The 10 BEST Marvel Video Games
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Kline
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Kline
Licensed games don't always hit, but Marvel has given us some wonderful releases over the years. For this list, we'll be looking at the best of the best when it comes to Marvel's gaming universe. Our list of the best Marvel games includes “Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes” (2000), “Marvel's Midnight Suns” (2022), “X-Men” (1992), “The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction” (2005), and more!
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re counting down our picks for the 10 best Marvel games. For this list, we’ll be looking at the best of the best when it comes to Marvel’s gaming universe. Comic book video games weren’t always amazing, but over the years we’ve got some real keepers. Which Marvel game is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
A tactical decking building RPG with social sim elements? “Midnight Suns” is definitely a strange combination of genres, but for some reason it works! We play as The Hunter, an all new character that we can customize to make our own. The Hunter and the Midnight Suns take on Lilith, the Mother of Demons who poses a threat to the world. While the story is a typical superhero story, the gameplay is unique when it comes to superhero games. “Midnight Suns” is a tactical game akin to “Xcom”, with a twist of the cards which act as your abilities. While not in battle, we’ll be building our friendship with the heroes - nothing like hanging out with Blade by the pool.
Is The Punisher a one trick pony? It seems all he ever does is seek revenge for his family's death. “The Punisher” may be one of the darkest grittier Marvel games, but this anti-hero game set itself apart with the darker theme. “The Punisher” is your typical third person action game with a focus on brutality. You’ll have your typical guns and melee weapons and the ability to use environmental objects at your disposal. You may not think of “The Punisher” when you think of great Marvel games, but going back to this violent tale of vengeance proves we don’t always have to be the good guy to have fun.
We often dismiss mobile games, but “Marvel Snap” is full of quality and fun! It doesn’t try to create anything new here, it’s a deck building game, but instead of wizards and goblins the cards are based on Marvel. Snap plays out in six turns, making matches fly by. The deck size is small with only 12 cards per deck, but this helps with strategy. You’ll be able to easily set a deck up for moving, destroying, and buffing. Making a deck with synergy is the main appeal. Since it’s a mobile game, so of course there are the dreadful gatcha mechanics, but Snap doesn’t shove these down your throat and actually has you unlocking cards at a pretty nice pace. It takes all the gross mobile junk away and gives players excellent rewards as incentive to keep them playing.
I hope you brought a lot of quarters because this arcade game is no joke. “X-Men” is a classic Konami side scrolling beat ‘em up that often is forgotten in the grand scheme of superhero games. This dual screen six player arcade beat ‘em up has us playing one of six of the X-Men as we take on Magneto and his goons. This is the 90’s X-Men so we have our typical crew of Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and…Dazzler? The gameplay is pretty standard with moving left to right and punching and kicking any enemies that happen to be in your way, but the way in which is handled makes the experience oh so addictive. A true monument to retro gaming, one that’s sore missed
“Ultimate Alliance” is a Marvel fan’s dream game! A group of super villains form an alliance in hopes of obtaining ultimate power and control of the world. So naturally the heroes do the same. “Ultimate Alliance” has us picking a team of 4 from the 20 hero roster to travel through the Marvel universe to see different characters and locations. At its heart, it’s an RPG that focuses on your squad and what abilities you outfit them with. Do you go with your favorite characters, or a crew that offers unique buffs? Suit up and run wild!
One of the biggest crossover fighting games to ever exist, and that has truly stood the test of time. “Marvel vs Capcom 2” takes both worlds of marvel and Capcom and throws them into the ring to duke it out. Pick your team of three fighters, the last one standing takes the victory. “Marvel vs Capcom 2” is often praised for its huge roster - 56 characters of all shapes si\ea, with more than a few deep cut choices. While “Marvel vs Capcom 3” was more balanced, the second outing just has that spark that keeps bringing gamers back for another round.
