Top 10 Spider-Man Games [IGN]

So strap on your web-shooters and dive off a skyscraper as we swing into our list of the 10 best Spider-Man video games.

You can check out our ranking by watching the video in the player above, flipping through the slideshow gallery below, or keep scrolling to read the article.

10. Spider-Man: The Movie (2002)

Platform: PS2, Xbox, Gamecube

Developer: Treyarch

Spider-Man: The Movie was released in 2002 and did just enough right to make it a fun superhero action brawler. The story has Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe voicing their characters from the movie, although Maguire’s performance isn’t exactly amazing. The game is criminally short, too – around six hours for the main story – but that’s offset by the fact that once you finish it you can replay as the Green Goblin, complete with Goblin Glider and pumpkin bombs, and there’s even a new story following Harry Osborn. The outdoor levels have us swinging around shooting webs aimlessly into the sky, but they offer a sense of freedom, as Spider-Man zips around battling drones in the air and goons on rooftops. Combat feels authentic to Spider-Man: you can launch into an airborne enemy, fire off webs, change direction midair, and swing away to keep your combo going – something we could only dream of doing in previous Spidey games.

9. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010)

Platform: PS3, Xbox 360

Developer: Beenox

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is easily the most polarizing entry on this list. For every spectacular thing it has to offer, there’s something just as un-spectacular to web it up. Featuring Mysterio as the big bad, the story sees a magical tablet shattered and spread across the multiverse, which prompts us to take control of four different Spider-Mans (yes, that’s the grammatically correct way to say it) to go find them. Each Spider-Man – the classic Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man 2099, and Ultimate Spider-Man – offers their own twist, with fun signature powers such as stealth and bullet-time abilities, and there are some cool levels and boss battles featuring awesome redesigned villains that allow you to put them to good use. On the other hand, Shattered Dimensions is far shorter than you’d expect – the story wouldn’t get a passing grade in your middle school English Comp class, and its janky camera is so good at getting you killed that it may as well be the seventh member of the Sinister Syndicate. Still, those frustrating elements are often worth enduring to enjoy this unique and creative Spider-Man game.

8. Spider-Man (2000)

Platform: PS1, Dreamcast, N64

Developer: Neversoft

Neversoft’s Spider-Man delivers on nearly all fronts. It’s colorful, full of personality, and gushing with love, not only for Spider-Man but the whole Marvel Universe. From the Baxter Building appearing on the New York City skyline to a cameo from the Punisher, not to mention narration from the one and only Stan Lee, this game is a Marvel fan’s dream. It even features voice actors from Spider-Man cartoons of the era (Spider-Man: The Animated Series and Spider-Man Unlimited). Gameplay incorporates all of Spidey’s powers, including crawling up a skyscraper while an attack chopper tries to blow you up and using webs for everything from boxing gloves to exploding shields. It’s filled with comic book Easter eggs (including literal comic books) and cool little touches, like how, when you pick up temporary armor, your suit will switch to the fan-favorite metallic Armored Spider-Man costume.

The story is a short-and-sweet mystery involving an impostor Spider-Man (we’ll give you one guess to who that could possibly be), and it’s packed with iconic Spidey villains with their cartoonish personalities cranked up to 11. Plus, Neversoft created a brand-new villain just for the game: a Doc Ock + Carnage combo known as Monster-Ock. This Spider-Man game does have its fair share of wonky elements, like how you could run out of webbing or fall off a building to your death (use your webs, bro!), but still, it’s hard to be anything but charmed by this entry in Spidey’s game catalog.

7. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (1994)

Platform: SNES, Sega Genesis

Developer: Software Creations

Spidey may have starred in video games dating all the way back to the Atari era, but precious few of those are actually any good. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage finally turned things around for the wallcrawler in 1994. This arcade-style beat-’em-up takes direct inspiration from the comic book crossover of the same name, and that’s half the fun. Maximum Carnage is like a Spider-Man comic book brought to life, from the colorful 2D sprites right down to the cutscenes that recreate panels from the books. The option to play as either Spidey or Venom is a major feather in its cap, too, as are the many unlockable Marvel characters sprinkled throughout.

Maximum Carnage may be punishingly difficult at times but it remains one of the best examples of the superhero brawler subgenre that was so prevalent in the early ‘90s. And, hey, how often did SNES and Sega Genesis cartridges come in red?

6. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (2008)

Platform: Nintendo DS

Developer: Amaze Entertainment

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows tells a story that’s a bit darker than usual, where Spidey fights off a symbiote invasion of New York City with a little help from his iconic black suit and a roster of unexpected Marvel allies. What’s bizarre about Web of Shadows is that it was released on console and handheld, with the exact same title and box art, but as two completely different games – one an open-world action-adventure game and the other a 2D side-scrolling brawler. They share a similar plot and the ability to use the different skills provided by either Spider-Man’s standard costume or the symbiote suit, but – surprise twist! – the console version is pretty bad, while the DS version is much better. The Metroidvania-style design was a fresh spin for 2D Spidey games, and its rewarding combat system and ever-growing map are borderline addictive. Web of Shadows is a fun, bite-sized Spider-Man experience – but only on the Nintendo DS.

