Marvel’s Wolverine is set to arrive on 15 September as one of the most anticipated action games of recent years. Insomniac Games puts Logan at the heart of a dark, uncompromising adventure that explores the rawer side of the iconic X-Men character. Its release is the perfect excuse to revisit some of the best superhero games of all time. After all, whether it’s Batman, Spider-Man or Wolverine, few other genres combine spectacular powers, iconic heroes and gripping stories quite so well.
Marvel’s Wolverine: When the sound is as sharp as Adamantium claws
With Marvel’s Wolverine, Insomniac Games is taking a noticeably more mature approach than in its Spider-Man games. The brutal close-quarters combat isn’t just about the animations — sound plays an equally important role. The metallic snap of the Adamantium claws, heavy impacts, cracking bones and aggressive sound effects give every attack a real sense of weight. On a good sound system, you can pick up on details that are often lost through TV speakers.
The atmosphere is further enhanced by environmental sounds, music and dialogue, all helping to convey Logan’s inner conflict. The early trailers point to a much darker presentation, with gritty environments and sound effects that make every movement feel tangible. So if you want to fully immerse yourself in the world of the iconic X-Men character, don’t just focus on impressive graphics — a sound system that brings every claw, punch and growl to life is just as important.
What makes Wolverine particularly interesting is that he’s a close-combat hero. Unlike many other superhero games, the action relies less on explosions or ranged weapons and more on visceral hand-to-hand combat. This puts greater emphasis on subtle audio details, making sound an important part of the overall sense of immersion.
Release: 15 September 2026, exclusively for PlayStation 5.
Boom, bang, pow: The early days of superhero games
Swinging effortlessly through Manhattan, taking on Gotham’s criminal underworld or even sending an entire team into battle: today’s superhero games are every bit as colourful and varied as their comic book and film counterparts.
These days, we almost take it for granted that a superhero game should reflect the character’s abilities in its gameplay. Flying, swinging through city streets or, if necessary, tearing apart an entire city block. In the early days of the genre, things looked rather different. Many early superhero games were essentially classic platformers or beat ’em ups à la Super Mario Bros. or Streets of Rage, with familiar costumes and names simply slapped on top.
A good example is X-Men: The Arcade Game, released in 1992. Up to six players could team up as Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops and the rest of the X-Men, battling their way through wave after wave of enemies. There wasn’t much depth to the gameplay. Instead, it was all about straightforward arcade action. Even so, the game is considered an early high point for superhero games. In 2010, Konami released an HD remake for PC and consoles. The same developer was also behind the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game in 1989, as well as the legendary sequel Turtles in Time (1991), which was also released for the Super Nintendo (SNES).
But the genre’s real breakthrough came with Spider-Man 2. Released in 2004 alongside the Tobey Maguire film of the same name, it was one of the first superhero games to let players move through New York in a way that actually felt true to the character. Spider-Man’s webs would attach to buildings, and you had to get the timing, momentum and height of each swing right to keep moving. Soon after, the Hulk got his chance to show what he could do. In The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, you could sprint up the sides of buildings, make enormous leaps, smash cars to pieces and even turn parts of the environment into weapons.
Further reading: Want to dive deeper into the Marvel universe? Check out our guide to watching all the Marvel movies in the right orderOpens in new tab.
“I’m Batman”: DC superhero games
These days, DC’s superheroes tend to live somewhat in Marvel’s shadow. That wasn’t always the case, though. Back in the 2000s, Batman was enjoying a spectacular comeback of his own, arriving on the big screen alongside the Spider-Man films. With Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan brought one of the most iconic superheroes of all time back to cinemas in a darker, more mature form than ever before. One video game that followed the same approach is still regarded as a landmark in the history of superhero games.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
The game in question is, of course, Batman: Arkham Asylum, released in 2009. For the first time, you could really step into Batman’s shoes and make your way through the dark, nightmarish halls of Arkham Island’s asylum: watching enemies from the shadows, taking them down one by one, using gadgets and striking at just the right moment. The game’s innovative FreeFlow combat system also let Batman move seamlessly between multiple enemies, counter attacks and chain together combos.
Arkham City expanded on the formula in 2011, moving the action into a much larger open area that players could explore freely, while also refining the combat system. Then, in 2015, Arkham Knight turned all of Gotham — and the Batmobile — into Batman’s playground.
LEGO Batman
After countless LEGO sets and appearances in the popular LEGO film franchise, the Dark Knight is getting another major game of his own in 2026 with LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. The open-world adventure draws on different eras of Batman’s history, with elements inspired by the films, comics and earlier games. And, of course, it wouldn’t be LEGO without the trademark humour. You can explore Gotham on foot, glide through the air or cruise around in the Batmobile. Higher difficulty levels, such as Dark Knight mode, are aimed specifically at more experienced adult LEGO fans.
