old-school experience, go with the Standard 4:3 ROM, which is compatible with almost every SEGA Mega Drive emulator out there and even real hardware!

If you are a RetroArch user, go with the Widescreen 16:9 ROM (requires the Genesis Plus GX Wide core with sprite limits disabled). Make sure you read the included README.txt if you go with this version!

What's the "Zenith Edition"?

Sonic ERaZor: Zenith Edition is a port of the ROM hack as a standalone, self-contained Microsoft Windows EXE file, released in 2025. It's compiled with a custom SEGA Mega Drive emulator to play the game in glorious 16:9 widescreen with various enhancements not available on the original hardware.

For 15 years, ERaZor was only available as a ROM, which meant you had to bring your own emulator. The widescreen version was especially finicky, as it only worked through RetroArch with a specific core. This special edition fixes this: no setup necessary, just download and begin playing right away!

Huge thanks to heyjoeway for their Sonic 2 Community's Cut emulator powering this port (which is itself a fork of Genesis Plus GX). It needed a few modifications to make ERaZor work flawlessly, but the majority of the heavy lifting was already done.

What's up with the weird name?

The name ERaZor, with its uppercase and lowercase letters, has a long and complex history. It's a mix of the word Eraser and the German word Scherz (meaning "joke" in English). Despite the naming similarities, it has nothing to do with Erazor Djinn or the obscure game Sonic Eraser.

In more recent versions of the game, the capital ERZ letters were reimagined into a backronym that reveals itself as post-game content is unlocked.

Who made the music?

The entire soundtrack is exclusively made up of ports from other popular games, most notably the Mega Man series. Check out the in-game Sound Test or the Wiki for all sources!

Where can I learn more about the game's history?

You can download all ROMs of ERaZor released between 2010 and 2025 over here. Also check out ERZathon on YouTube, my developer playthrough marathon of all versions!

Why is Sonic upside-down?

It's a long story...

What's the name of that edgy font?

It's called Cracked Johnnie, designed by Dimitris Kolyris. Originally, it was only meant to be used for a trailer, but then it ended up becoming ERaZor's signature font across the entire game.

Credits