No other superhero's video game history is quite as rich as Spider-Man's. Games featuring the iconic wall-crawler date back decades and span multiple platforms and genres. Most of them are fantastic, although one or two did leave a sour taste in the mouths of players. Either way though, there are definitely a lot more Spider-Man games to choose from than there are games based on other popular superhero franchises.

Whether web-swinging his way through a lifelike rendition of New York or going toe to toe with some of the many iconic Spider-Man villains in a side-scrolling beat 'em-up adventure, Peter Parker's alter ego usually does so with a certain level of style. It's not always Peter though, with other versions of the hero like Miles Morales, Spider-Man 2099, and Spider-Man Noir also appearing in several of the best Spiderman games.

Updated October 20, 2023, by Tom Bowen: When it comes to superheroes, few are as better suited to video game adaptations as Marvel's Spider-Man. When combined with his excellent combat skills, the wall-crawling webhead's ability to swing through the air makes him the ultimate playable character, which, in turn, has led to some truly fantastic video games. Not all of them have been perfect, but most are at the very least able to offer something unique, which is quite the achievement given just how many Spider-Man games there have been over the years. With Marvel's Spider-Man 2 now available for purchase, there's arguably no better time to take a look back at some of the best Spider-Man games ever made.

23 Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety

Despite taking its name from the Separation Anxiety comic book series, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety has a lot more in common with Venom's debut series, Lethal Protector. This multiplayer beat 'em-up allows two players to team up as the two titular characters to bring down Carnage, who serves as the game's main antagonist.

Like many licensed games of the era, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety can be incredibly repetitive in places and the combat is nothing to write home about either. However, for those looking for a 16-bit Spider-Man game that they can play with friends, Separation Anxiety is a solid enough option and an interesting chapter in the wall-crawler's video game history. In reality, though, the best thing about this game was probably the box art.

22 Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem

Most of Spidey's earlier outings ended up being ported to handheld devices at some point, so it wasn't too surprising when Gameloft released a mobile-only Spider-Man game in 2010. Understandably, perhaps, Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem was nowhere near as ambitious as some of the console games that preceded it, but its simplicity arguably worked in its favor.

Rather than attempting to create a huge open-world adventure, the developer opted to go down the beat-em-up route instead. Like many of the great Spider-Man beat-em-ups from the nineties, it features solid visuals, enjoyable combat, and an extensive cast of iconic villains for players to test their skills against.

21 The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Much like the movie on which it was based, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed even to live up to the low standards set by its predecessor, with the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game both rocking sub-50 scores on Metacritic. That's not to say that there are no redeeming qualities, however, with the game's huge open world arguably offering a slightly nicer sandbox in which spidey enthusiasts can play.

Sadly, technical issues plagued console ports of the game, with the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, in particular, struggling with frame rate issues and occasional pop-in problems. Some have speculated that the game may have been rushed out to coincide with the release of the movie, which would certainly explain the overall lack of polish. Still, for those playing on PC or newer consoles, the game can still be a lot of fun in short bursts.

20 Spider-Man: Battle for New York

Given that the DS is one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time, it should come as no surprise that there were plenty of Spider-Man games for the system. One of the better ones was Spider-Man: Battle for New York, a single-player action platformer that sees Spider-Man come up against Norman Osborn's Green Goblin.

The game serves as a prequel to Ultimate Spider-Man and features fairly similar gameplay. Players must explore the streets of New York City while saving its citizens and dealing with any thugs that they come across. The DS version also features three fairly simplistic touchscreen mini-games, though, in truth, these become tiresome pretty quickly.

19 Spider-Man 3

Spider-Man 3 is far from the best Spiderman game of the last few decades but still gets a lot of things right. For one thing, the sprawling sandbox in which players are placed is beautifully rendered and provides a level of detail not found in earlier Spider-Man titles. The combat's decent too and the voice-acting is usually on point.

Where the game falls a little short is in its story campaign, which is propped up by a weak narrative and ridiculously short. There's still a lot of fun to be had with the game though, particularly the Wii version, which does an excellent job of integrating motion controls into the classic Spider-Man experience.

