Development of Sonic CD started by Sega's Sonic Team as a game to launch on the Sega CD platform, aiming to showcase the add-on's capabilities.
Sonic CD was first released in Japan and Europe for the Sega CD add-on, introducing new time travel mechanics and animated cutscenes.
The game was released in North America on the Sega CD, expanding the Sonic franchise and promoting the Sega CD hardware.
A remastered version of Sonic CD was released with enhanced graphics, widescreen support, and additional features on multiple modern platforms.