Highlights

  • X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 is the franchise's sweet spot, with 18 different characters and natural feeling mechanics for a 2D fighting game. Gamefaqs score: 3.68/5.
  • X-Men 2: Clone Wars fixed issues in the first game, added new playable characters, and had one of the best game soundtracks of its era. Gamefaqs score: 3.77/5.
  • X-Men Legends changed the game by allowing players to pick a team of four X-Men and switch through each character with the press of a button. Gamefaqs score: 3.84/5.

The X-Men is arguably one of the most popular superhero teams in comic books. Their characters' powers and exploits beg to be depicted in video games, but it is surprisingly scarce to find such games nowadays to quench that itch to rip apart a Sentinel or two.

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However, there was a time when the X-Men were right alongside the popular Batman and Spider-Man games, and Marvel's mutant team's games have actually been responsible for some lasting developments in gaming. That said, here are some of the best X-Men games that showcase the team's collective powers and teamwork against varying obstacles and nefarious villains.

Updated on January 23, 2024, by Mark Sammut: The specification for every X-Men game has been added, along with their Gamefaqs scores since most of them predate Metacritic. That said, the scores are only one piece of the equation and not the sole metric behind the rankings.

Only games focusing on the X-Men team will be included; therefore, no X-Men Origins: Wolverine or Deadpool.

10 X-Men: Gamesmaster's Legacy

Gamefaqs: 3.07/5

X-Men 2: Gamesmaster's Legacy box art
X-Men: Gamesmaster's Legacy

Platform(s)
Game Gear
Released
February 16, 1995
Developer(s)
Sega
Genre(s)
Action

The Game Gear handheld console system was Sega's 8-bit answer to Nintendo's Game Boy and featured some exclusive games that were actually pretty decent, provided that a gamer's Game Gear had enough juice left to play.

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X-Men 2: Gamesmaster's Legacy improved upon the gameplay of the first Game Gear X-Men game, and featured a story right out of the comics that introduced unique characters like Trevor Fitzroy, Sienna Blaze, and Shinobi Shaw to new fans. The game also featured both Bishop and Cable as playable characters, which makes it at the very least a memorable game for the X-Men.

9 X-Men (Genesis)

Gamefaqs: 3.36/5

wolverine x-men genesis game
X-Men (1993)
Platform(s)
Genesis , Game Gear
Released
1993-00-00
Developer(s)
Western Technologies
Genre(s)
Action

1993 saw the release of X-Men on the Sega Genesis, which was quickly classified as one of the hardest X-Men games ever played. That's saying a lot, considering Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge exists, but it's the truth.

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Players could choose Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, or Gambit to move through the difficult levels with a quickly dwindling mutant power bar. The game even featured a rare ending that required players to lightly hit the Reset button, going against years of warnings against doing that exact thing. X-Men can be difficult to revisit in this day and age due to an overabundance of difficulty spikes and stiff platforming controls that make most stages frustrating rather than challenging; however, the game has positives as well.

While sharing many similarities, the playable characters have unique moves that set them apart from the crowd, and they are brought to life well by generally solid animation. X-Men looks pretty good for its era, and that goes beyond just the heroes and villains. There are also a few neat touches that might delight fans; for instance, if a character falls off a stage, they are brought back by Jean Grey.

8 X-Men: Mutant Academy 2

Gamefaqs: 3.68/5

x-men mutant academy 2 storm vs wolverine
X-Men: Mutant Academy 2

Platform(s)
PS1
Released
September 20, 2001
Genre(s)
Fighting

The first X-Men: Mutant Academy was a 3D fighting game for the PlayStation that was just okay, but Paradox amplified what worked about the game and fixed what didn't for the sequel. Unfortunately, the series dropped off a bit in playability for the third game, X-Men: Next Dimension, so X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 is the franchise's sweet spot.

X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 allowed players to choose from 18 different characters from either the X-Men or the Brotherhood and even Spider-Man was unlockable through the Arcade Mode. The game’s mechanics play like a typical 2D fighting game: each character has a specific moveset, special attacks, and super moves that can be chained together for cool combos. Pulling off a combo into a super feels natural, and each character had unique moves that felt like what they would do in the comic books or the movies. The first two Mutant Academy games shared a tie-in connection to the X-Men movies that included extra content like costumes and behind-the-scenes footage.

7 X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse

Gamefaqs: 3.69/5

X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse cover art
X-Men Mutant Apocalypse
Platform(s)
nes
Released
November 4, 1994
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Fighting , Platformer

Capcom would have a lengthy relationship with the X-Men over the years, though most of its success would fall in the fighting game genre. However, the second game from Capcom that was based on the X-Men franchise was called X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse and was actually a 2D action platformer.

The game was fairly difficult as players had to play through the grueling levels of each member of the X-Men (Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Psylocke, and Gambit) before getting a password that would allow them to move on. Mutant Apocalypse's graphics were great, and it was actually fun to play, if not a little frustrating at times.

