Sonic Mania PC version delayed at the very last minute

The release date for Sonic Mania is quickly approaching, but we're getting word today that those looking to buy the PC version will have to wait just a little while longer to play. Yes, even though the game was slated to launch on August 15, Sega and Sonic Team have pushed it back at the last minute. The good news is that Sega is willing to hand out a freebie to PC players to make up for the delay.

During a live stream to YouTube earlier today, Sega announced that the PC version of Sonic Mania will now launch on August 29. The PC version, Sega says, needs a little bit more optimization before launching. "One of the key things – and we've been messaging this from the start – is that we are not going to put out a game that's not the best it can be," Sega community manager Aaron Webber said about the delay.

Due to this inconvenience, Sega announced that everyone who pre-ordered the PC version of Sonic Mania will receive a free copy of the original Sonic the Hedgehog through Steam. That's a nice little gift, but you have to imagine that someone who's already a big enough Sonic fan to pre-order Sonic Mania on PC probably already owns a Steam copy of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Regardless, this delay isn't too awful in the grand scheme of things, as it only pushes the release back by a couple of weeks. Webber said during the stream that customers who pre-ordered the Sonic Mania collector's edition will still receive those on August 15, but the download code in the box will only unlock Sonic the Hedgehog until August 29. Keep in mind that only those who pre-order the PC version before August 15 will get the free copy of Sonic the Hedgehog – those who order after won't qualify for this free copy of the game.

Sega also clarified today that the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions of Sonic Mania are still going to launch on August 15, so console players don't have anything to worry about with this delay. A lot of Sonic fans are looking forward to Sonic Mania, so we'll see in just a few short days if it lives up to the excitement.