Overall, reviewers deemed "Sonic Riders" an average entry in the "Sonic" franchise. "IGN" believed it was an improvement from the series' previous game "Shadow the Hedgehog" and would be fun for "Sonic" fans, but was nonetheless found its design choices questionable and felt it simply existed to cash in on the popularity of snowboarding game franchises like "SSX". "GameSpot" said the game was occasionally entertaining but suffered from lackluster gameplay, and "GamesRadar+" thought it proved that the once iconic "Sonic" franchise "has now become a dumping ground for half-baked games."