Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch 2: Key Announcements from SEGA’s 35th Anniversary Livestream

On June 23, 2026, SEGA of America hosted a multi-hour Birthday Livestream across the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitch and YouTube channels to mark Sonic’s 35th Anniversary. The broadcast included guest appearances, community highlights and multiple product announcements — most notably a shadow-drop release of Sonic Frontiers – Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch 2, available both digitally and physically the same day. Sonic Frontiers – Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 SEGA presented Sonic Frontiers – Definitive Edition as a consolidated build that includes the base 2022 open-zone adventure plus all previously released updates, and features improved graphics and performance for Nintendo Switch 2 hardware. The company released a launch trailer alongside the drop. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds — Patch and Free Characters SEGA confirmed Patch 4 for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds would roll out later the day of the stream at 5 PM PT, introducing the free Classic Sonic character and machine. SEGA also revealed that Axel and Amigo will be added as free characters in August and September 2026, respectively. The livestream included live gameplay of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DLC Pack, scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at 12:00 AM UTC. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds World Championship 2026 The publisher opened registration for the Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds World Championship. Online qualifiers run from Tuesday, June 30 at 12:00 AM UTC through Sunday, July 19 at 11:59 PM UTC. The Top 24 qualifiers will contest the World Championship Finals in New York City on Friday, October 9, 2026. SEGA also noted Twitch Drop rewards will be available during the qualifying window when watching participating streamers. SONIC PICO PARK and Character Additions New gameplay footage from SONIC PICO PARK was shown, and SEGA confirmed Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Pico Cat will join the playable roster alongside Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy. The title is due later this year. Sonic the Hedgehog 35th Anniversary Project — Collections and Legacy Cartridges SEGA outlined a 35th Anniversary Project that includes two physical compilations for Nintendo Switch. The Classic Sonic Collection (Sonic Origins, Sonic Mania, Sonic Superstars) and the Modern Sonic Collection (Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Colors: Ultimate, Sonic Forces) are both scheduled for October 2026 with an MSRP of $49.99 USD each and will include a 35th Anniversary reversible coversheet and logo patch. Separately, iam8bit opened pre-orders on June 23, 2026 for the Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2: Legacy Cartridge Collection at $99.99 USD apiece; those cartridges are SEGA Genesis compatible and will ship later in 2026. Other Announcements and Events SEGA confirmed a Sonic franchise sale on Steam running through Thursday, June 25, 2026, with discounts up to 90% on select titles. The Nex Playground partnership was shown on-stream with Sonic Forces (Working Title) for active play systems arriving later this year. For mobile, SEGA highlighted a limited-time Idol Sonic event in June for Sonic Forces (mobile). Music and Live Events Sonic Live in Concert expanded with more than 30 additional dates across the US and internationally, with shows listed through March 2027. SEGA also partnered with Spotify for a curated 'Sonic’s 35th Birthday' playlist featuring exclusive artwork. Sonic’s Chaos Hunt SEGA previewed a fan event called Sonic’s Chaos Hunt tied to the anniversary: the Emeralds were depicted as destabilized and scattered across the US, creating a collect-and-race activity. Takashi Iizuka provided an exclusive video overview of the event during the livestream. For full details, trailers and registration links, viewers were directed to SEGA’s official Sonic channels and the event pages shared during the broadcast.