Spider-Man is the everyman superhero. His day-to-day struggles and slick design are undeniable aspects of what made him into the cultural icon he is today. This status afforded him the opportunity to sprawl his web out across many mediums of entertainment, including movies, television, and video games. All of them come with their own multitude of universes and varying takes on the character.

Spider-Man has appeared in a myriad of different games throughout his extremely marketable existence, from side-scrolling beat 'em ups and crossover fighters to fully-fledged Marvel ensemble stories. Here is a brief overview of the wallcrawler's every foray into the 3D character action games that swooped in with the turn of the millennium.

Updated on October 24, 2023, by Dominic Allen: With Marvel's Spider-Man 2 out and it being the huge PS5 exclusive of 2023, this list needed an update. Plus, an entry combining two games has now been rightfully split up. With Spider-Man having some of the greatest superhero games ever, many of these titles are must-plays.

15 Spider-Man 3

If you have seen memes with awful renders of Spider-Man characters, it's probably from this game. Spider-Man 3 can't seem to catch a break either in movie or game form. While it's not uncommon for films to mess up their finales, it seems odd for a third game in the series that uses largely the same premise and assets to drop the ball this hard.

The game has a bigger world than its predecessors, as the New York subway and sewers are now explorable areas. But frankly, that doesn't sound too appealing - more like deplorable disease carriers. While the game is within its right to alter the film's story to better fit the medium, pretty much all of the changes are baffling and fail to enrich the experience. Also, symbiote-Peter is written to be unlikeable to a comical degree.

14 Amazing Spider-Man 2

Akin to Spider-Man 3 this entry lacks in both game and movie departments. The game is a pretty standard Batman Arkham clone and doesn't offer anything new in the gameplay side of things. This game also a has non-sensical plot about making Cletus Cassidy, the homicidal host of the Carnage Symbiote, a misunderstood crimefighter akin to Dexter Morgan.

What makes this game actually interesting is Spider-Man's relationship with Kraven the Hunter. An interesting fact about Kraven in the game is that he lives for the thrill of the hunt so he trains Spider-Man to make him an adversary worth taking down.

13 Amazing Spider-Man

From a gameplay perspective, Amazing Spider-Man is a genuinely fun experience if a bit uninspired. Most of the complaints about it take root in its story, which takes place after the events of the film. In it, half-man half-beast chimeras run rampant in the city, and it's Spider-Man's duty to put an end to the pandemonium.

The best part about the game is being able to take control of Stan Lee and web-swing from one building to another with the backdrop of the New York City skyline. That kind of wacky fun is awesome and akin to playing as the Adam West Batman in some of the Arkham games.

12 Spider-Man: Friend or Foe

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is inoffensive but bland at the same time. It does away with unlockable costumes, a mainstay of Spider-Man games, and instead serves a different flavor of variety - the webhead's villains. This premise encourages co-op, which is a good time, but sacrifices the web-swinging. Not the best trade-off.

Despite not being explicitly linked to the Raimi films, that fact is heavily insinuated. Most of the featured villains are those found in them and are clad in their Raimi outfits. Harry Osbourne is even set up to be the edgy best friend rival who reluctantly joins forces with Spider-Man at the end of the game despite the fact that Norman Osbourne - the original Green Goblin - is alive, meaning Harry had no reason to mount his flying snowboard in the first place.

11 Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro

The majority of Spider-Man sequels seem to suffer from being worse than their direct predecessors. Enter Electro is the sequel to the first 3D Spider-Man game and was released only a year later.

Enter Electro is a short and sweet romp that can be beaten in about five hours, although the game can't be faulted for that as it was a product of its time. However, other than adding a few extra characters like Beast for Spider-Man to bounce his quips off of, the sequel doesn't really innovate.

10 Spider-Man

The game that jumpstarted the 3D-action era of Spidey's adventures. Being the very first means its mechanics are quite simplistic, but nonetheless, the game has a cozy charm that incites nostalgia with several generations of Spidey fans.

Stan Lee himself narrates the game's opening sequences setting the stage for an adventure taken straight out of the comic book pages. The game's world isn't expansive but manages to feel alive thanks to Spidey's various naturalistic interactions with other staples of the Marvel universe like Daredevil, Captain America, and the Human Torch.

9 Spider-Man: The Movie

The very first Spider-Man movie tie-in game. It's a serviceable outing for the wallcrawler that scratched all the relevant itches at the time. The gameplay doesn't really differ too much from the fifth console generation entries. It does have an improved web-swinging mechanic and feels smoother but that is to be expected.

Overall the story is an expanded take on the first Sam Raimi film. It's a fun game but isn't anything ground-breaking. The shining jewel is the game's use of Bruce Campbell as a sarcastic narrator who walks the player through the tutorial and makes off-handed comments throughout the game.