18 The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin

Modern Spider-Man games may be all about those big open worlds, but many of the best Spider-Man games from the nineties were side-scrolling platformers with beat 'em-up elements. Granted, this was largely down to the technical limitations of the era's hardware, but the games are no less enjoyable for it. In fact, there's perhaps an argument to be made that the games' linear nature made it a lot easier for players to focus on unleashing their inner spider.

The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin isn't the best Spider-Man game to be released in the twentieth century, but it's still well worth a play. The wall-crawling and platforming are surprisingly good, as too is the game's combat. It would have been nice to have had a little more of the latter, as some of the stages are a little lacking when it comes to enemies to beat up on, but this is just a minor complaint when weighed up against the game's positive qualities.

17 The Amazing Spider-Man

Those looking for a challenging game may be better served elsewhere, though, for anyone seeking a Spider-Man game with excellent controls and fantastic visuals, The Amazing Spider-Man provides a sturdy option. Whether through exploring the streets of New York or beating up on some of the city's many thugs, the game makes it surprisingly easy to get lost in Peter Parker's world.

As with some of the other Spider-Man games of the era, the game's narrative does let it down a little, both due to its lack of depth and, at times, its repetitive nature. Some of the side quests can seem incredibly similar too, but, for the first few hours, at least, there's more than enough to distract from this.

16 Spider-Man: Friend or Foe

In terms of crafting a compelling story or showing off Spider-Man's incredible abilities, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a bit of a failure. However, for those interested in a simple beat 'em-up with a massive cast of characters, they could definitely do a lot worse than this forgotten title from 2007.

Notable for being the final Spider-Man game to use the designs of the Sam Raimi films, Friend or Foe is a co-op brawler that sees Spidey teaming up with both friends and foes to stop a symbiote invasion. It's designed with younger gamers in mind but provides enough to entertain adults for a few hours at the very least.

15 Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace

Now that handheld gaming is entirely dominated by mobile titles, younger gamers may not remember or appreciate the joys of having a good handheld superhero game. Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace definitely counts as one of those.

A simple side-scroller with great graphics, solid controls, and catchy music, this game might not seem like much by today's standards but was an absolute blessing at the time of its release. Even more impressive is that it arrived just a few months after the GBA's launch, yet remained the best Spiderman game on the system.

14 Spider-Man: Edge of Time

The oft-forgotten follow-up to Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Spider-Man: Edge Of Time wasn't quite as solid as the original, nor did it offer as much variation in terms of gameplay. It more than made up for this, however, with its fantastic storyline which was written by acclaimed Spider-Man comics writer, Peter David.

Unlike its predecessor, Edge Of Time concentrates only on Peter Parker's original Spider-Man and his 2099 counterpart, Miguel O'Hara. The pair must coordinate their actions across time and space to save the future from destruction. While the gameplay is repetitive and features some frustrating boss fights, it's still able to offer a good time when all's said and done.

13 Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro

Much like Spider-Man (2000), Enter Electro saw Spidey swinging his way through the streets of New York City, though this time with Electro serving as the main antagonist. Given how little time Maxwell Dillon's villain gets to spend in the spotlight, this decision was well-received by fans of the character.

Building on the solid foundations of its predecessor, Enter Electro added the ability to fight and travel on the street level. It's perhaps best remembered for being re-released to remove references to the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks. However, that's not to say that it isn't also remembered for being a fun adventure game.

12 Spider-Man Unlimited

One of the coolest things about Spider-Man is the sheer amount of versions available to fans which is one of the things that made Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse so great. Released for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices, Spider-Man Unlimited played into that core concept, which arguably helped it to succeed.

Spider-Man Unlimited was literally unlimited. The free-runner genre is big on mobile devices and this game did it better than most of the competition. Players can run endlessly but also have the benefit of web-swinging, boss battles, and tons of characters and storylines. It is incredibly rich with lore in a way that very few other Spider-Man games can match.

