The best superhero games for PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC, and more

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I love superheroes in comics, animation, movies, and especially video games. A film or anime can make heroes and villains look amazing (here's looking at you Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse). However, Captain America chucking his shield at a gaggle of enemies and watching them fall is never as engaging or satisfying as when you are holding the controller. There is no better way to experience superhero fandom than a console or PC game.

Superheroes have been represented on consoles since Superman on Atari 2600 way back in 1979. Since then, superheroes have dominated the gaming market. Some outings have been less than good, like Superman 64 or Spawn for Playstation, but we aren't here to talk about the bad ones. We want to celebrate the super ones. Games like Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage or Sunset Overdrive. Have you played the Prototype series or Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure?

These are all amazing superhero video games, and they aren't even in our top 10! I know you are salivating; let's get into the best superhero games you can play to feel like a hero.

10. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Wolverine's solo film adventure spawned what many feared would be another mediocre movie tie-in game. Lucky for us, the developers over at Raven Software had other intentions. Mainly to make a kick-ass Wolverine single-player game. Released in 2009 on Playstation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo DS, X-Men Origins: Wolverine loosely follows the film's general premise while taking liberties with the main character and events.

If you were ever a Wolverine fan, you owe it to yourself to play this game. Not only is the hack-and-slack action as brutal as you would expect from our furry-clawed "hero," but the devs went the extra mile and gave Logan a visual healing factor. When you are damaged, literal chunks of your flesh get separated from your mutant body and then slowly regenerate. Then they went ahead and put his icon suit in the game. There is nothing more Wolverine than watching him tear through a company of enemies, turn and heal before your very eyes. It's a sight to see. Not to mention, the controls are responsive, and the game is pure fun.

9. X-Men The Arcade Game

X-Men The Arcade Game is a classic side-scrolling beat-em-up by Konami released in arcades in 1992. Anyone who great up playing video games in arcades will recognize this entry. Feed the cabinet your hard-earned quarters and select from Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, or Dazzler. Take on Magneto and save the human race from mutant destruction.

X-Men The Arcade Game is where you made friends back in the day. As you load up and choose your character, some rando would walk up and take the journey with you. Hours later, you and your new buddy would be the X-Men! Use Optic Blasts and Berserker Barrages to decimate Sentinels and The Brotherhood of Mutants until your mom or dad pulls you away. It's certainly not a challenging game by today's standards, but there was no better feeling back in the day than getting to be one of the X-Men in this arcade classic. Welcome to die!

8. Infamous

Sucker Punch Productions released Infamous, an original superhero tale, in 2009 exclusively for the Sony Playstation. In it, you play as Cole MacGrath, an everyday courier imbued with the power of electricity. You embark on a journey of self-discovery in a massive open world as you choose how to use your abilities. Will you be a benevolent hero or a corrupt power monger?

Infamous literally puts the power in your hands and asks you, "What would you do if you were the most powerful person on earth?" The player's morals are tested as you are given situations where you can use Cole's god-like abilities to help or harm the denizens of the fictional Empire City. Like any good hero story, the hook is 'choice.' Infamous gives you loads of opportunities to be the hero (or villain) you choose to be and sets you loose in a living, breathing city to enact your benevolent or malicious rule. You can also suck electricity out of literally everything. Even people. Which is dope (and also evil).

7. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a pretty unanimous hit putting you in the shoes of the dysfunctional space family. Released in 2021 by Eidos-Montréal, the game follows Gamora, Rocket Racoon, Peter Quill, Groot, and Drax as they skip across the universe trying to clean up mess after mess while hilarity ensues around them.

This game brilliantly captures the spirit of the MCU's version without being a strange facsimile of the live-action films. It's the complete opposite of the Marvel's Avengers game that came out a year prior. The game brings you in on the Guardian's jokes, allowing you to participate rather than simply experience it. The first time you trigger a group Huddle in the middle of a battle, you will understand what the developers were trying to do. You can play as any GotG character, opening you to all their unique abilities, weapons, powers, and quirks. And lest we forget to mention the top-notch banter. The story is an overlooked gem baked into a fun companion RPG.

6. Viewtiful Joe

Capcom's Viewtiful Joe was released in 2003 on the Nintendo Gamecube and PlayStation 2. This side-scrolling beat-em-up revolves around movie enthusiast Joe as he battles his way through Movie Land to save his girlfriend, Silvia, from the clutches of evil. With his powerful V-Watch, Joe transforms into the anime-inspired Viewtiful Joe.

