While superhero video games wildly vary in quality, Spider-Man tends to receive the most consistently solid video game titles in comparison to his peers. Spider-Man’s video game history is also extensive, with the Marvel hero appearing on virtually every gaming platform since 1982.
From adaptations of the Hollywood movies and popular comic book storylines to the recent titles developed by Insomniac Games, Spider-Man has a robust video game library. Here are all the major home console games starring Spider-Man ranked from best to worst for gamers ready to do whatever a spider can across a variety of consoles.
12) Spider-Man 3
Both the 2007 film Spider-Man 3 and its video game adaptation faced a high burden of expectation given the quality of the 2004 movie and game. To remedy this, both productions went bigger but not necessarily better as Spider-Man faced a new Goblin, Sandman, and Venom in the story. The game allows Spider-Man to tap into the raw power of the Venom symbiote, albeit with dark consequences if he relies on it too much as its new central gameplay mechanic.
Somehow, the combat system in Spider-Man 3 feels noticeably less polished and less intuitive than the preceding two games, rather than refining them further. Spider-Man 3 is also hampered by an overuse of quick-time events, a gaming trend that, in its defense, was annoyingly prevalent at the time. Spider-Man 3 is easily the weakest movie tie-in game for the franchise to date, worthy of the legacy of its own maligned source material.
11) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Just as the 2014 movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is something of an overstuffed and rushed mess, so too is its movie tie-in game. Adapting the story of Spider-Man confronting Electro and his old friend Harry Osborn, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 focuses heavily on new plot elements, with Carnage, Kraven the Hunter, and the Kingpin all prominently appearing. The game features a Hero/Menace system, determining Spider-Man’s public reputation based on how effectively he fights crime, with the Menace distinction sending the authorities after the hero.
Though trying to build upon the gameplay mechanics from the preceding game, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 feels completely unpolished in its final execution. Technical presentation suffers, too, failing to take advantage of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One hardware while other ports are of significantly lesser quality. A cheap cash-in that can’t live up to its own ambitions whenever it tries something different, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is an all-around lackluster experience.
10) Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety
After the success of Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage, a sequel was released for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis in 1995, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety. Adapting the 1993 comic book story Venom: Lethal Protector and 1994 story Venom: Separation Anxiety, the game has Spider-Man and Venom contend with Carnage’s latest attack on New York. Complicating matters is a group of violent vigilantes known as the Jury, while the heroes receive cameo help from friendly faces, including Captain America and Daredevil.
The only real improvement that Separation Anxiety has over Maximum Carnage is the addition of a two-player multiplayer compared to its predecessor’s single-player gameplay. The rest of Separation Anxiety feels rushed and uninspired, with less polished graphics and repetitive level and enemy design. For fans of side-scrolling beat ’em ups, Separation Anxiety definitely has a superficial appeal but lacks the depth of many of its better-executed contemporaries.
9) The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Movie-tin games were still going strong when the Spider-Man film franchise was rebooted in 2012 with The Amazing Spider-Man, ushering Andrew Garfield into the superhero role. The tie-in game for it was interestingly set after the events of the movie, despite only being released two weeks after it, as a sort of epilogue. In the game, Spider-Man contends with a new head of OsCorp and mutated monsters derived from the Lizard’s genetic experiments.
Mirroring the cinematic source material, The Amazing Spider-Man has a darker tone than most Spider-Man games and reliably good gameplay and open-world navigation. However, at this point, the formula starts to become apparent, with few innovations and repetitive side missions. Certainly not the worst movie-tie in game in the franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man plays it safe and largely succeeds.
8) Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage
The most memorable Spider-Man game from the 16-bit era is the 1994 title Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. Adapting the hit comic book storyline of the same name, bitter enemies Spider-Man and Venom agree to temporarily set aside their differences to deal with the serial killer supervillain Carnage. As Carnage leads his own army of supervillains, the duo is joined by a list of allies, including Captain America and Black Cat.
Maximum Carnage is side-scrolling beat ’em up action at its finest and really exemplary of popular early ‘90s games, an era where it felt like every major superhero got their own beat ’em up title. With comic panel cutscenes directly evoking the source material and a hard rock soundtrack, Maximum Carnage really feels like a cult classic time capsule. The biggest drawback is that despite there being two playable characters, the entire experience is restricted to single-player.
7) Spider-Man (2002)
The first Spider-Man movie tie-in game, loosely adapting the 2002 film starring Tobey Maguire as the web-slinger, is one of the most underrated. The game has Spider-Man investigate the sinister machinations at OsCorp, putting him on a collision course with the supervillain Green Goblin. This escalates into a battle spanning Manhattan and endangering Peter’s love interest, Mary Jane Watson.
