The Time Eater serves as the ultimate adversary in Sonic’s segment of Sonic Generations. Similar to the original game, figuring out how to confront this final boss can be challenging—even with your character allies offering constant advice.
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This guide will walk you through the steps to defeat Time Eater and explain how to unlock this boss encounter in the first place.
How to Unlock the Final Boss in Sonic Generations
Your first objective is to complete all nine main levels and defeat the three bosses blocking your path: Death Egg Robot, Perfect Chaos, and Egg Dragoon.
After taking down Egg Dragoon, the path to the final area on the right side of the map will open up. This area resembles a collection of gears and machinery, which you will be able to activate using the Chaos Emeralds you’ve gathered on your journey.
This means you must collect all seven Chaos Emeralds to engage Time Eater. You’ll find four throughout the main story while the remaining three come from rival battles with Metal Sonic, Shadow, and Silver. Yes, those fights are mandatory.
With all the Chaos Emeralds collected, return to the final area. Jumping near the center of each gear will automatically slot each emerald into place.
How to Beat Time Eater
After a cutscene reveals that Time Eater is under Eggman’s control—yes, multiple Eggmans—you’ll have to maneuver both modern and classic Sonic against this boss.
Your job is straightforward: get close enough to Time Eater to strike. You need to land four successful hits to win the battle.
Both Sonics will be in Super Sonic mode, causing you to gradually lose rings throughout the fight. Collect as many rings as you can, as reaching zero will force a restart of the battle.
The battle primarily revolves around maintaining your boost. Hold down the boost button continuously until you reach the vulnerability point of Time Eater, which will be highlighted for you. Repeat this process until you hit the specified target three times.
After your third hit, press both back triggers simultaneously for both Sonics to combine their energy, thus concluding the fight.
Switching Between 2D and 3D
To switch between modern and classic Sonic, press a button (triangle on PlayStation, Y on Xbox). This will shift the gameplay to 2D when controlling classic Sonic.
If you miss the cues from Sonic’s friends about switching, just follow Time Eater. Ensure it’s always in front of you; if it’s not, make the switch.
Classic Sonic cannot attack Time Eater—only evade attacks and stay close. However, it’s a great chance to gather rings.
Time Eater’s Attacks
Sonic’s friends will alert you before Time Eater attacks and suggest ways to dodge those attacks. Here’s a rundown of the various attacks Time Eater uses during the battle.
| Attack | Description |
|---|---|
| Homing Shot | A series of homing missiles—Time Eater’s most frequent attack. Stay moving to avoid being hit. |
| Warping Arm Attack | One of Time Eater’s arms is launched through a portal. Boost away as soon as you see it. |
| Crush | When you get close, Time Eater will attempt to crush you with its arms. Slow down to dodge, evade, or keep attacking to temporarily stun it. |
| Laser | Aiming a laser beam. Move out of the way before it can lock onto you. Switching between 2D and 3D may help here. |
| Slow Down Time | Not much of a damaging attack, but it can be quite annoying. Towards the end, Time Eater slows down time, so just wait it out to resume your boosting. |