In retrospective reviews, "Triple Trouble" is considered one of the better "Sonic" games on the Game Gear. NGC of "GamesRadar+" felt the game was "reasonably competent" but no less tedious than other "Sonic" Game Gear games. Ryan Davis of "GameSpot" believed it did a better job capturing classic "Sonic" gameplay than other games on the system, due to it being a later release and thus more technically competent. Corbie Dillard of "Nintendo Life" agreed, writing that Sega had made a strong attempt to capture classic Mega Drive "Sonic" gameplay on the Game Gear, and believed "Triple Trouble" was "probably the closest thing gamers could get to the overall style of play of the 16-bit titles on a handheld." Sean Madson of "Diehard GameFan" appreciated the 3DS release for adding different resolutions, button configurations, and save state support.