11 Spider-Man: The Video Game

Ah, the appropriately named Spider-Man: The Video Game. In 1991, it was released for the Sega System 32. The premise is simple: Spider-Man and his allies are on a quest to retrieve an artifact and encounter villains like Kingpin, Venom, Green Goblin, and Doctor Doom as they seek to track it down.

Though the Arcade game was centered around Spider-Man, the multiplayer functionality allowed users to play as other heroes. Black Cat, Hawkeye, and Sub-Mariner were all playable, which is great because they haven't been in a ton of video games. Though largely forgotten these days, the arcade classic was widely praised as being one of the best superhero games of its time when it was released.

10 Spider-Man (2002)

While Spider-Man 2 gets all the glory in terms of Spider-Man movie-based games, its predecessor isn't too far behind. Based on the first Sam Raimi movie, Spider-Man (2002) is the next evolution from the critically acclaimed PS1 Spider-Man titles from Neversoft. With much-improved combat, crisper graphics, and an expanded move set, it plays like a joy.

One of the game's highlights is the epic Green Goblin boss fight, which remains one of the best to have featured in a Spider-Man game. Fighting him in the sky on his glider and on the ground is challenging but rewarding: exactly how it should be. Speaking of the Green Goblin, a cheat code in the game allows players to play through an alternate story with Harry Osborn in the suit, which provides some nice variation and helps keep things feeling fresh.

9 Ultimate Spider-Man

Ultimate Spider-Man is loosely based on the comic book series of the same name and has become a favorite of many fans. It had the benefit of being written by the hugely talented Brian Michael Bendis, who also penned the series. In it, players control both Spider-Man and Venom, providing a vastly different experience each time.

With both characters, players can free-roam throughout the city, do their own thing, or take on missions to advance the story. Venom needs to feed to replenish his health though, which means eating people. Yes, it's a game where the protagonist eats people. The story was good enough that Bendis adapted it back into the original series.

8 Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows arrived in 2008 and was an instant hit for the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and various other platforms. This was a game that delivered in terms of being a ton of fun and having an emotional plot. In fact, many still consider it to be their favorite Spider-Man game.

The game's dramatic story involves Venom infecting New York City with Symbiotes. But even more than a fantastic Spidey vs. Venom tale, this game stands out for the awesome guest appearances, which include cameos from Moon Knight, Luke Cage, and Wolverine.

7 Spider-Man 2

Released in 2004, Spider-Man 2 was based on the blockbuster movie of the same name. One of the more interesting things about the game is that it incorporated elements of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker's lives. This means that players have to juggle everything from fighting crime to maintaining relationships.

It certainly helped that the game was home to one of the best web-swinging engines of all time. When combined with a huge map of Manhattan, players were given a ton of space to do almost anything they wished. Like the film it was based on, the game was met with widespread acclaim and remains a firm favorite of many fans.

6 Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage

Those who know their Spider-Man lore will probably remember the iconic comic book storyline that Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage is based on. The game came out in 1994, which was right around the time that the popular animated Spider-Man TV series was a hit.

Players control both Spidey and Venom as they attempt to stop Carnage and his henchmen. Maximum Carnage was one of the better side-scrolling action games of its era and was able to garner respectable reviews from both gamers and critics alike.

5 Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a 2010 multiplatform release that allows gamers to control one of four different versions of Spider-Men. The game includes Ultimate Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, and Spider-Man 2099, which, in turn, provides plenty of gameplay variation.

Shattered Dimensions is incredibly fun to play, mainly due to the different gameplay styles. For example, Noir is all about stealth, while 2099 has high-tech gadgets. Enjoyment really was around every corner, though the most memorable aspect may have been the multitude of awesome boss battles.

4 Spider-Man

For a lot of folks, this 2000 release for the PlayStation (and later for other systems) was the holy grail of Spider-Man games. It set the standard for how to do a 3D Spider-Man game properly. While obviously dated today, Spider-Man made web-swinging into something special and featured some great combat aspects.

Gamers were treated to an impressive story that moved at a wild pace and featured tons of characters and cameos. Who could forget the final fight against a terrifying combination of Carnage and Doc Ock? It was one of the first superhero games to get movement, combat, writing, and voice acting almost all right and raised the bar for superhero games everywhere.