I don’t think a video game has portrayed comic book characters as well as “Guardians of the Galaxy” has. Staying true to the iconic group of space-faiers while having them balanced against an engrossing story that more than made up for it with it’s admittedly singular combat style, this was a gem of a game! The galaxy is threatened once again, and the Guardians plan on saving it, taking them to a variety of planets in the process, whilst wholly embracing 80’s nostalgia, and a sound track that’s downright mesmerizing! This is one that needs to be played!
Collateral damage has never been so fun! While the story isn’t the main draw to “Ultimate Destruction” it’s still here, Bruce Banner goes into hiding only to be found by The Division. The game has us playing as The Hulk in an open world that is ours to destroy. This is where the game shines, the combat makes you feel godly by letting you run up buildings, leap around while pushing cars out of the way, and even taking buses to turn them into boxing gloves. “ Ultimate Destruction” is the ultimate power trip, and we can’t get enough of the mayhem.
The Lego games are always a blast, but “ Marvel Super Heroes” is a love letter to all of Marvel in a cute little Lego package. The heroes must stop Loki before he collects all the Cosmic Bricks. To do this we’ll be traveling the open world and doing missions to take on familiar villains. “Lego Marvel Super Heroes” has a huge roster of 155 playable mini figs. Now some of these are more joke characters like Stand Lee, but you’ll be sure to find any number of masked heroes and villains who can dish out some real damage. “Lego Marvel Super Heroes” took what could’ve been an easy cash grab and turned it into a great open world superhero game full of charm and blocks to break.
Is there any better Marvel game than “Marvel’s Spider-Man”? Well maybe “Spider-Man: Miles Morales”, but both games set the new bar. Everything in this game felt perfect, combat felt like we imagine comic book punches to feel, swinging around New York was the best we’ve ever seen, and seeing a more mature Peter Park was a refreshing take. Playing as a seasoned Spider-Man paired with a thrilling narrative that re-introduced some of his rogues gallery in creative ways was a brilliant choice on Insomniac's part, but to be honest we would have just been content to spent a dozen ours swinging around New York and cycling through the epic collection of optional costumes. They, really, really hit the nail on the head with this reinvention of the wall-crawler.
“Marvel’s Midnight Suns” (2022)
A tactical decking building RPG with social sim elements? “Midnight Suns” is definitely a strange combination of genres, but for some reason it works! We play as The Hunter, an all new character that we can customize to make our own. The Hunter and the Midnight Suns take on Lilith, the Mother of Demons who poses a threat to the world. While the story is a typical superhero story, the gameplay is unique when it comes to superhero games. “Midnight Suns” is a tactical game akin to “Xcom”, with a twist of the cards which act as your abilities. While not in battle, we’ll be building our friendship with the heroes - nothing like hanging out with Blade by the pool.
“The Punisher” (2005)
Is The Punisher a one trick pony? It seems all he ever does is seek revenge for his family's death. “The Punisher” may be one of the darkest grittier Marvel games, but this anti-hero game set itself apart with the darker theme. “The Punisher” is your typical third person action game with a focus on brutality. You’ll have your typical guns and melee weapons and the ability to use environmental objects at your disposal. You may not think of “The Punisher” when you think of great Marvel games, but going back to this violent tale of vengeance proves we don’t always have to be the good guy to have fun.
“Marvel Snap” (2022)
We often dismiss mobile games, but “Marvel Snap” is full of quality and fun! It doesn’t try to create anything new here, it’s a deck building game, but instead of wizards and goblins the cards are based on Marvel. Snap plays out in six turns, making matches fly by. The deck size is small with only 12 cards per deck, but this helps with strategy. You’ll be able to easily set a deck up for moving, destroying, and buffing. Making a deck with synergy is the main appeal. Since it’s a mobile game, so of course there are the dreadful gatcha mechanics, but Snap doesn’t shove these down your throat and actually has you unlocking cards at a pretty nice pace. It takes all the gross mobile junk away and gives players excellent rewards as incentive to keep them playing.
