Sonic R is the 1997 racing game developed by Traveller’s Tales. Sonic Team also co-developed it, while Sega published it for the Sega Saturn.
Unlike kart racers, Sonic R has characters running on foot through open 3D courses. Players race to collect rings, Chaos Emeralds, and character tokens while searching for shortcuts and hidden areas. The game was the only original Sonic title released for the Saturn.
Traveller’s Tales had already worked on Sonic 3D Blast, and its collaboration with Sonic Team continued with Sonic R. The game later reached Windows, where improved visual effects and a different soundtrack presentation helped broaden its audience.
A common mix-up is Sonic Riders, which is also a Sonic racing game but arrived in 2006 and features extreme gear such as hoverboards. Sonic Drift is another racing spin-off, but it is a separate handheld series from the 1997 Saturn game.