Summary
- Spider-Man's video game history is extensive, spanning decades and offering a variety of games on multiple platforms and genres.
- Most Spider-Man games are fantastic, with iconic villains and stylish gameplay, featuring alternate incarnations of the hero like Miles Morales and Spider-Man Noir.
- With a wide selection of Spider-Man games available, players can choose from beat 'em ups, open-world adventures, and even mobile-only titles for different gaming experiences.
No other superhero's video game history is quite as rich as Spider-Man's. Games featuring the iconic wall-crawler date back decades and span multiple platforms and genres. Most of them are fantastic, although one or two did leave a sour taste in the mouths of players. Either way though, there are definitely a lot more Spider-Man games to choose from than there are games based on other popular superhero franchises.
10 Best Superhero Games Of The 2000s (According To Metacritic)
Superhero games have come a long way over the last two decades, but the 2000s still featured some heavy-hitters that launched fan-favorite franchises.
Whether web-swinging his way through a lifelike rendition of New York or going toe to toe with some of the many iconic Spider-Man villains in a side-scrolling beat 'em-up adventure, Peter Parker's alter ego usually does so with a certain level of style. It's not always Peter though, with other versions of the hero like Miles Morales, Spider-Man 2099, and Spider-Man Noir also appearing in several of the best Spiderman games.
Updated December 16, 2024, by Tom Bowen: When it comes to superheroes, few are as better suited to video game adaptations as Marvel's Spider-Man. When combined with his excellent combat skills, the wall-crawler's ability to swing through the air makes him the ultimate playable character, which, in turn, has led to some truly fantastic video games. Not all of these games have been perfect, but most are at the very least able to offer something unique, which is quite the achievement given just how many Spider-Man games there have been over the years. The best Spider-Man games of all time are well worth checking out and offer their players unique experiences spread across multiple video game genres.
All Spider-Man Video Games
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Name |
Release Date |
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Spider-Man |
November 1982 |
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The Amazing Spider-Man |
July 1990 |
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October 1991 |
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October 17, 1991 |
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 |
August 1992 |
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The Amazing Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers |
July 1993 |
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September 16, 1994 |
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Spider-Man |
February 13, 1995 |
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March 17, 1995 |
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May 15, 1995 |
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September 1, 2000 |
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August 26, 2001 |
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September 19, 2001 |
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April 16, 2002 |
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June 28, 2004 |
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September 22, 2005 |
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November 14, 2006 |
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May 4, 2007 |
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October 2, 2007 |
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October 21, 2008 |
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September 1, 2010 |
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September 7, 2010 |
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October 4, 2011 |
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June 26, 2012 |
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April 17, 2014 |
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September 10, 2014 |
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September 7, 2018 |
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November 12, 2020 |
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October 20, 2023 |
24 Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety
GameRankings Rating: 61.5%
Despite taking its name from the Separation Anxiety comic book series, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety has a lot more in common with Venom's debut series, Lethal Protector. This multiplayer beat 'em-up allows two players to team up as the two titular characters to bring down Carnage, who serves as the game's main antagonist.
Like many licensed games of the era, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety can be incredibly repetitive in places and the combat is nothing to write home about either. However, for those looking for a 16-bit Spider-Man game that they can play with friends, Separation Anxiety is a solid enough option and an interesting chapter in the wall-crawler's video game history. In reality, though, the best thing about this game was probably the box art.
Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety
- Released
- May 15, 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
- Publisher(s)
- Acclaim Entertainment
- Developer
- Software Creations
- Platform(s)
- SNES, Sega Genesis
- GameRankings Rating
- 61.5%
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
23 The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes
GameRankings Rating: N/A
Released for the Super Famicom in the mid-nineties, The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes is a Japan-exclusive Spider-Man game with its own original story. Sadly, it had very little going for it in the narrative department, although it did boast a glut of popular Spider-Man villains and a solid enough combat system.
The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes was also one of just a handful of games that supported Epoch's Barcode Battler system, with players able to gain access to new in-game content by scanning special barcodes. Much like Nintendo's own e-Reader accessory, the tech never really took off, but it remains an interesting part of gaming history nonetheless.
The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes
- Released
- March 17, 1995
- Engine
- Insomniac Engine v.4.0
- Franchise
- Spider-Man
22 Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem
Metacritic Rating: 85
Most of Spidey's earlier outings ended up being ported to handheld devices at some point, so it wasn't too surprising when Gameloft released a mobile-only Spider-Man game in 2010. Understandably, perhaps, Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem was nowhere near as ambitious as some of the console games that preceded it, but its simplicity arguably worked in its favor.
Rather than attempting to create a huge open-world adventure, the developer opted to go down the beat-em-up route instead. Like many of the great Spider-Man beat-em-ups from the nineties, it features solid visuals, enjoyable combat, and an extensive cast of iconic villains for players to test their skills against.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem (dupe)
- Released
- September 1, 2010
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Gameloft
21 The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Metacritic Rating: 57
Much like the movie on which it was based, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed even to live up to the low standards set by its predecessor, with the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game both rocking sub-50 scores on Metacritic. That's not to say that there are no redeeming qualities, however, with the game's huge open world arguably offering a slightly nicer sandbox in which spidey enthusiasts can play.