“X-Men” (1992)
I hope you brought a lot of quarters because this arcade game is no joke. “X-Men” is a classic Konami side scrolling beat ‘em up that often is forgotten in the grand scheme of superhero games. This dual screen six player arcade beat ‘em up has us playing one of six of the X-Men as we take on Magneto and his goons. This is the 90’s X-Men so we have our typical crew of Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and…Dazzler? The gameplay is pretty standard with moving left to right and punching and kicking any enemies that happen to be in your way, but the way in which is handled makes the experience oh so addictive. A true monument to retro gaming, one that’s sore missed
“Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (2006)
“Ultimate Alliance” is a Marvel fan’s dream game! A group of super villains form an alliance in hopes of obtaining ultimate power and control of the world. So naturally the heroes do the same. “Ultimate Alliance” has us picking a team of 4 from the 20 hero roster to travel through the Marvel universe to see different characters and locations. At its heart, it’s an RPG that focuses on your squad and what abilities you outfit them with. Do you go with your favorite characters, or a crew that offers unique buffs? Suit up and run wild!
“Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes” (2000)
One of the biggest crossover fighting games to ever exist, and that has truly stood the test of time. “Marvel vs Capcom 2” takes both worlds of marvel and Capcom and throws them into the ring to duke it out. Pick your team of three fighters, the last one standing takes the victory. “Marvel vs Capcom 2” is often praised for its huge roster - 56 characters of all shapes si\ea, with more than a few deep cut choices. While “Marvel vs Capcom 3” was more balanced, the second outing just has that spark that keeps bringing gamers back for another round.
“Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy” (2021)
I don’t think a video game has portrayed comic book characters as well as “Guardians of the Galaxy” has. Staying true to the iconic group of space-faiers while having them balanced against an engrossing story that more than made up for it with it’s admittedly singular combat style, this was a gem of a game! The galaxy is threatened once again, and the Guardians plan on saving it, taking them to a variety of planets in the process, whilst wholly embracing 80’s nostalgia, and a sound track that’s downright mesmerizing! This is one that needs to be played!
“The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction” (2005)
Collateral damage has never been so fun! While the story isn’t the main draw to “Ultimate Destruction” it’s still here, Bruce Banner goes into hiding only to be found by The Division. The game has us playing as The Hulk in an open world that is ours to destroy. This is where the game shines, the combat makes you feel godly by letting you run up buildings, leap around while pushing cars out of the way, and even taking buses to turn them into boxing gloves. “ Ultimate Destruction” is the ultimate power trip, and we can’t get enough of the mayhem.
“Lego Marvel Super Heroes” (2013)
The Lego games are always a blast, but “ Marvel Super Heroes” is a love letter to all of Marvel in a cute little Lego package. The heroes must stop Loki before he collects all the Cosmic Bricks. To do this we’ll be traveling the open world and doing missions to take on familiar villains. “Lego Marvel Super Heroes” has a huge roster of 155 playable mini figs. Now some of these are more joke characters like Stand Lee, but you’ll be sure to find any number of masked heroes and villains who can dish out some real damage. “Lego Marvel Super Heroes” took what could’ve been an easy cash grab and turned it into a great open world superhero game full of charm and blocks to break.
“Marvel’s Spider-Man” (2018)
Is there any better Marvel game than “Marvel’s Spider-Man”? Well maybe “Spider-Man: Miles Morales”, but both games set the new bar. Everything in this game felt perfect, combat felt like we imagine comic book punches to feel, swinging around New York was the best we’ve ever seen, and seeing a more mature Peter Park was a refreshing take. Playing as a seasoned Spider-Man paired with a thrilling narrative that re-introduced some of his rogues gallery in creative ways was a brilliant choice on Insomniac's part, but to be honest we would have just been content to spent a dozen ours swinging around New York and cycling through the epic collection of optional costumes. They, really, really hit the nail on the head with this reinvention of the wall-crawler.
