About
Sonic 2 Forever (released as Sonic 2 Absolute) is Team Forever's enhanced PC build of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, using the open-source RSDKv4 decompilation of the 2013 Sega mobile remaster. It adds widescreen support, a locked 60 FPS framerate, a built-in mod loader, and quality-of-life improvements while preserving the feel of the original game. It is a companion to Team Forever's Sonic 1 Forever and is distributed free of charge. (Note: the project's official name is Sonic 2 Absolute — 'Sonic 2 Forever' is an informal community name for it.) Because it is built on the official decompilation engine, it requires original game data files to run — either from the Android APK or a Sonic Origins purchase.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- Sonic2Absolute.exe
- Needs files
-
- Data.rsdk
Proton
- Version
- GE-Proton9-20
- Winetricks
- —
⚙ Setup notes
Engine: Sonic 2 Forever uses the RSDKv4 decompilation engine (same as Sonic 1 Forever). The Windows release ships as Sonic2Absolute.exe.
Data file: Requires a Data.rsdk file from a legitimately owned copy of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2013). The simplest source is the Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Classic Android app: extract the APK like a ZIP, pull Data.rsdk from the assets/ folder, and place it next to the executable. Sonic Origins data is also supported (since the project's v1.3.2 builds) but is not plug-and-play — it requires extracting Sonic2u.rsdk, hex-editing the extracted GameConfig.bin, and sourcing audio separately, so the Android datapack is the recommended route.
Proton: Use GE-Proton (latest stable) for best compatibility; standard Proton Experimental also works.
Install: Add the exe to Steam as a non-Steam game and force the Proton version.
Display: The game runs at 60 FPS widescreen natively once the data file is present.
The one thing to know
Supply your own copy: Requires Data.rsdk from a legitimately owned copy of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2013) — easiest from the Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Classic Android app; Sonic Origins data also works but needs extra conversion. deckport links nowhere to obtain game data.
Setup: Place Data.rsdk next to Sonic2Absolute.exe before launching.
Proton: Use GE-Proton for best results on Deck; add as a non-Steam game in Desktop Mode, then force the Proton layer.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
- gamebanana Install Sonic 1 Forever on Linux / Steam Proton (GameBanana — same steps apply to S2) ↗
- teamforeveronline Team Forever official page — Sonic 2 Absolute ↗
- github RSDKv4 Decompilation GitHub (engine source) ↗
- github Sonic 2 Absolute source / releases (ElspethThePict, Team Forever) ↗
- rsdkmodding RSDK Modding Wiki — obtaining the Sonic 1 & 2 datapacks (Data.rsdk) ↗
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options, Proton version)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.