8 Spider-Man: Edge Of Time

Edge of Time is the sequel to Shattered Dimensions. It features two Spider-Men - the regular Peter Parker and 2099's Miguel O'Hara, who have built some rapport in the last game. ​​​​​​The game's story is more focused than Shattered Dimensions, and integrates the consequences of time shenanigans into the gameplay in cute and unexpected ways. For example, stealing schematic reports in the Present missions will alter the structure of a building in the future missions.

The relative success of these two games actually invigorated the readership's interest in Spider-Man 2099 reviving his comic book run and more prominently featuring him in the mainline stories.

7 Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows

This is the game Spider-Man 3 was trying to be, a darker experience that explores the morality of donning the Symbiote suit. The moral struggle is intelligently woven into the gameplay, making the Symbiote suit feel more gratifying to use than regular Spidey. He is stripped of his inhibitions and, in combat, rips through enemies and the environment with callous disregard.

Web of Shadows' choice system changes the way certain scenes play out in the story. The consequences of those choices don't echo throughout the entirety of the playthrough, and the game itself is not without its flaws, but the overall experience oozes with ambition.

6 Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

The best Xbox 360 and PS3-era Spidey title has to be Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. The game's story was written by Dan Slott, who actually went on to write the Spider-Verse storyline in the comics in 2014. Shattered Dimensions doesn't take place in an open-world scenario but rather hones in on a mission-based style.

This results in a lot of fun as you take on a boss in each level, and they aren't revealed until the level cutscene plays. You just get a black silhouette beforehand, which makes for fun anticipation. The bosses also reflect each dimension. With a lot of costumes and so much Spidey content packed in, this game's a total blast for fans.

5 Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

It's interesting, looking back, that a lot of comic fans had doubts about Miles Morales when he was first introduced in the early 2010s. A black Spider-Man seemed ridiculous to many in the comic fandom, but Marvel's writers and artists proved all the doubters wrong. He was a phenomenal character and one of the greatest, if not the best, superhero created in recent times. Fittingly, in 2020, he got his own game as well.

Miles Morales was a stellar PS5 launch title with the same great gameplay as Spider-Man PS4. It's a great companion piece and works better as such. There's just not a lot in this game compared to its big brother. It's very short, even for a superhero title. That aside, Miles Morales is still a great time, but its lacking content does hold it back from reaching the top echelon of Spidey titles.

4 Spider-Man 2

The old favorite Spider-Man game, considered the gold standard for engaging in-game traversal, is Spider-Man 2. Superheroes games wouldn't be the same today if it weren't for Treyarch's incredible work in making Spider-Man 2 the genre-defining game it is. In spite of being another tie-in game to a film, this entry expands the narrative in a meaningful way and lets the player face off against members of Spidey's rogues' gallery beyond its scope.

Traveling in earlier titles just felt restrictive, but Spider-Man 2 is when they've finally got it. The controls were super smooth, and this game became the blueprint for many future Superhero titles. If there is one flaw, it's the delivery mini-games. The Pizza Theme isn't very pleasant and will have you reaching for the mute button.

3 Ultimate Spider-Man

This game is criminally underrated and stands the test of time thanks to its cell-shaded art style that tastefully mimics the one of artist Mark Bagley. It also has a very engaging narrative, which was then worked into the Ultimate canon in issues 33-39 and 123-128, before the mantle eventually passed on to Miles. The Spidey-Venom dynamic is one we've seen tackled repeatedly, but Ultimate Spider-Man does it exceptionally well, and it hasn't been done to this level in a game since.

The player switches control between the twain's playstyles throughout the story, going so far as to allow Venom to free-roam in the open world. While on the subject, the web-swinging starts off slow, only to pick up speed as the player progresses through the story, showing a degree of acuity in the craft. While the combat isn't as dynamic as some other titles, it remains satisfyingly agile, allowing Spider-Man to rebound off walls mid-fight.

2 Marvel's Spider-Man

Insomniac's take on Spider-Man is unparalleled. The game features silk-smooth combat with an even smoother and more aerodynamic web-swinging that exceeds all expectations. Not a lot of people talk about it, but this game didn't just portray a great Spider; it also portrayed a great man.

Here, Peter is smart, funny, awkward, and overall genuinely human. The character work is what elevates the story and crescendos in a heartwrenching final act. This was also the first big PlayStation-exclusive Spidey title since Activision lost the Spider-Man game publishing rights. This one title alone likely sold tons of PS4s, and with its quality, it's no surprise.

1 Marvel's Spider-Man 2

One of the first big PS5 first-party exclusives is Spider-Man 2, and it did not disappoint. This time, you play as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and each has their own story. Different playable main characters in an open-world superhero game are pretty uncommon, but Spider-Man 2 nails it with the execution. Insomniac continues with the great storytelling on offer, and Spider-Man 2 might be the best yet.

With the Batman Arkham series being gone for so long, it's nice these recent Spider-Man games are still bringing out amazing superhero experiences. Arkham City has been the top superhero game for a long time, and while it's tough to call if Spider-Man 2's better, it's at least the best superhero game since then.

NEXT: Every Villain In Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Ranked