The Game Census
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode I cover art

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode I

SEGA · 2012-01-19

SteamXboxMicrosoft Store

Franchise: Sonic The Hedgehog · Modes: Single player

Releases: Oct 12, 2010 (PlayStation 3), Oct 15, 2010 (Xbox 360), Oct 15, 2010 (Wii), Mar 01, 2013 (BlackBerry OS), Jan 19, 2012 (PC (Microsoft Windows))

The sequel fans have waited 16 years for is finally here - Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I! Featuring enhanced gameplay elements, including the classic Sonic Spin Dash, and the versatile Homing Attack, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I picks up right where Sonic and Knuckles™ left off. Dr.

5
playing now
40%
positive of 3.9k reviews
Mostly Negative
steam rating
500,000–1,000,000
owners (SteamSpy est.)
75/100
critic score (5 outlets, IGDB)
60/100
IGDB user rating (56 ratings)
150h
to beat · completionist 220h
silver
deck/linux tier (ProtonDB)
$4.99
steam price (US)

5 players in-game as of 2026-08-30 02:00 UTC (census sample)

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is a 2010 platform game developed by Dimps, with assistance from Sonic Team, and published by Sega. It is a sequel to Sonic & Knuckles (1994), following Sonic as he sets out to stop a returning Doctor Eggman. Like the Sonic the Hedgehog games released for the Sega Genesis, Episode I features side-scrolling gameplay, with movement restricted to a 2D plane. The player races through levels collecting rings while rolling into a ball to attack enemies. The game also features special stages in which the player collects Chaos Emeralds and online leaderboards comparing level completion times and high scores.

Health check

Healthy
  • · 5 players in-game at the last census sample.
  • · 250 reviews in the last 8 weeks (~31/week).
  • · Review velocity up 68% vs the prior 8 weeks.

Health tier since 2026-08-28

Estimated sales: 155k–309k copies

Review-multiple estimate from 3,868 total reviews — how this is computed.

Current store prices

lowest across shops (ITAD)$4.56-54%
Microsoft Store$9.99

Deal snapshots via CheapShark, refreshed daily.

All-time low: $1.71 at GamesPlanet UK (2020-04-10)via IsThereAnyDeal

12-month high $9.99 · on sale 42 of 55 observed days · $2.85 above the all-time low (census price snapshots)

Review momentum

PositiveNegative
353520182026Week of 2018-01-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2018-01-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2018-02-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2018-02-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2018-03-01: 2 positiveWeek of 2018-03-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2018-04-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2018-04-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2018-05-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2018-05-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2018-06-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2018-06-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2018-07-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2018-07-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2018-08-01: 2 positiveWeek of 2018-08-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2018-09-01: 2 positiveWeek of 2018-09-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2018-10-01: 2 positiveWeek of 2018-10-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2018-11-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2018-11-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2018-12-01: 2 positiveWeek of 2018-12-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2019-01-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2019-01-01: 12 negativeWeek of 2019-02-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2019-02-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2019-03-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2019-03-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2019-04-01: 1 positiveWeek of 2019-04-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2019-05-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2019-05-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2019-06-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2019-06-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2019-07-01: 2 positiveWeek of 2019-07-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2019-08-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2019-08-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-09-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2019-09-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-10-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2019-10-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2019-11-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2019-11-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2019-12-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2019-12-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2020-01-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2020-01-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2020-02-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2020-02-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2020-03-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2020-03-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2020-04-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2020-04-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2020-05-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2020-05-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2020-06-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2020-06-01: 17 negativeWeek of 2020-07-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2020-07-01: 27 negativeWeek of 2020-08-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2020-08-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2020-09-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2020-09-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2020-10-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2020-10-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2020-11-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2020-11-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2020-12-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2020-12-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2021-01-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2021-01-01: 19 negativeWeek of 2021-02-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2021-02-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2021-03-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2021-03-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2021-04-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2021-04-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2021-05-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2021-05-01: 17 negativeWeek of 2021-06-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2021-06-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2021-07-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2021-07-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2021-08-01: 20 positiveWeek of 2021-08-01: 35 negativeWeek of 2021-09-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2021-09-01: 13 negativeWeek of 2021-10-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2021-10-01: 19 negativeWeek of 2021-11-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2021-11-01: 12 negativeWeek of 2021-12-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2021-12-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2022-01-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2022-01-01: 25 negativeWeek of 2022-02-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2022-02-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2022-03-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2022-03-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2022-04-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2022-04-01: 23 negativeWeek of 2022-05-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2022-05-01: 20 negativeWeek of 2022-06-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2022-06-01: 17 negativeWeek of 2022-07-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2022-07-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2022-08-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2022-08-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2022-09-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2022-09-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2022-10-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2022-10-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2022-11-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2022-11-01: 15 negativeWeek of 2022-12-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2022-12-01: 13 negativeWeek of 2023-01-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2023-01-01: 18 negativeWeek of 2023-02-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2023-02-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2023-03-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2023-03-01: 13 negativeWeek of 2023-04-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2023-04-01: 13 negativeWeek of 2023-05-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2023-05-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2023-06-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2023-06-01: 13 negativeWeek of 2023-07-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2023-07-01: 22 negativeWeek of 2023-08-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2023-08-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2023-09-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2023-09-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2023-10-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2023-10-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2023-11-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2023-11-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2023-12-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2023-12-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2024-01-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2024-01-01: 15 negativeWeek of 2024-02-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2024-02-01: 18 negativeWeek of 2024-03-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2024-03-01: 18 negativeWeek of 2024-04-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2024-04-01: 12 negativeWeek of 2024-05-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2024-05-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2024-06-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2024-06-01: 15 negativeWeek of 2024-07-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2024-07-01: 16 negativeWeek of 2024-08-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2024-08-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2024-09-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2024-09-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2024-10-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2024-10-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2024-11-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2024-11-01: 12 negativeWeek of 2024-12-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2024-12-01: 28 negativeWeek of 2025-01-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2025-01-01: 23 negativeWeek of 2025-02-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2025-02-01: 23 negativeWeek of 2025-03-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2025-03-01: 22 negativeWeek of 2025-04-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2025-04-01: 15 negativeWeek of 2025-05-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2025-05-01: 16 negativeWeek of 2025-06-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2025-06-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2025-07-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2025-07-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2025-08-01: 2 positiveWeek of 2025-08-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2025-09-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2025-09-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2025-10-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2025-10-01: 12 negativeWeek of 2025-11-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2025-11-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2025-12-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2025-12-01: 20 negativeWeek of 2026-01-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2026-01-01: 19 negativeWeek of 2026-02-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2026-02-01: 21 negativeWeek of 2026-03-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2026-03-01: 16 negativeWeek of 2026-04-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2026-04-01: 13 negativeWeek of 2026-05-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2026-05-01: 21 negativeWeek of 2026-06-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2026-06-01: 19 negativeWeek of 2026-07-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2026-07-01: 23 negativeWeek of 2026-08-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2026-08-01: 15 negative
Weekly review counts (Steam review histogram). Positive above the line, negative below.

