No other superhero seems to have as rich of a video game history as Spider-Man. Games featuring Marvel’s character date back decades and span several platforms. Some of these are great, while others left a bad taste in the mouths of players. But there are definitely more to choose from when compared to other popular superheroes.
We’re here to talk about games where Spider-Man is a star and not an ensemble piece like in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. We have scoured the dozens of entries with Spider-Man’s name in the title to pick out the best of the best. You’ll find some classics, some recent hits, and some games you may have forgotten about.
Updated on November 11th, 2020 by Patrick Mocella: With the release of Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS4 and PS5, we figured it’s about time to update this list. Unlike many superheroes who’s game history is filled with clunkers, Spider-Man actually has tons of great offerings from across different genres like beat-em-ups, open-world action, and level to level sidescrollers. Most of these games focus on the original wall-crawler Peter Parker, but alternate web-heads like Spider-Man 2099 and Spider-Man Noir also make appearances. While not every game here is necessarily a 5-star classic, they’re all worth your time so let’s dig into the best games to ever feature Spider-Man in a starring role.
15 Spider-Man: Friend Or Foe
In terms of crafting a compelling story or showing off Spider-Man’s incredible abilities, Spider-Man: Friend Or Foe fails. However, if you’re looking for a simple beat-em-up with a massive cast of characters, you can do worse than this forgotten title from 2007.
Notable for being the final Spider-Man game to use the designs of the Sam Raimi films, this game is a co-op button brawler that sees Spidey teaming with friends like Black Cat and Silver Sable as well as villains like Doc Ock and Green Goblin to stop a symbiote invasion (a common trope in Spider-Man games). It’s meant for younger gamers but the title is still a decent time for adults if just for being able to play as tons of major Spider-Man villains.
14 Spider-Man: Mysterio’s Menace
Now that handheld gaming is entirely dominated by mobile titles, newer gamers may not remember or appreciate the joys of having a good handheld superhero game. Spider-Man: Mysterio’s Menace definitely counts as one of those.
A simple side-scroller with great graphics, solid controls and music, this game might not seem like much by today’s standards but it was a blessing at the time. Even more impressive is that it was released only a few months after the GBA launched and remained the best Spidey game on the system.
13 Spider-Man: Edge Of Time
The often-forgotten follow-up to Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Spider-Man: Edge Of Time might not have been as solid or varied gameplay wise compared to the original, but this was made up for with its great storyline written by acclaimed Spider-Man comics writer Peter David.
Unlike its predecessor, Edge Of Time concentrates only on the traditional Peter Parker Spider-Man and his 2099 counterpart Miguel O’Hara. They both must coordinate their actions across time to save the future from destruction. While the gameplay is repetitive and features some frustrating boss fights, this 3D action game is still a good time.
12 Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro
The original PlayStation system was lucky enough to have some solid games when it came to Spider-Man. This 2001 sequel to a very strong installment was nearly as good as the original. It kept Spidey in New York City and made Electro into the main villain. That’s a spotlight he doesn’t always get, so this was cool for a lot of fans.
This sequel added the ability to fight and travel on the street level. It added new layers to an already fun game engine. This entry is most notable for having its production halted following the September 11 attacks to remove references to the World Trade Center. Other than that, it is remembered for being a fun adventure game.
11 Spider-Man Unlimited
One of the coolest things about Spider-Man is the sheer amount of versions available to fans. It’s why Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was so great. Released for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices, Spider-Man Unlimited played into that core concept and that helped it become so great.
Spider-Man Unlimited was literally unlimited. The free-runner genre is big on mobile devices and this game did it better than most others. You could run endlessly but had the benefit of web-swinging, boss battles, and tons of characters and storylines. It is incredibly rich with lore in a way that almost no other game can match.
10 Spider-Man: The Video Game
Ah, the appropriately named Spider-Man: The Video Game. In 1991, it was released for the Sega System 32. The premise is simple: Spider-Man and his allies are on a quest to retrieve an artifact. During gameplay, they encounter villains like Kingpin, Venom, Green Goblin, and Doctor Doom.
Though the Arcade game was centered around Spider-Man, the multiplayer function allowed users to play as other heroes. Black Cat, Hawkeye, and Sub-Mariner were all playable, which is great because they haven’t been in a ton of video games. This was widely praised as being one of the best superhero games of its time.
9 Spider-Man (2002)
While Spider-Man 2 gets all the glory in terms of Spider-Man movie-based games, its predecessor was also an incredibly fun time. Based on the first Sam Raimi movie, this game is the next evolution from the acclaimed PS1 Spider-Man titles from Neversoft. With much-improved combat, graphics and an expanded moveset, this plays like a joy.