Sadly, technical issues plagued console ports of the game, with the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, in particular, struggling with frame rate issues and occasional pop-in problems. Some have speculated that the game may have been rushed out to coincide with the release of the movie, which would certainly explain the overall lack of polish. Still, for those playing on PC or newer consoles, the game can still be a lot of fun in short bursts.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
- Released
- April 17, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Beenox
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Metascore
- 57
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Fighting, Shooter
20 Spider-Man: Battle for New York
Metacritic Rating: 68
Given that the DS is one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time, it should come as no surprise that there were plenty of Spider-Man games for the system. One of the better ones was Spider-Man: Battle for New York, a single-player action platformer that sees Spider-Man come up against Norman Osborn's Green Goblin.
The game serves as a prequel to Ultimate Spider-Man and features fairly similar gameplay. Players must explore the streets of New York City while saving its citizens and dealing with any thugs that they come across. The DS version also features three fairly simplistic touchscreen mini-games, though, in truth, these become tiresome pretty quickly.
Spider-Man: Battle for New York
- Released
- November 14, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Developer
- Torus Games
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS
- Metascore
- 68
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
19 Spider-Man 3
Metacritic Rating: 63
Spider-Man 3 is far from the best Spiderman game of the last few decades but still gets a lot of things right. For one thing, the sprawling sandbox in which players are placed is beautifully rendered and provides a level of detail not found in earlier Spider-Man titles. The combat's decent too and the voice-acting is usually on point.
Where the game falls a little short is in its story campaign, which is propped up by a weak narrative and ridiculously short. There's still a lot of fun to be had with the game though, particularly the Wii version, which does an excellent job of integrating motion controls into the classic Spider-Man experience.
Spider-Man 3
- Released
- May 4, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Vicarious Visions
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Platform(s)
- PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PSP, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS
- Metascore
- 63
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Fighting
18 The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin
GameRankings Rating: N/A
Modern Spider-Man games may be all about those big open worlds, but many of the best Spider-Man games from the nineties were side-scrolling platformers with beat 'em-up elements. Granted, this was largely down to the technical limitations of the era's hardware, but the games are no less enjoyable for it. In fact, there's perhaps an argument to be made that the games' linear nature made it a lot easier for players to focus on unleashing their inner spider.
The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin isn't the best Spider-Man game to be released in the twentieth century, but it's still well worth a play. The wall-crawling and platforming are surprisingly good, as too is the game's combat. It would have been nice to have had a little more of the latter, as some of the stages are a little lacking when it comes to enemies to beat up on, but this is just a minor complaint when weighed up against the game's positive qualities.
The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin
- Released
- October 17, 1991
WHERE TO PLAY
17 The Amazing Spider-Man
Metacritic Rating: 71
Those looking for a challenging game may be better served elsewhere, though, for anyone seeking a Spider-Man game with excellent controls and fantastic visuals, The Amazing Spider-Man provides a sturdy option. Whether through exploring the streets of New York or beating up on some of the city's many thugs, the game makes it surprisingly easy to get lost in Peter Parker's world.
As with some of the other Spider-Man games of the era, the game's narrative does let it down a little, both due to its lack of depth and, at times, its repetitive nature. Some of the side quests can seem incredibly similar too, but, for the first few hours, at least, there's more than enough to distract from this.
The Amazing Spider-Man
- Released
- June 26, 2012
- ESRB
- T // Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Beenox
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Platform(s)
- PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo Wii U, PC, Vita, Nintendo DS, 3DS, Mobile
- Metascore
- 71
16 Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
Metacritic Rating: 62
In terms of crafting a compelling story or showing off Spider-Man's incredible abilities, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a bit of a failure. However, for those interested in a simple beat 'em-up with a massive cast of characters, they could definitely do a lot worse than this forgotten title from 2007.
Notable for being the final Spider-Man game to use the designs of the Sam Raimi films, Friend or Foe is a co-op brawler that sees Spidey teaming up with both friends and foes to stop a symbiote invasion. It's designed with younger gamers in mind but provides enough to entertain adults for a few hours at the very least.
Spider-Man: Friend Or Foe
- Released
- October 2, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Next Level Games
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Metascore
- 62
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Adventure, Beat-Em-Up
15 Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace
Metacritic Rating: 84
Now that handheld gaming is entirely dominated by mobile titles, younger 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 catchy music, this game might not seem like much by today's standards but was an absolute blessing at the time of its release. Even more impressive is that it arrived just a few months after the GBA's launch, yet remained the best Spiderman game on the system.
Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace
- Released
- September 19, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Vicarious Visions
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance
- Metascore
- 84
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up