Players online

1812026-08-06 22:00 — 10 players2026-08-07 06:00 — 8 players2026-08-07 14:00 — 8 players2026-08-07 22:00 — 16 players2026-08-08 06:00 — 8 players2026-08-08 14:00 — 9 players2026-08-08 22:00 — 8 players2026-08-09 06:00 — 6 players2026-08-09 14:00 — 10 players2026-08-09 22:00 — 7 players2026-08-10 06:00 — 3 players2026-08-10 14:00 — 4 players2026-08-10 22:00 — 9 players2026-08-11 06:00 — 6 players2026-08-11 14:00 — 1 players2026-08-12 22:00 — 7 players2026-08-14 05:00 — 5 players2026-08-15 13:00 — 7 players2026-08-16 21:00 — 10 players2026-08-18 04:00 — 7 players2026-08-19 12:00 — 6 players2026-08-20 19:00 — 2 players2026-08-22 03:00 — 9 players2026-08-23 10:00 — 4 players2026-08-24 18:00 — 10 players2026-08-26 02:00 — 6 players2026-08-27 10:00 — 4 players2026-08-28 18:00 — 12 players2026-08-30 02:00 — 5 players
Concurrent players, hourly average, last 30 days (census samples).

Price history

$9.99$1.822015-01-012026-08-282015-01-01 — best price $4.992016-01-21 — best price $2.492016-12-23 — best price $4.992017-06-27 — best price $7.632018-01-18 — best price $4.992018-10-01 — best price $9.992019-02-04 — best price $2.492019-07-09 — best price $9.992019-10-01 — best price $7.362019-12-26 — best price $1.942020-01-23 — best price $7.722020-02-13 — best price $2.492020-05-29 — best price $1.852020-09-10 — best price $2.492020-11-12 — best price $9.992021-01-21 — best price $2.492021-08-18 — best price $8.242022-03-02 — best price $7.782022-08-17 — best price $7.482023-01-05 — best price $7.492023-05-04 — best price $3.852023-06-30 — best price $1.952023-08-25 — best price $2.492023-11-21 — best price $2.122024-02-11 — best price $6.292024-06-28 — best price $4.422024-09-02 — best price $9.992024-12-19 — best price $4.422025-02-27 — best price $9.992025-04-30 — best price $4.472025-06-27 — best price $4.992025-09-29 — best price $4.992025-12-03 — best price $6.292026-02-26 — best price $9.992026-04-23 — best price $4.952026-07-09 — best price $6.292026-08-27 — best price $4.562026-08-28 — best price $9.99
Lowest recorded price across tracked stores, per day (census snapshots).

Attention

2151112026-06-01 — 148 pageviews2026-06-04 — 144 pageviews2026-06-07 — 142 pageviews2026-06-10 — 140 pageviews2026-06-13 — 155 pageviews2026-06-16 — 153 pageviews2026-06-19 — 172 pageviews2026-06-22 — 148 pageviews2026-06-25 — 150 pageviews2026-06-28 — 132 pageviews2026-07-01 — 119 pageviews2026-07-04 — 151 pageviews2026-07-07 — 143 pageviews2026-07-10 — 152 pageviews2026-07-13 — 162 pageviews2026-07-16 — 136 pageviews2026-07-19 — 171 pageviews2026-07-22 — 163 pageviews2026-07-25 — 167 pageviews2026-07-28 — 150 pageviews2026-07-31 — 123 pageviews2026-08-03 — 111 pageviews2026-08-06 — 138 pageviews2026-08-09 — 150 pageviews2026-08-12 — 136 pageviews2026-08-15 — 167 pageviews2026-08-18 — 173 pageviews2026-08-21 — 159 pageviews2026-08-24 — 150 pageviews2026-08-27 — 154 pageviews2026-08-29 — 215 pageviews
Daily Wikipedia pageviews (attention proxy, census-recorded).

Completion

12
achievements tracked
75.6%
earned "The Story Begins"
6.7%
median achievement earned by

Global achievement rates from Steam.

Details

WindowsSingle-playerPartial Controller SupportFamily Sharing

5 supported languages: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish - Spain

Player tags

2D2.5DActionArcadeColorfulEpisodicAdventureFast-PacedPlatformerSingleplayer

Census log

Computed from census-recorded observations only — dates are observation dates.

Players also track

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Similarity via IGDB.

Wikipedia ↗Official site ↗