Are Sonic 4 and Sonic 8-bit games canon?

[MPM2.0]

And if so, how do they fit in to the timeline?

[MidNightFireX®]

Read that should help clear up you're confusion if not ask the peple on sonic retro forums.
https://numbuh1234.deviantart.com/art/Sonic-the-Hedgehog-What-s-Canon-332514072

[Hard R Gamer]

I don't know, & I don't care.

[Redblaze27]

8-bit ones are canon.

Both Sonic 2 Silver Sonic and Fang(sort of) are in Mania.

Sonic 4 is best viewed after Mania at some point, due to the appearance shift.

[MPM2.0]

Originally posted by NinjaCon®:

Read that should help clear up you're confusion if not ask the peple on sonic retro forums.
https://numbuh1234.deviantart.com/art/Sonic-the-Hedgehog-What-s-Canon-332514072

Wouldn't Sonic Mania retcon Sonic 4 if it's canon based on this?

[(Edgy) Asriel Dreemurr]

Originally posted by MPM2.0:

Originally posted by NinjaCon®:

Read that should help clear up you're confusion if not ask the peple on sonic retro forums.
https://numbuh1234.deviantart.com/art/Sonic-the-Hedgehog-What-s-Canon-332514072

Wouldn't Sonic Mania retcon Sonic 4 if it's canon based on this?

No, because Mania is in an alternate timeline.

Also I believe they've said the 8 bit games are not canon.

[Mystic Monkey]

Both games claim to take place "Somtime after saviing Angel Island" however there are some subtle clues to hint Sonic Mania takes place before Sonic 4.

For starters in pre-order trailer for Sonic Mania it depicts Sonic entering a lift with five floor buttons on them: 1, 2, 3, K and M. It is believes these floors represent each known Sonic games. There is known no "floor 4" on the selection of buttons.

In the actual game if you highlight "Option" in the main menu you'd see some various icons to represent the menu. One of these objects is a japanese Sega Saturn controller. Given the cutscenes and the 3D special stages it could be Sonic Mania is posing as a Sega Saturn game. (That and the valuble Sega Logistic Service USB controllers are design to look like said Saturn controllers.)

Another obvious factor is the fact Sonic 4 stars Modern Sonnic, Tails and Eggman and Metal Sonic, which itself is an implication that it is a later game in the timeline.

So these clues point to either two possible factors: Sonic Mania pretty much replaces Sonic 4, or Sonic 4 takes place somewhen after Sonic Mania.

I hope that clears up some confusions.

[The Devasia Mentality]

People actually still care about the canon of a game series about a cartoon blue hedgehog that fights a tubby man that builds goofy robots, ancient water demons, abominations from space, the god of time itself, an incarnation of his world's darkness, evil genies, black knights, and all manner of other nonsense?

[Setnaro X]

Apparently so. I've been playing the Sonic games for 25 years or so, and never really cared much for the canon storyline, especially given when its so messy and largely unexplained.

[Snickerbobble]

I think there are two main timelines now, being:

Modern Timeline: 1, 2, 3, K, Chaotix, CD, 4, the rest of the Modern games, and Forces.
Mania Timeline: 1, 2, 3, K, Chaotix, CD, and Mania (with the Sonic in this timeline appearing in Forces, though takes place in Modern Timeline)

If this is true, the Classic Sonic in Forces may be different than the one in Generations. The one in Generations was young Modern Sonic in that timeline, while in Forces it's the Classic Sonic from the Mania timeline.

There are more games to fit in there, but those are the main ones I guess. Chaotix is arguable though, however I've began to wonder if in the elevator scene, if K stands for Sonic & Knuckles (which I assumed at first), or if it's actually K for Knuckles' Chaotix, with the 3 representing Sonic 3 & Knuckles, as they're kinda meant to be one game together. Not too important either way I suppose.