Unlike in Shadow the Hedgehog, the Dark Rider is needed on certain missions to advance as it allows Shadow to travel faster. It has been completely redesigned, is now armed with machine guns, and its speed can be increased using an ability called the Boost Dash. It also appears in Shadow's seventh Town Mission, ' Motorcycle License Test'. The Dark Rider reappears in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), where it can be used in Radical Train and Aquatic Base. It can be found and ridden in Lethal Highway.

It is shown in the game's intro, where he uses it to smash into a Black Arms soldier, blowing it up in the process. The Dark Rider first appears in Shadow the Hedgehog as an unnamed vehicle.