10 best Spider-Man games, ranked

Spider-Man games feature one of the most recognizable superheroes of all time. The character was first created by comic book legend Stan Lee. He has seen a lot of evolution, but his core has remained relatively unchanged. From numerous comic books, obscure Japanese television shows, and video games, the wall crawler has become an integral part of pop culture.

Spider-Man games have been around since the release of the first consoles. The first title was launched on the Atari 2600 back in 1982. A good three-and-a-half decades later, Insomniac Games is set to release Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

This article takes a look at some of the greatest Spider-Man games over the years and ranks them based on their gameplay, style, and execution.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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Ranking 10 of the best Spider-Man games

10) Ultimate Spider-Man (2005)

Ultimate Spider-Man is an open-world game developed by Treyarch and Vicarious Visions for the PlayStation 2, Gamecube, Xbox, and Windows. The title follows the iconic wall-crawler through the streets of Manhattan and New York. It has some great characters, excellent plot lines, and a cast of characters that would make all Spidey fans cheer.

Ultimate Spider-Man also allows players to play as Venom. It features an interesting juxtaposition between the web-swinging hero and Eddie Brock's monstrous Symbiote.

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9) Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (2008)

Treyarch's last attempt at a Spider-man game, Web of Shadows, takes place in a Symbiote-infested Manhattan. Spider-Man has to solve this crisis by teaming up with powerful allies. Like in the previous entry on this list, Venom appears in this game and its cover art. The title also features another popular Marvel comic book character that fans will instantly recognize

Web of Shadows is one of those special Spider-Man video games that implements a grand storyline but does not distract players from the hero. It also boasts a colorful cast of characters that add to the plot.

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8) Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010)

Shattered Dimensions is Spider-Man's first foray into Multiverse territory. The game adds four Spider-Men into the mix. Players can don the masks of Spider-Man 2099, Amazing Spider-Man, Noir Spider-Man, and Ultimate Spider-Man. Beenox was incredibly bold in implementing some of the best variants of Spider-Man in a well-polished title that still holds up to this day.

Shattered Dimensions is not an open-world game. Instead, it focuses on a more linear, level-based mission format. Each of the above-listed Spider-Men boasts a unique combat style, with Miguel O'Hara's 2099 variant having arguably the coolest power of them all: the ability to slow down time.

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7) Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (2001)

Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro was released for the PlayStation in 2001. The game was developed by Vicarious Visions and is a direct sequel to 2000's Spider-Man. The title follows Spider-Man as he tries to stop Electro, who is in the middle of pulling off heists across NYC.

Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro is an obvious entrant into this list, mostly because of the nostalgia factor. The final fight with Electro is a spectacle and captures the essence of the game extremely well.

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6) Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (1994)

This is the oldest Spider-Man game to make it to this list. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was released for the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The title is a 2D beat-em-up that follows the story of a seemingly rehabilitated Eddie Brock and our iconic web-swinger taking on Carnage.

Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage's comic book-style presentation is reminiscent of the time it was released. With the ability to switch between heroes who have varying combat styles, the game manages to stay fresh throughout its runtime. This title is incredibly fun to play and holds up quite well today.

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5) Spider-Man 2 (2004)

This Spider-Man game is based on the sequel of the original trilogy of Spider-Man movies starring Tobey Maguire. It is incredibly faithful to the film and has the official Spidey suit.

Spider-Man 2 is an open-world game that focuses heavily on exploration and side quests, which usually involve helping the denizens of New York City. It has a wide array of characters like Black Cat, Shocker, and the movie's antagonist, Doc Ock. The game also has pizza delivery side missions that are incredibly fun to do.

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4) Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020)

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales does not have the long runtime as Marvel's Spider-Man, but it is still an incredible game. Miles Morales, as Spider-Man, fits into the game world perfectly as he steps into the shoes of Peter Parker. This title provides a solid 30- to 40-hour experience in a formula that is constantly improving.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is just one of those games that players should not skip. It has everything the 2018 game does, including an intuitively designed open world littered with things to do.

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3) Spider-Man (2000)

Spider-Man (2000) is arguably one of the first Spider-Man games that a lot of players first got into. This title was Activision's first Spider-Man game and features Stan Lee as the narrator.

Spider-Man (2000) follows the dubious plot by Doc Ock to smother NYC in a poisonous cloud. The game has web-swinging mechanics that help Spider-Man traverse this hostile environment.

Spider-Man (2000) has an iconic cast of villains, including Venom, Carnage, Scorpion, and Doc Ock. The title is wacky, action-filled, and has great voice acting. The linear design might seem dated, but the game is incredibly polished for its time.

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2) Marvel's Spider-Man (2018)

Marvel's Spider-Man brought Spider-Man back into the fray after a long hiatus from video games. In this title, the city of New York has been excellently realized, and swinging across the Manhattan skyline has never felt so fun. The open world is littered with side quests and things to collect. It is a great playground to pull off some amazing Spidey stunts.

Marvel's Spider-Man follows the story of Peter Parker as he tries to balance his life as a regular person and his alter ego while trying to stop a city-wide invasion by supervillains hellbent on conquering NYC. With satisfying combat, great traversal mechanics, and gorgeous world design, this game takes the second spot with ease.

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1) Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (2023)

The best Spider-Man game goes to a title that just dropped, one that fans have been dying to get their hands on. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is one of the biggest releases of the year and could possibly trump the 2018 game in terms of sales.

Early reviews of the title have cited that it takes the original game and doubles down on its features, providing a ground-breaking, web-swinging Spidey experience that deserves the top spot on this list.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is the 40th Spider-Man game and is currently live.

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A ton of players have grown up playing Spider-Man games. With the current titles and consoles, a new generation will get to experience Spidey in all his glory.