The 10 best superhero games you need to play

Heroes faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive have been dominating Hollywood for more than a decade now, but how do the cape and cowl crowd fare when it comes to video games? What are the best superhero games ever made?

Superheroes have been a mainstay of the videogame world since Superman first took to the skies on the Atari 2600 back in 1979, but we’ve come a long way from pixelated stick figures flying over grey blocks (although we’ve still not made a truly great solo Superman game yet). These days, superhero games offer complex stories and engaging gameplay across all sorts of genres.

So, to celebrate the release of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, we’ve been through our collection and worked out what we think are the best superhero games ever made; from fantastic fighting games to riveting RPGs, we’ve tried to include a little bit of everything on our list.

10. X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

A love letter to Marvel’s X-Men comics, Rise of Apocalypse is a brilliant action RPG that allows you to assemble your own team of heroes and villains. While the gameplay isn’t revolutionary – you just run around beating up bad guys and solving simple puzzles – there’s a lot of fun to be had mixing teams of good and evil mutants and combining their powers. Ever wondered what would happen if Toad and Storm combined their unique gifts? Well, Rise of Apocalypse lets you find out.

The RPG elements and character customization options also lend some depth to the gameplay. Although what really brought Rise of Apocalypse to life was its co-op. Its simple gameplay and familiar characters made it a fantastically easy game to pick up and play without giving the new player a PowerPoint presentation. Our only gripe? It set up a sequel, with the underrated X-Men villain Mister Sinister as the main bad guy, which never materialized.

9. The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

Ultimate Destruction does exactly what a good Hulk game should. It lets you smash whatever you want. OK, that’s a little bit simplistic, but the sheer carnage you can cause as the not-so-jolly green giant tears through an unnamed city is a large part of what makes this excellent action-adventure game so satisfying to play. It’s not all wanton destruction either; there are some awe-inspiring boss battles, most notably the suitably epic battle against Thunderbolt Ross’s Hulkbusters and the surreal trip into Hulk’s own psyche where you take on the Devil Hulk. Mechanically, the game is pretty solid, and the controls are simple enough to master; it’s just a shame the camera can be as uncontrollable as the Incredible Hulk himself.

8. Injustice 2

The original Injustice game allowed a generation of superhero fans to finally settle one of the oldest schoolyard arguments, ‘Who would win if Superman and Batman fought?’ That said, Injustice 2 is a marked improvement on its predecessor in every way that matters. On the more technical side, its character models are more polished, the gameplay is smoother, and the new fighting mechanics allow for a greater degree of strategy in individual bouts.

Its story may lack the stripped-back simplicity of Gods Among Us, but the decision to bring in a greater threat, in the form of Brainiac, was inspired and feels wonderfully in keeping with the game’s pulpy comic book tone. The addition of character customization was also a nice touch, although whoever added loot crates – sorry, we mean Mother Boxes – deserves sending to the Phantom Zone.

7. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

A delightful throwback to a time when comic books were a bit less grim and gritty, Lego Marvel Super Heroes is an absolute joy to play. Its plot is clearly influenced by the Marvel comics of yesteryear and lovingly lampoons the inherent silliness of superhero stories while referencing more modern stories from the MCU. The best thing about LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is its exceptionally strong character roster.

The game lets you play as 180 different heroes and villains from across Marvel’s history – from obscure villains like Wizard and Beetle to famous heroes like Iron Man and Hulk; no one’s left out of the game. While the actual gameplay isn’t too different from other LEGO games, the Marvel Super Heroes’ good humor will give even the most miserable Marvel fan something to smile about. Here’s a fun bonus fact: This is probably the best Fantastic Four game ever made.

