Sonic 3 & Knuckles Cheats & Cheat Codes for Sega Genesis and PC

Sonic 3 & Knuckles is a 1994 platformer developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis, and later on PC. The game was the result of Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles being in development at the same time, originally planned to be one game. When that didn’t come to fruition, an adapter was released allowing gamers to combine the two titles into one: Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles was released to critical acclaim. It remains one of the best-reviewed games in the entire series, despite a perceived lack of innovation over previous releases. Its sales were equally strong, with Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles selling over 4 million copies combined.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles Premise

The gameplay in Sonic 3 & Knuckles is extremely similar to previous games in the series, keeping the side-scrolling and overall gameplay loop intact. In this game, you take control of one of Sonic, Knuckles, or Tails, and each character has their own abilities that make the levels much more replayable.

Overall, the main goal of Sonic 3 & Knuckles isn’t just to reach the end of levels. It’s to complete them fast, with a target of under 10 minutes for each Act. Each Act has its own boss encounter, too. Across each level, you’ll gather rings, which exist as health against enemy attacks. If you take damage, you’ll drop rings, but as long as you have at least one, you’ll still survive.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles also has a series of Special Stages, which exist as a way for you to collect 7 Chaos Emeralds hidden across the game. By collecting these Chaos Emeralds, you gain the ability to transform into either Super Sonic or Super Knuckles. Some Special Stages have Super Emeralds, which allow you to become Hyper Sonic or Hyper Knuckles. These versions of the character have even more special abilities for use throughout the game.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles Main Characters

Over the years, the core cast of Sonic the Hedgehog games has pretty much remained the same. Each character is so iconic that it doesn’t make sense to rock the boat. With Sonic 3 & Knuckles being an early game in the series, it is still establishing those characters, but all of the iconic names are still here. These are the characters that play a key role throughout the game:

• Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic once again finds himself on an adventure to save the world from the nefarious Dr. Eggman.
• Knuckles: Knuckles begins the game as a villain, after being tricked by Dr. Eggman into believing Sonic is evil. The player can also choose to play as Knuckles throughout the game.
• Tails: Tails is Sonic’s sidekick, supporting Sonic throughout his adventures.
• Dr. Eggman: After his previous failure, Dr. Eggman returns to be a thorn in Sonic’s side once again.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles Titles in the Series

Even in the modern era, Sonic remains one of the most iconic characters in gaming history. With a history spanning over 3 decades, the speedy blue hedgehog has remained a staple of the gaming scene ever since his debut. That said, Sega has never fully capitalized on the character’s popularity, instead choosing less frequent releases with higher quality. This has allowed the series to stay relevant until this day.

Even recent releases in the series have been met with acclaim from fans, a rarity in many older series where the magic is at risk of disappearing over time. With the series’ enduring popularity, expect to see Sonic the Hedgehog stick around for some time yet.

The History of Sonic the Hedgehog

• Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
• Sonic CD (1993)
• Sonic 3 & Knuckles (1994)
• Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
• Sonic Adventure (1998)
• Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
• Sonic Advance (2001)
• Sonic Heroes (2003)
• Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007)
• Sonic Unleashed (2008)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009)
• Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010)
• Sonic Colors (2010)
• Sonic Generations (2011)
• Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011)
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012)
• Sonic Lost World (2013)
• Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)
• Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014)
• Sonic Mania (2017)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2019)
• Sonic Frontiers (2022)

Sonic 3 & Knuckles Cheat Codes

There are a couple of different ways you can use cheats in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. One cheat can be done in any version of the game, while every other requires the use of a third-party cheat tool. Not to worry – we’re going to show you both ways, regardless!

Sonic 3 & Knuckles Level Select

The only cheat available in the main game of Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the Level Select cheat. To use this cheat, go to the Angel Island Zone. Hang from one of the swinging ropes and press Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Right, Up, Up, Up. A sound should play to confirm you have done it correctly. Then, pause the game and head back to the title screen – a new option should be available titled “Sound Test.” Select this, and you’ll be able to choose any Zone to play.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles Game Genie Cheat Codes

If you want to use a variety of cheats instead, you’ll have to use third-party Game Genie cheats. These are only available if you purchase a Game Genie cartridge for your Sega Genesis, or if you play Sonic 3 & Knuckles on an emulated version of the game. However, they’re worth the extra effort, as they offer a wide variety of cheats that you can use.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles Cheat Code FAQ

What is the Cheat for Infinite Super Sonic / Knuckles?

To become Super Sonic / Knuckles for an infinite amount of time, use the code “NTPT-CA50.” This ensures that no rings are used up while playing as Super Sonic / Knuckles, essentially making it infinite.

Can I Use All of the Sonic 3 & Knuckles Cheat Codes For All Characters?

No. Some of the cheats are specific to Sonic, while others only work while playing as either Knuckles or Tails. For those particular cheats, we’ve outlined them in the descriptions above. If a cheat code doesn’t mention one character in particular, you can safely assume that it works for all of the characters.

Does Sonic 3 & Knuckles Have Achievements?

Sort of – Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were both re-released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2009, each with their own achievement lists. If you owned both of these games, you could then play Sonic 3 & Knuckles, although it never had an achievement list of its own.

Still, we can show you the achievement lists for the two games that comprise Sonic 3 & Knuckles:

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Achievements

Sonic & Knuckles Achievements

What is the Sonic 3 & Knuckles Invincibility Cheat?

To become invincible in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, you will need to use a combination of two different Game Genies cheat codes. First, use the code “NTBT-CB50.” This will make you invincible to everything, with the exception of drowning. You can add to this with the code “ACCT-CA2R,” which makes it impossible to die from drowning.

There are also cheats to give yourself invincibility against certain dynamic and static items in-game, which can be found in the cheat code table above.

How Do You Unlock Level Select in Sonic 3 & Knuckles?

To unlock Level Select in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, go to the Angel Island Zone. Hang from one of the swinging ropes and press Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Right, Up, Up, Up. A sound should play to confirm you have done it correctly. Then, pause the game and head back to the title screen – a new option should be available titled “Sound Test.” Select this, and you’ll be able to choose any Zone to play.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Screenshot from Sonic 3 & Knuckles.