5. Ultimate Spider-Man (2005)

Platform: PS2, Xbox, Gamecube

Developer: Treyarch

After delivering what was, to that point, the undisputed king of Spider-Man games with Spider-Man 2, Treyarch carried forward everything it learned into 2005’s Ultimate Spider-Man. Based on Marvel’s modern and freshly rebooted Ultimate Spider-Man comic, the Ultimate Spider-Man game – which was co-directed by the comic’s co-creator Brian Michael Bendis – starts with a bang: best friends Peter Parker and Eddie Brock battle it out on their high school’s football field as Spidey and Venom, after Eddie is unable to resist the corruption of the symbiote suit.

Swinging around New York City as Spidey still feels great, but it’s the addition of a playable Venom that makes this game feel novel. We’re forced to “feed” on enemies and innocent citizens alike to keep Venom alive as he launches himself from building to building using his tentacles. Ultimate Spider-Man cleverly incorporates comic storytelling, as scene changes or swaps between characters has our perspective jump between the panels of a comic book. The cel-shaded art style brings that feeling home, leaning into what the PS2/Xbox/GameCube-era hardware was capable of and standing the test of time a little better than its contemporaries as a result.

To top it all off, there’s a surprise cameo and boss battle with Wolverine (in a bar, natch), making Ultimate Spider-Man feel very much like a part of the larger Marvel Universe.

4. Spider-Man 2: The Movie (2004)

Platform: PS2, Xbox, GameCube

Developer: Treyarch

Spider-Man 2: The Movie (the game) was a watershed moment for Spidey games. The story is loosely based on the plot of the movie but with more supporting characters and villains thrown in, offering a robust and satisfying Spidey experience from top to bottom. But more importantly, this is the first time we got to swing on webs that were actually anchored to buildings and feel the rush of an actual physics engine as Spidey zipped across an open-world Manhattan. Inspired by Grand Theft Auto III, the expansive and explorable city is filled with all manner of activities, from crimes that need stopping to pizzas that need delivering. Spider-Man 2 revolutionized what we expected from a modern Spider-Man game, and it’s this foundation that the beloved Insomniac games are based on.

3. Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018)

Platform: PS4

Developer: Insomniac

Speaking of those Insomniac games, Marvel’s Spider-Man is a modern classic. Insomniac left no stone unturned in gamifying the Spidey experience, with intuitive web-slinging, fluid combat, a deep closet of alternate suits, and a sprawling New York City map which made gunning for 100% completion a challenge well-worth undertaking. And it all looks fantastic, no matter which of Peter Parker’s faces you prefer. This is the blockbuster Spider-Man game that fulfilled the dreams of many spider-fans.

What sets Marvel’s Spider-Man apart is its emotionally rich story, which stands shoulder to shoulder with just about anything we’ve seen in movies. Peter’s struggle to balance his own wants and needs against the demands of being a superhero is at the heart of most great Spider-Man stories, and this one’s no exception. Years deep into being Spidey, Insomniac’s Peter Parker is repeatedly forced to make difficult choices with consequences that reverberate through the rest of his life, and the wonderful performances from voice actors like Yuri Lowenthal and Laura Bailey sell those stakes every step of the way.

2. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020)

Platform: PS4, PS5

Developer: Insomniac

Spider-Man: Miles Morales is less a true sequel than an expansion of Insomniac’s first Spidey game. But when the original ranks among the best superhero games ever made, is that such a bad thing? Spider-Man: Miles Morales subtly refines the formula and gives the rookie Spidey his own well-deserved spotlight. The stakes of the story and the scope of Miles’ story may be smaller, but the experience is no less compelling because of it. If anything, Miles Morales shows the value of a shorter, more contained Spider-Man game. This may well be the best depiction of Miles in any medium, celebrating the character’s unique place in the Marvel Universe and his fundamental connection to the New York neighborhood of Harlem. This game definitively proves that you don’t need Peter Parker to make a great Spider-Man adventure.

1. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (2023)

Platform: PS5

Developer: Insomniac

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a triumph; Insomniac just keeps getting better and better at making Spider-Man games. There’s no disputing that it’s more of the same to some degree, but the improvements layered on top of the excellent combat and web-slinging absolutely make this a crowning achievement. Getting to seamlessly switch between Peter Parker and Miles Morales keeps the gameplay fresh, and the addition of web wings to help fly across the vastly expanded city alongside traditional swinging is a godsend. Moreover, the story of Kraven’s hunt and the Venom symbiote is as impactful as it is exciting, with fantastic performances from the whole cast giving it a hefty emotional weight. The next one might be even better, but for now, as far as the IGN staff is concerned this is the best Spider-Man game ever made.