Injustice
Superman vs. Batman. Wonder Woman vs. The Flash. Harley Quinn vs. Green Lantern. You could argue about these match-ups forever — or, as Injustice: Gods Among Us did in 2013, you could simply turn them into a fighting game. The game was developed by NetherRealm Studios, the team behind Mortal Kombat, so the fights are every bit as intense as you’d expect. Characters are sent flying across arenas, use parts of the environment to their advantage and unleash powerful attacks that would have ordinary people running for their lives. The 2017 sequel, Injustice 2, expanded on the idea with an even larger roster of DC characters and new gameplay mechanics.
DC Universe Online
Why always play as Batman when you can create your own “Supe” — to borrow a term from The Boys? DC Universe Online lets you create your own hero (or villain!), choose your powers and then fight alongside — or against — the biggest names in the DC universe. The multiplayer game first launched back in 2011, making it something of a piece of gaming history itself. What’s particularly impressive, though, is that it continues to receive regular new content. In June, for example, the Shadows Over Argo chapter arrived, focusing on Supergirl and Krypto (naturally timed to coincide with the film), followed by the game’s 172nd (!) update at the end of August.
Superpowers, superheroes and Marvel gaming
Alongside DC, few publishers have shaped modern superhero pop culture as much as Marvel. The Marvel Cinematic UniverseOpens in new tab turned characters such as Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy into global stars far beyond the world of comics. At the same time, Marvel has increasingly brought its heroes to console and PC screens, with the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man leading the charge.
Marvel’s Spider-Man
With Marvel’s Spider-Man, Insomniac Games set a new benchmark for superhero action in 2018. The game captures what makes Spider-Man so much fun to play: you take on the role of a more experienced Peter Parker and are free to swing across Manhattan, combining acrobatic traversal with fast-paced combat.
The game originally launched on PS4 before getting a technically enhanced Remastered edition for PS5 in 2020. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales arrived later that same year, shifting the focus to the titular hero. In 2023, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 picked up where the previous games left off, continuing the stories of both Peter and Miles. A third instalment is already in development, although it’s unlikely to arrive before 2028.
Marvel’s Avengers
A year after Avengers: Endgame, expectations were understandably high for a major Avengers game. Crystal Dynamics’ Marvel’s Avengers took a different route in 2020, telling its own story. After a disaster tears the team apart, it falls to Kamala Khan, an Avengers superfan who becomes Ms. Marvel, to bring the heroes back together. Beyond the campaign, you could team up with other players, work towards better gear and look forward to new missions and additional heroes. Hawkeye and Black Panther were among the playable characters added later. In the long run, however, the game failed to live up to the plan: support ended in 2023, and the game was subsequently removed from digital storefronts.
Deadpool
Another superhero game that sparked plenty of debate and is no longer officially available today is 2013’s Deadpool. And on paper, it had all the right ingredients. High Moon Studios combines swordplay and gunfights with the character’s trademark meta humour. Deadpool comments on the game itself, constantly breaks the fourth wall and even picks fights with his own developers. Along the way, he travels to places including Genosha, the mutant island known from the X-Men comics. High Moon Studios took the joke even further in its marketing, essentially presenting Deadpool as the self-appointed director of his own game.
Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals takes a different approach, pitting familiar heroes and villains against one another in fast-paced team battles. This PvP (Player versus Player) shooter is about more than mastering individual abilities, too. Certain characters can team up and combine their powers, unlocking new attacks and tactical advantages in the process. Since launching in late 2024, the game has continued to expand with new characters, maps and seasons.
MARVEL Tōkon
If you like your Marvel characters with an anime-inspired look, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls could be right up your street. It comes from Arc System Works, the studio behind Guilty Gear, one of the best-known modern fighting game series. You can see that pedigree in the game’s style: bold colors, exaggerated animations and spectacular special moves give Spider-Man, Storm, Iron Man and the rest a distinctive new look. Battles are fought in teams of four, with the option to switch between characters or call in a teammate for an “Assist”.
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy spent a long time as something of a second-tier group in the Marvel universe. That changed with James Gunn’s films, which turned Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax into pop-culture icons. 2021’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy draws on that same group dynamic while telling a story of its own. You play as Star-Lord, while the other Guardians jump in with their abilities when you call on them.
Much of the game’s charm, however, comes when the fighting stops. The Guardians bicker, react to your choices and gradually grow closer as the story unfolds. A soundtrack packed with 1980s rock is the perfect fit for the whole experience.
