Sonic Origins cheats: Level select menu, debug mode and more

By Rob Leane

Published: Thursday, 23 June 2022 at 12:00 am

Sonic Origins is here! And if you were a fan of these games back in the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis days, you might be wondering if it is still possible to cheat in them.

Way back when, it was possible to press a certain combination of buttons – in Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles – to bring up a cheat menu on each of those games. With that menu, you could skip ahead to whichever level you fancied.

We’re pleased to report that, yes, cheats still exist in Sonic Origins and they work in pretty much the same way. If you know the combination, you can bring up the level select menu and pick where you want to jump in.

There are a couple of exceptions to be aware of. For one thing, it doesn’t look like the Sonic Origins version of Sonic CD has its own cheat menu. Plus, in Sonic 2, you need to find the Hidden Palace Zone the normal way first, before you can use the cheat menu to get there.

With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, keep on reading and we’ll tell you how to cheat your way to good times in Sonic Origins!

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How to cheat in Sonic Origins

To use cheats in the Sonic Origins versions of these games, you’ll need to press the right combination of buttons on the individual game’s start menu.

Important note: you need to go into Anniversary Mode or Classic Mode, on the game of your choice, before you start trying to put in a code. You can’t do it on the Sonic Origins main menu.

You need to go into the game where you want to cheat, and when the start screen comes up, enter the code when it says ‘press button’ on the screen. You’ll want to do this quickly before it starts up a demo video. And don’t forget, you can’t do this on Sonic CD!

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Sonic the Hedgehog cheat code in Sonic Origins

You’re looking at the start screen of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game (in either Anniversary or Classic mode). The words ‘press button’ appear on the screen, and this is the combination you need to enter to bring up the cheat menu/level select:

  • With an Xbox controller: Up, Down, Left, Right, X
  • With a PlayStation controller: Up, Down, Left, Right, Square
  • With a Switch controller: Up, Down, Left, Right, Y

You should now see the cheat menu, where you can pick whichever level you fancy. Plus, in the bottom right, you’ll see some other things that you can fiddle with.

You can use the ‘player’ option to choose whichever character you want to play with (number one is Sonic, two is Tails, three is Knuckles).

Using the ‘sound test’ option, there are another couple of cheats you can use:

  • Play the sounds 01, 09, 09, 01, 00, 06, 02, 03 in that order, and you’ll unlock the debug mode that lets you spawn whichever items you want.
  • Play the sounds 04, 01, 02, 06 to unlock all the chaos emeralds, enabling you to transform into Super Sonic.

Sonic 2 cheat code in Sonic Origins

On the start screen for Sonic 2, when it says ‘press button’, this is the combination you’ll want to key in:

  • With an Xbox controller: Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, X
  • With a PlayStation controller: Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square
  • With a Switch controller: Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Y

You can pick any level (except Hidden Palace Zone – more on that in a second), fiddle with the other settings, or use the ‘sound test’ option to key in these extra cheats:

  • Play the sounds 01, 09, 09, 02, 01, 01, 02, 04 to enter debug mode, where you can spawn items.
  • Play the sounds 04, 01, 02, 06 to start any level with all the chaos emeralds – this will allow you to become Super Sonic once you’ve collected 50 rings.

How to reach Hidden Palace Zone in Sonic Origins

You need to find Hidden Palace Zone yourself before the Sonic 2 cheat menu will let you skip ahead to this secret stage, which is based on a deleted section from the original version of Sonic 2.

To reach Hidden Palace Zone for the first time, you need to go to Mystic Cave Zone’s Act 2, where you’ll find the entrance to the secret stage.

To find the entrance, follow the video below. You basically need to keep dropping as far down the map as you can (falling down any hole that isn’t bridged-over), until you tumble into a massive pit that leads to the hidden palace.