6. Infamous 2

Continuing the story of Cole MacGrath and his battle against the looming threat of the mysterious Beast, Infamous 2 was an exciting action-adventure game and a marked improvement on its predecessor. The combat was better, Cole’s parkour improved, and the morality system (and, more importantly, the powers that came with it) better balanced. Perhaps, though, the most underrated improvement was to the open world. The first game was set in a lifeless New York clone called Empire City while the city took the action to New Marais, a city that offered a livelier environment for our electric hero to explore. Our only problem? We miss Cole’s yellow jacket.

5. Prototype

We don’t know if Prototype meets the strict definition of a superhero game, but we know we had a lot of fun with it. The game puts you in the shoes of Alex Mercer, an amnesiac scientist who’s granted incredible shapeshifting abilities by a terrifying virus causing chaos in New York City. Your mission is to regain your memories and kill everything that gets in your way be they mutants, soldiers, or unfortunate pedestrians.

While Prototype boasts an impressively dark and mature storyline, what really sets it apart from other games in the superhero genre is Alex’s gruesome power set. It’s like playing as a more handsome version of the alien from The Thing, and Alex’s wide array of abilities and the way they can be combined make playing as him really satisfying. That said, the game’s odd difficulty spikes and irritating controls make playing it a slightly uneven experience.

4. Marvel’s Midnight Suns

An ambitious roleplaying game from Firaxis Games, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is an underrated gem that allows players to make their own superheroes and put them at the heart of the Marvel Universe. Will that annoy canon purists? Yes. Is it great fun? Yes. In fact, I’d argue that designing your superhero, The Hunter, is one of the best parts of the game, and you can choose from plenty of cool powers.

What’s more, you can ally your hero with some of the biggest superheroes in the Marvel Universe and feel like a real Avenger. That said, while making a superhero game turn-based may have been innovative, it was a divisive choice for some who are used to battling enemies in real time, and I can see what that put off some players. Still, if you’re willing to get to grips with Midnight Suns’ deck-building mechanics, you’ll get a lot out of this fun supernatural romp.

3. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

A new spin on Marvel’s most dysfunctional superhero team, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, is an exciting and surprisingly moving game. The game’s greatest strength is its story and characters. All of the Guardians are incredibly likable and suitably irritating – as a result it’s impossible not to be charmed by their camaraderie and fire-forged friendship. As for the story, well, it might just be the most tightly plotted game ever made, deftly balancing outrageous humor with heartbreaking tenderness.

So why haven’t we ranked Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy higher? Well, while the gameplay is fun and the level design entertaining enough, it’s a bit basic. You just shoot your way through a pretty linear stage until you get to the next cutscene. Don’t get me wrong, it works, but it’s a shame that the developers couldn’t match the game’s mechanics to its plot.

2. Arkham City

The middle child in the Rocksteady Arkham trilogy, this is the Batman game that strikes the best balance between the Asylum’s tight, claustrophobic atmosphere and the ambition of Knight’s open world. Honestly, what’s not to love about Arkham City? Its refined combat and improved traversal allow the player to feel like they really are the Dark Knight (hopefully without the murdered parents), and its shocking story takes Bruce to places rarely explored in other Batman tales. Even now, we’re not over the Clayface reveal, or Joker’s ultimate fate and the game’s over a decade old at this point.

1. Marvel’s Spider-Man

The greatest Spider-Man game ever made, Insomniac did an impeccable job putting the player in the Wallcrawler’s blue and red onesie. In terms of gameplay, Spider-Man’s fluid controls make you feel like an experienced and powerful hero right from the start. Still, there’s enough complexity in the gadgets and combos to give the player a feel of progression as they level up and try to take on the Sinister Six.

Web-swinging often makes or breaks a Spider-Man game, and while it’s not as complex as previous games, the swinging of this game is elegant in its simplicity. As a result, you never feel like it’s your first day swinging, but if you want to invest the time, you can pull off some pretty impressive tricks. With all that in mind, though, the real strength of Spider-Man is its well-developed characters and compelling story, which allow the game to capture the difficulty Peter Parker has in balancing his superheroic duties and personal life.