The second in the Sonic film series, it was directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington.

Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Colleen O'Shaughnessey and Jim Carrey reprise their roles, with Idris Elba joining the cast.

In the film, Sonic the Hedgehog and his friend Tails embark on a journey to find the Master Emerald before their nemesis, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and his accomplice, Knuckles the Echidna.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was theatrically released in several markets on March 30, 2022, and in the United States on April 8, by Paramount Pictures and Sega Sammy Group.

Like its predecessor, it set several box office records for a video game film and received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances and action sequences.

Eight months after banishing Dr. Ivo Robotnik to the mushroom planet,[c] Sonic lives with the Wachowskis and attempts to help the public as a vigilante hero with little success due to his recklessness.

Knuckles demands the location of the legendary Master Emerald—an ancient relic that grants its user ultimate power and the ability to change reality to their will—so he can bring honor to his ancestors.

However, Knuckles begins to question Robotnik's sense of loyalty and honor when he mocks Sonic for choosing to save an injured and unconscious Tails instead of the compass before an avalanche starts upon them.

Knuckles fixes the Master Emerald from the remaining shards before making a pact with Sonic and Tails to protect it from evil together instead of alone and they start an idyllic life with the Wachowskis.

In April 2020, Marsden expressed interest in a sequel featuring several characters from the video games, including Tails, who appeared in a mid-credits scene in the first film.

[20] In May, Paramount Pictures confirmed that a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog was in development, with Fowler set to return as director alongside writers Casey and Josh Miller.

[24] On January 27, 2020, Jim Carrey said his character, the villain Dr. Robotnik, could be expanded in the sequel: "I wouldn't mind going to do another one because it was so much fun, first of all, and a real challenge to convince people that I have a triple-digit IQ...

[15] As a way to show his gratitude to the crew, Carrey held a raffle on May 7 in order to give away a Chevrolet Blazer; the car was eventually given to a grip.

[10] Additionally, DNEG also provided the visual effects for the mushroom planet and the cockpit of the robot, giving it a total of 185 shots used in the film from the studio.

[43][44] On March 14, when tickets went on sale for the United States, an early access screening dubbed a "Fan Event" was announced for April 6.

[45] Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was first theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in several international markets, including France, Philippines and the Netherlands on March 30, 2022[46][47] and the United Kingdom on April 1, 2022.

[55] The trailer includes a reworked version of Masato Nakamura's "Emerald Hill Zone" music from the original Sonic the Hedgehog 2 video game.

[57][58] During the week before Super Bowl LVI, Paramount released four TV spots showcasing new footage and the reveal of the Giant Eggman Robot.

[66] On March 29, 2022, King partnered with Sega and Paramount to help create a special edition of the online game Candy Crush Saga in ways to promote the film.

Like its predecessor, the digital and Blu-ray releases come with an exclusive short film, Sonic Drone Home, fully animated by Marza Animation Planet and written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, while directed by David Nelson and produced by Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara and Hitoshi Okuno.

The site's critical consensus reads, "It isn't as much fun as the little blue guy's greatest games, but if you enjoyed the first film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 serves as a generally acceptable sequel.

[66] Amy Nicholson of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, saying, "Jim Carrey's reprised role as a villainous weirdo helps this fast-paced, family-friendly video-game-movie sequel maintain a refreshing silliness.

"[90] Alex Stednan of IGN gave the film a seven out of ten, saying, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 brings all the humor and charm of its predecessor, while also being delightfully more loyal to its source material.

"[91] Carlos Aguilar of The Wrap also gave the film a positive review, writing, "The screenplay reflects actual effort, and Jim Carrey gets to be unfettered in his performance, leading a surprisingly satisfying follow-up.

"[92] Leslie Felperin of The Guardian gave the film a three out of four and wrote, "There's not much to spoil about Sonic the Hedgehog 2 because there's not very much to say about it, other than it's mildly amusing and reasonably competently assembled.

"[95] John Nugent of Empire gave the film a two out of five, writing, "Sonic's second outing is little more than a half-baked half-term distraction tool — though Jim Carrey's outrageously committed performance nearly saves the day.

"[98] Thomas Floyd of The Washington Post gave the film a two out of four and wrote, "In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, there is no problem that its titular speed demon can't outrun.

Almost nothing anyone does or says feels rooted in recognizable character traits, and despite Marsden's most sincere efforts, he finds himself once again unable to meet Sonic's eye-line (a production kerfuffle that would be funny, were it not also another reminder of VFX crunch).

Elba reprises his role as Knuckles for the series, which was released on the streaming service Paramount+ on April 26, 2024, after being delayed from 2023 due the 2023 Actors and Writers Strike.