How to activate Portals in Sonic Frontiers

Portals are Sonic Frontiers’ primary mechanic and the key to beating the game and seeing all the content it has to offer. Portals are gateways to play and experience the Cyber Space levels in Sonic Frontiers. Cyber Space levels are a throwback to previous Sonic games in terms of style and presentation. They are essential to earning Vault keys. This guide will explain how to activate Portals in Sonic Frontiers.

How Portals work in Sonic Frontiers

Portals can be activated by walking up to them and turning them on with Sonic. However, Portals will not just start without some work being done first. Each Portal will have a number next to it, and this number indicates how many Portal Gears it requires to unlock.

A Portal Gear isn’t just laying around in plain sight waiting for Sonic to collect them all. They can only be earned by finding and defeating Guardians. These world bosses can be found roaming the various landscapes. They can often be seen from a great distance, and they won’t engage unless you close the distance. These enemies are massive and will require all of Sonic’s skills to defeat them.

Related: How to defeat Guardians in Sonic Frontiers

Portals are introduced very early in the Sonic Frontiers campaign. Portals are how you experience and play Cyber Space levels. Cyber Space missions play out like levels from Sonic Forces and Sonic Adventure. The camera is usually right behind Sonic as he speeds through a series of rooms, ramps, and rails, trying to achieve different subgoals along the way. Each run is letter graded, with an “S” rating being the top score.

Each Portal’s Cyber Space mission will have up to five goals you can try to beat. Beating these optional goals will reward you with Vault keys. These keys can open Vaults hidden in each of the three open-world locations Sonic can explore.