The right sound for your Marvel gaming
Superhero games beyond Marvel and DC
You don’t need a Spider-Man logo or the Bat-Signal to bring interesting superpowers to the screen. Games built around their own superhero universes can take creative liberties that are harder to pull off with comic-book characters who have been around for decades.
Dispatch
Robert Robertson was a superhero himself as Mecha Man – until his power suit was destroyed. In Dispatch, he ends up behind a desk, sending a team of former supervillains out to deal with emergencies across Los Angeles. At first, it sounds a bit like a football manager game with superheroes, but it quickly proves surprisingly addictive. And that’s no coincidence: AdHoc Studio’s team includes developers who previously worked on genre classics such as Tales from the Borderlands and The Wolf Among Us.
The art style and dark humour are strongly reminiscent of Amazon’s animated superhero hit Invincible. The unusual approach clearly struck a chord: at the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards, Dispatch took home three awards.
inFamous
This superhero game asks a question that Batman and Spider-Man have long since answered for themselves: what happens when someone suddenly gains incredible powers but hasn’t yet decided whether to use them for good or evil? That’s the central idea behind Sucker Punch’s inFamous series. In the first two games, you play as Cole MacGrath, who can wield electricity, while the spin-off inFamous Second Son puts you in the role of Delsin Rowe, who can harness several different superhuman abilities. But what really shapes the game is not just what you can do, but how you choose to use your powers.
Capes
In Capes, the supervillains have already won. Twenty years later, you assemble a new team of heroes and set out to take the city back – one turn at a time. Released in 2024, this strategy game features turn-based combat where positioning and combining different superpowers are key. Each character has their own abilities, but the team only reaches its full potential when those powers are used together effectively. There are also side missions that let you unlock additional heroes and new abilities.
Bring your gaming worlds to life
Opens in new tabDo you really want to immerse yourself in the game world when you play? Then great sound is simply part of the experience. Whether you’re caught up in intense battles in Marvel Rivals, prowling the streets of Gotham at night or flying through narrow city streets, when the soundscape and atmosphere hit the mark, you get that unbeatable feeling of being right in the middle of the action.
▶ CAGE PROOpens in new tab: This wireless gaming headset supports DTS Headphone v2 for virtual 7.1 surround sound and features 40 mm Linear HD drivers. The included USB adapter lets you connect it to PC, Mac and PlayStation, among other devices, while the battery lasts for up to 68 hours. For multiplayer sessions, there’s also a detachable HD condenser microphone.
▶ ULTIMA 25 ACTIVE 2Opens in new tab: Prefer to hear Spider-Man, Batman and the rest through gaming speakersOpens in new tab? This active stereo pair requires no separate amplifier and can connect directly to your TV via HDMI. Alternatively, the built-in USB-C Opens in new tabsound card function lets you connect to PC and Mac. A practical option if you want the same setup to work for films and music as well as gaming.
You’ll find even more options in Teufel’s gaming rangeOpens in new tab.
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Fun facts from the world of superhero games
- Marvel’s Spider-Man was the first licensed property from another company to feature in an Insomniac game in the studio’s then 22-year history. Creative director Bryan Intihar recalls that when Marvel approached the studio, he immediately ran to studio head Ted Price’s office and, in essence, made one thing clear: they had to do it.
- During the development of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, TT Games ran into a cape bug: Batman’s cape would get stuck in front of his body, making it look like a bib. The team internally gave the problem the fitting name “Bat-Bib”.
- In the game version of Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill gets his name Star-Lord from his favourite rock band. The fictional band even got its own album, which was actually produced for the game. Marvel later released a making-of feature about how it was created.
- During the development of inFamous, the team visited Starbucks around 18,200 times and drank 17,472 cans of Diet Coke and 13,104 cans of Diet Pepsi. Ten team members also became parents during production.
Further reading: Find out more on the Teufel Blog about what makes great gaming sound.Opens in new tab
FAQs about superhero games
What are the best superhero games?
Some of the most influential and still highly recommended superhero games include Marvel’s Spider-Man, the Batman: Arkham series and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. If you prefer multiplayer games, Marvel Rivals is a more recent option. Outside the Marvel and DC universes, Dispatch stands out with its unusual blend of management and storytelling.
Which Batman games should you play?
If you want to get to know Batman through games, it’s hard to look past Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City and Arkham Knight. The series helped shape the way melee combat and stealth are handled in modern superhero games. A more recent option is LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, which takes a considerably more humorous approach to the Dark Knight’s story.
Are there any good superhero games without Marvel or DC?
Yes. Dispatch tells superhero stories from the perspective of an emergency response centre, combining player choices with management and workplace comedy. inFamous, meanwhile, focuses on open-world action and moral choices, while Capes combines superpowers with turn-based tactics.
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