GAMING LIFE

Just how fast is Sonic?

Tap to find out if Sonic can outrun a 747.

We all know Sonic the Hedgehog is really, really fast. Since his debut on the Sega Mega Drive in 1991, the Blue Blur has zoomed through giant pinball machines, run Olympic races against his ’90s rival Mario, and sped through Hydrocity battling bosses.

But how does he compare to the fastest things on Earth? Could Sonic outrun a cheetah? A 747?

We ran the numbers. Here are the results:

43 km/h
Fastest human (Usain Bolt)
721 km/h
Fastest land animal (cheetah)
170 km/h
Fastest recorded baseball pitch (Aroldis Chapman)
491 km/h
Fastest car (Bugatti Chiron)
1,136 km/h
Fastest large commercial jet (Boeing 747-8i)
1,228 km/h
Current land speed world record
1,234 km/h
Sonic the Hedgehog
At that speed, he could run around the world in less than a day!
Also 1,234 km/h
Speed of sound at 20 degrees Celsius
27,359 km/h
Space Shuttle launch
300,000 kilometers per second
Speed of light

Now it’s your turn

Sonic may be able to run at the speed of sound, but it’s still fun to try to keep up. Do your best with these awesome Sonic games.