Henshin-a-go-go baby! This game is a quirky, fun time, giving you a unique look at the superhero genre. You play as a superhero fan who is gifted "superpowers" inside of a movie world. As Viewtiful Joe (you're made up alter ego), you can use Viewtiful Effects (VFX), which mimic wirework and other camera tricks done in action films, to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. The entire game has a cell-shaded look to accompany to VFX theme, letting you play out your fantasy of being a Power Ranger, Kamen Rider, or any other colorful, helmet-wearing, transforming Japanese hero. It's a ton of fun and quite challenging.

5. The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

Radical Entertainment gave the world The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate destruction in the summer of 2005. It was released for Playstation, Xbox, and Gamecube and put you in the shoeless shoes of the Hulk as he smashes and crashes his way through literally everything.

This game truly makes you feel the power of the Hulk. From the moment you pancake your first five or six tanks, you know it will be a smashing good time. This open-world playground imbues you with the powers of the green beast, allowing you to crush everything around you as only the unstoppable Hulk can. It really is that simple; if you ever wanted to destroy everything in sight as the Hulk, there is no better game to do it than this one.

4. Injustice 2

Injustice 2 is the 2017 fighting game by NetherRealm Studios. It's a sequel to the 2013 Injustice: Gods Among Us, where Superman goes bananas and takes over the world, leaving Batman and his resistance to take on Supes and his Regime. Injustice 2 continues and expands upon the story, introducing the likes of Brainiac, who aims to archive the world. Also known as destroying it.

Whether you are a fan of evil Superman or not, the Injustice series is a compelling story told in a fighting game through gorgeous cinematics. The classic Mortal Kombat style opponent ladder is the base mechanic that guides you through the narrative, bolstered by fantastic voice work, a plethora of hero customization, and amazingly detailed comic locations. Each DC character is lovingly recreated and sports moves and supers matching their comic counterparts with some exceptions…Batman…) If you enjoy a good DC Comics tale and kicking the crap out of a specific DC hero or villain, play both Injustice: Gods Among Us and Injustice 2.

3. Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, the Capcom/Marvel crossover fighting game, was released in 2000 for the Arcade, Playstation, Xbox, and Dreamcast. Lauded as the best entry in the series, Marvel vs. Capcom pits a plethora of Capcoms characters up against heroes and villains from the Marvel universe in a 3v3 tag-style fighting game.

Marvel Vs. Capcom is the ultimate "What If" fantasy. The ability to fantasy book fights between Ryu, Storm, Mega Man, Venom, Captain Commando, and loads more is a nerdy dream come true. Each character, like Injustice 2, is packed with fan favorite, character-specific, super-stylized moves like Akuma's Raging Demon or Jill Valentine's Tyrant-killing Rocket Launcher. The game is reminiscent of dumping your action figure or toy doll bin and having a grand time mixing and matching figures. It's also a very sweaty game and not for the faint of heart. I have been handed my ass trying to play it many times, but it's always a fun time.

2. Batman Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City was released in 2011 on PC, Xbox, Playstation, and Wii U. In it, Batman takes on his rogue gallery while quarantined in Arkham City.

This open-world gem lets you become Batman. Stalk the dark rooftops of the city, use your detective skills to solve clues and puzzles, and put your fear and fists to work to subdue enemies, all while trying to protect the city. This game lets you inhabit Batman-like few others, utilizing all his assets in a high-stress environment while kicking the ever-loving tar out of evil. He's more than vengeance. He's Batman. Also, Kevin Conroy does Bat's voice, and he's the G.O.A.T. right there. Now, someone might suggest Batman: Arkham Knight as a better entry. I say the Batmobile sections are tiresome bores, so Arkham City wins!

1. Marvel's Spider-Man

Sony Interactive Entertainment and Insomniac Games released Marvel's Spider-Man in 2018 exclusively on Playstation. The game tells an original story centered around Spider-Man's quest to have it all. You know the routine, Peter wants a life and to be a hero, but he simply can't juggle all the pieces. Here, you get to try and juggle them, too, as the wise-cracking web-slinger.

No better game makes you feel like a superhero than Marvel's Spider-Man. Full stop. The living, breathing city of New York is constantly under attack, and only Spider-Man (you) can save it. The rush of swinging through the bustling streets, stopping speeding car chases, or taking on supervillains is expertly crafted and executed. The game also boasts a fantastic story, chronicling a friend's fall and the rise of a villain, culminating in a finale I wouldn't spoil but was certainly worth the trip. The variety of costumes allows you to play as almost any version of Spider-Man while keeping the city safe, right down to a comic book-style cell-shaded version. I could go on, but it's better to experience it for yourself. Marvel's Spider-Man is the most superhero game out there, and I can't wait for something to come along and dethrone it because THAT game will be extraordinary.