Overshadowed by its sequel, the 2002 Spider-Man game lays an impressive foundation, refining the 3D gameplay from previous titles in the PlayStation library. Though the combat is noticeably clunkier than subsequent games, many of the mechanics are introduced here. Spider-Man doesn’t have the open-world ambition of its successors, but it’s a solid retro adventure and even allows players to control the Green Goblin, complete with his own control scheme.
6) Ultimate Spider-Man
With production on the movie Spider-Man 3 taking longer than anticipated, Activision filled the gap with 2005’s Ultimate Spider-Man. Instead of adapting the cinematic universe, Ultimate Spider-Man adapts the best-selling comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. Bendis himself was heavily involved in the game’s production, with Bagley’s distinct art style mimicked by the game’s cel-shaded presentation.
Ultimate Spider-Man follows up on a plot thread from the comics, with the Ultimate Universe’s version of Eddie Brock bonding with the Venom symbiote and terrorizing New York. Allowing players to alternate between navigating New York as Spider-Man and Venom, Ultimate Spider-Man contains nods to the wider Ultimate Universe. Though the game features some annoying boss battles and challenges, it is the most underrated Spider-Man game published by Activision.
5) Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Players got four Spider-Men for the price of one with the 2010 game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, the first title in the franchise developed by Beenox. After a multiversal tablet that binds the multiverse is shattered, the Spider-Men of four different universes work together to ensure the restoration of reality. From the Spider-Man of the main Marvel Universe to his counterparts from Marvel 2099 and the Noir and Ultimate Universes, players get to experience the variety available across the Spider-Man mythos.
Though Shattered Dimensions moves away from the open-world gameplay that defined its immediate predecessors, the sheer breadth of gameplay available more than makes up for it. From the stealth sections for Spider-Man Noir to the high-flying cyberpunk for Spider-Man 2099, Shattered Dimensions really is a game that feels more than the sum of its distinct parts. Following the game’s success, co-writer Dan Slott would go on to incorporate bombastic multiverse action with his comic book event Spider-Verse in 2014, inspiring the 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and the rest is history.
4) Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
To help launch the PlayStation 5 and tide over the wait till a full sequel to Marvel’s Spider-Man, Insomniac Games developed 2020’s follow-up Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Shifting the gameplay focus to the new Spider-Man Miles Morales, while Peter is out of town, Manhattan becomes a battlefield between the nefarious Roxxon Corporation and a terrorist syndicate known as The Underground.
Building on the foundation from Marvel’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales gives its protagonist his own unique abilities and engrossing story to follow. However, Miles Morales is noticeably shorter than its predecessor, feeling like something of a glorified stopgap between main entries in the series. Despite this truncated length, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is still a fun experience and one of the better Spider-Man games of the 21st century.
3) Spider-Man 2 (2004)
If there was ever strong evidence that not all movie tie-in games are garbage, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 triumphs over the negative connotation that these adaptations get. Like the acclaimed Sam Raimi-helmed movie, Spider-Man 2 has Peter contend with Doctor Octopus while struggling to balance his personal life. The game adds additional enemies and side missions for Spider-Man, including a memorable appearance by Mysterio over the course of the story.
With its open-world gameplay, Spider-Man 2 really set the mold for all Spider-Man games to follow and continues to be a visible bar of quality for the franchise. Navigating Manhattan is intuitive, the controls are tight and responsive, and the side quests aren’t overly tedious. The high-water mark of Spider-Man movie adaptations, Spider-Man 2 remains the gold standard.
2) Marvel’s Spider-Man
A fresh iteration of Spider-Man leapt on the scene in Marvel’s Spider-Man, originally launching on the PlayStation in 2018. Developed by Insomniac Games, the studio behind Ratchet & Clank and Spyro the Dragon, Marvel’s Spider-Man had Peter Parker struggle to protect New York from villains taking advantage of the Kingpin’s recent arrest. The game adapts the classic Spider-Man mythos while putting its own modern twist on the timeless superhero story and characters.
Marvel’s Spider-Man feels great to play, even after the release of its subsequent sequels, with a seamless combat system and sprawling open-world. Compared to its successors, there are some tedious side missions and bonus objectives for those looking to fully complete the game. But still, Marvel’s Spider-Man reinvigorated the video game franchise, which continues to thrive years later.
1) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
After years of anticipation, Insomniac followed up on 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man with a full sequel in 2023, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for the PlayStation 5. With Miles settling into his superhero role as Spider-Man and Peter Parker back in town, the two men take on a variety of supervillains across New York, including the unrelenting Kraven the Hunter. However, when Peter’s old friend Harry Osborn unleashes the Venom symbiote, the Spider-Men and their friends will be tested like never before.
Players get the chance to alternate between Miles and Peter, each with their own unique and upgradeable abilities, building on the foundation from previous games. And rather than keeping the action restricted to Manhattan, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 significantly expands the open world by bringing in Queens and Brooklyn as new neighborhoods to explore and defend. With its cinematic storytelling and sheer breadth and depth of gameplay, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sets a new standard for the franchise.