This game should be given respect especially for featuring the best Green Goblin boss fights ever in a video game. Fighting him in the sky on his glider and on the ground is challenging but rewarding, exactly how it should be. Speaking of the Green Goblin, a cheat code in the game allows you to play through an alternate story with Harry Osborn in the suit and facing off against an unnamed Goblin who claims to have been hired by Harry’s father Norman. This whole new way to play the game makes this a unique gem in Spider-Man’s games library.
8 Ultimate Spider-Man
This game is loosely based on the Ultimate Spider-Man series that has become a favorite of many fans. It had the benefit of being written by the talented Brian Michael Bendis, who also penned the series. In it, players control both Spider-Man and Venom, providing a vastly different experience each time.
With both characters, you could free roam throughout the city, do your own thing, or take the missions that help you advance the story. But Venom needed to feed to replenish his health, which meant eating people. Yes, it’s a game where the protagonist eats people. The story was good enough that Bendis adapted it back into the original series.
7 Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows
One of the most recent entries on this list, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows arrived in 2008. It was an instant hit for the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and various other platforms. This was a game that delivered in terms of being a ton of fun and having an emotional plot. Many still consider it to be their favorite Spider-Man game.
That dramatic story we talked about involved Venom infecting New York City with Symbiotes. But even more than a fantastic Spidey vs. Venom tale, this game stood out for the awesome guest appearances, including Moon Knight, Luke Cage, and Wolverine.
6 Spider-Man 2
Released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and other systems, this free-roaming game was based on the blockbuster film Spider-Man 2. The interesting bit about this game was that it adapted elements of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker’s lives. You had to juggle everything from fighting crime to maintaining relationships.
It helped that this game was home to one of the best web-swinging engines of all time. Combine it with a huge map of Manhattan and players were given a ton of space to do almost anything they wished, within reason. Like the film it was based on, this game was met with widespread acclaim.
5 Spider-Man And Venom: Maximum Carnage
If you know your Spider-Man lore, then you probably remember this comic book storyline. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage is based on that famous story of the same name. The game came out in 1994, which was right around the time that the popular animated Spider-Man TV series was a hit.
Here, the user controls both Spidey and Venom as they attempt to stop Carnage and his henchmen. Maximum Carnage was one of the better side-scrolling action games of its era. Released for both the Sega Genesis and the SNES, it was a decent hit that garnered respectable reviews from gamers and critics alike.
4 Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Another case of multiple versions of Spider-Man being a selling point. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions was a multiplatform 2010 release that allowed gamers to control one of four different Spider-Men. There was Ultimate Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, and Spider-Man 2099.
This game was incredibly fun, mainly due to the different gameplay styles for each character. For example, Noir was all about stealth and 2099 had high-tech gadgets. Enjoyment was around every corner. The most memorable aspect may have been the multitude of awesome boss battles.
3 Spider-Man
For a lot of folks, this 2000 release for the PlayStation (and later for the N64) was the holy grail of Spider-Man games. It set the standard for how to do a Spider-Man 3D game properly. While obviously dated today, Spider-Man made web-swinging into something special and featured some great combat aspects.
Gamers were treated to an impressive story that moved at a wild pace and featured tons of characters and cameos. Who could forget the final fight against a terrifying combination of Carnage and Doc Ock? That’s insane. This was one of the first superhero games to get gameplay, fighting engine, writing, and voice acting almost all right.
2 Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Although the game has only just come out, Spider-Man: Miles Morales on the PS5 and PS4 is an incredible video game debut for Miles Morales in a lead role.
Building off 2018’s instant-classic, Insomniac Games has trimmed the fat off the original and added new mechanics that make Miles feel different enough from Peter without entirely changing what people loved about its predecessor. Where it falls short is with its extremely short campaign, but the game is such a great time that it hardly even matters. Check out our review of it here.
1 Marvel’s Spider-Man
The latest Spider-Man game is also the best. It revolutionized the concept of web-swinging. The game does it in such a smooth fashion that hours can easily be spent doing that and nothing else. Marvel’s Spider-Man features a great story, tons of nods to the character’s lore, phenomenal gameplay, and more.
It is a blast to attempt to complete all of the side missions or try on one of the dozens of suits included, each with their own unique special abilities. Almost a year after its release, Marvel’s Spider-Man remains a thoroughly entertaining experience and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon. Even with a weak puzzle gaming section, this is hands down the best Spider-Man game in history.
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