6 X-Men 2: Clone Wars

Gamefaqs: 3.77/5

x-men 2 clone wars
X-Men 2: Clone Wars

Platform(s)
Genesis
Released
May 16, 1995
Developer(s)
Headgames
Genre(s)
Platformer

X-Men 2: Clone Wars was Sega's follow-up to their popular but difficult X-Men, and featured new playable characters as well as fixed a number of the glaring issues seen in the first game. The sequel added Psylocke, Beast, and an unlockable Magneto to the playable roster from the first game, though the other X-Men continued to appear throughout the game.

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X-Men 2: Clone Wars loosely adapted The Phalanx Covenant storyline for the game and had one of the best game soundtracks of the era. The sequel was made infinitely more enjoyable thanks to the removal of the mutant power bar that had hindered the first game.

5 X-Men Legends

Gamefaqs: 3.84/5

Exploring the world in X-Men Legends
X-Men Legends

Platform(s)
GameCube , PS2 , Xbox (Original) , N-Gage
Released
September 21, 2004
Developer(s)
Raven Software , Barking Lizards Technologies
Genre(s)
Action RPG

The X-Men are a team, yet for years players were forced to play individually as their favorite members of the X-Men (or Dazzler) instead of seeing the team work together on missions. X-Men: Legends changed all that with their four-player role-playing game that became a hit fan-favorite and still remains one of the best X-Men games that was ever released so far.

Not only did the game feature an original story set within the world of the X-Men, but players were also able to pick a team of four to play through missions with and switch through each character with the press of a button. The various members used on the team would also get players bonuses and allow for mutant power combos.

4 X-Men: Children Of The Atom

Gamefaqs: 3.93/5

X-Men heroes lined up against their villains
X-Men: Children of the Atom

Platform(s)
Arcade , PS1 , Sega Saturn
Released
January 5, 1995
Developer
Capcom, Rutubo Games, Probe Entertainmen
Genre(s)
Fighting

The first game from Capcom to feature the X-Men characters was called X-Men: Children of the Atom, and it launched the franchise's eventual future success with games like X-Men vs. Street Fighter and the Marvel vs. Capcom series.

The game was loosely based on the Fatal Attractions storyline from the comics and featured the standard playable roster alongside villains like Omega Red, Spiral, Silver Samurai, and even a Sentinel. Capcom also included Akuma from the Street Fighter franchise as a secret character in the game. While it does not hold up quite as much as some latter Capcom fighting games featuring Marvel characters, Children of the Atom is still a landmark release that set the stage for greatness to come, all the while still being a fun time in its own right.

3 X-Men (Arcade)

Gamefaqs: 3.92/5

Delisted Games- X-Men The Arcade Game
X-Men (1992)
Platform(s)
Arcade , PS3 , Xbox 360
Released
February 12, 1992
Developer(s)
Backbone Entertainment , Konami
Genre(s)
Beat 'Em Up

Early gamers got their first look at homo superior in the arcades with the release of X-Men, which allowed for up to six players. The game also featured a double screen similar to Tecmo Bowl or the Cinerama style of projection theater, a precursor to the improving arcade technology in the coming years. The arcade game was also unique in that the character designs and story were loosely based on the Pryde of the X-Men TV pilot that was never picked up. The six X-Men available to players were Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler, who were also the main cast members in the animated pilot.

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Konami produced plenty of great beat 'em up arcade games, and X-Men stands among the developer's better releases. While Capcom's genre offerings from this era were arguably better (particularly The Punisher), that does not take anything away from this early release.

2 X-Men Legends 2: Rise Of Apocalypse

Gamefaqs: 3.91/5

Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Nightcrawler regrouping
X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse

Platform(s)
N-Gage , GameCube , PC , PS2 , PSP , Xbox (Original)
Released
September 20, 2005
Developer(s)
Raven Software , Vicarious Visions , Beenox , Barking Lizards Technologies
Genre(s)
Action RPG

The best X-Men game ever only got better with the release of the sequel, X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse. The game followed the same gameplay format that Marvel would also use for the Ultimate Alliance franchise.

The sequel brought the X-Men and the Brotherhood together on a playable team to battle the forces of Apocalypse across a number of iconic comic settings. The game became a best-selling hit and is still the best representation of the X-Men in video games, though the jury's still out whether or not another X-Men title would return for the next generation of console games.

1 X-Men vs. Street Fighter

Gamefaqs: 4.16/5

Rogue versus Ryu
X-Men vs. Street Fighter

Platform(s)
Arcade , PS1 , Sega Saturn
Released
October 4, 1996
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Fighting

Following the success of X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes, Capcom eventually created X-Men vs. Street Fighter, a 2D crossover fighting game that pitted famous Capcom fighters such as Ryu, Chun-Li, and Zangief against Wolverine, Storm, and Juggernaut.

Players form a team of two characters from the X-Men and Street Fighter roster and during matches, players can tag their characters in and out. The game’s tag-team mechanic allowed players to pull off a variety of long combo strings and team combos which made each match feel different and engaging. While overshadowed by Marvel vs. Capcom, X-Men vs. Street Fighter is just as good as the first entry in that series, and an argument could be made that it is even better. The gameplay still holds up today, and the roster was impressive and serves as a fun showcase of X-Men's status in the '90s.

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