Except for Batman, Spider-Man has starred in the most games over the last three decades, and he has surpassed the Caped Crusader over the last few years. Now, as a Marvel IP, Spidey is associated with licensed games, which are not exactly known for consistent or high quality. While things have changed since the mid-2010s, there was a time when a new Spider-Man game was released almost every year, and they had a habit of coming across as rushed and derivative. That said, Peter Parker’s gaming resume is overall respectable.
A couple of half-baked releases aside, Spider-Man games are generally pleasant enough on the eyes, even if most of them are hardly among the most visually stunning releases of their era. Although gameplay is ultimately the most important element, great graphics can make a big difference, particularly for games that are attempting to bring to life beloved characters and universes. So, let’s take a look at a few Spidey games with awesome visuals.
Context matters, so we are going to highlight games that had good graphics when they were released, rather than just the ones that look the best in 2025 (as that would be just Insomniac’s trilogy).
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
One Of The Best Looking Games On The PS5
For the most part, Spider-Man games have decent but unspectacular graphics, offering middle-of-the-road presentations that are neither straight-up bad nor great. However, that changed when Insomniac got its hands on the license and was allowed to take its time in crafting full-blown open-world adventures for Sony’s consoles. Marvel’s Spider-Man and Miles Morales are among the most beautiful games on the PS4, and the latter compares well with most PS5 releases as well. In 2023, the developer dropped the highly anticipated sequel, which ended up garnering a glowing critical reception but a more polarizing fan response compared to both of its predecessors. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s story is messy and by far the most polarizing part of the game.
One area that cannot really be criticized is the graphics, as Marvel Spider-Man 2 is gorgeous on the PS5. New York has arguably never looked better or more realistic, and the world is quite lively and dense. Some of the character designs are acquired tastes, but they look nothing short of fantastic in a vacuum. The combat is fueled by smooth and life-like animations that make every punch and kick sing, and the same can be said for the best-ever web-swinging. The PC version launched with a few too many technical issues, although it still looks good.
I almost went with Miles Morales as the representative of Insomniac’s era, as Manhattan in the snow is stunning.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
The Best-Looking Spider-Man Game That Is Not Open-World
Since 2004, Spider-Man has received 12 home console games, 9 of which are set in sandboxes. Marvel’s hero is synonymous with Manhattan, so prioritizing this type of project makes sense; however, open-worlds are extremely taxing on both developers and consoles, so they tend to come with limitations. Quite a few of these releases also had quick turnaround times, further lowering their ceiling and resulting in pretty mediocre visuals for the most part.
Before Insomniac’s arrival, the best-looking Spider-Man games of this century were arguably Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time, both of which opted for self-contained stages rather than expansive worlds. Edge of Time is held back by being primarily set in a building, but Shattered Dimensions constantly shakes up its environments as it swaps between four Spider-Men from alternate universes. Along with unique locales that reflect each story beat’s chosen villain, the game incorporates different art styles for each playable Spider-Man, with Noir’s black and white filter and Ultimate Spider-Man’s comic book aesthetic being particularly eye-catching. Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time NEED to be remastered as a compilation.
Ultimate Spider-Man
An Uneven Spider-Man Game With Charming Cel-Shaded Graphics
Want your game’s visuals to age like fine wine? Go with cel-shaded graphics. They simply stand the test of time far better than realistic alternatives, even if they might not seem as impressive initially. Out of all of Spider-Man’s 2000s adventures, Ultimate Spider-Man is the easiest to revisit in this day and age, at least in terms of its presentation. The cel-shading makes the characters look like they are ripped right out of the comics (or Saturday Morning Cartoons), and the same can be said for the versions of Manhattan and Queens that make up the open-world.
Yes, Ultimate Spider-Man is not perfect and does not have particularly detailed graphics, including flat buildings and mostly empty streets. Treyarch released this game just a year after Spider-Man 2, so it had a pretty development cycle that resulted in a short campaign and shallow (but fun) gameplay. However, the cel-shaded graphics are by far the best part of this package, and Ultimate Spider-Man is still the only open-world entry in the franchise to completely commit to this art style.
Frankly, future games should take lessons from this cult classic rather than trying to surpass Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The Spider-Man Game That Set The Bar In Every Department
Peter Parker had a few good-to-great gaming adventures before 2004, but everything changed when Spider-Man 2 dropped. This was THE Spider-Man game that dreams were made of. Bringing New York to life, the franchise went open-world for the first time, allowing players to freely swing across city streets and climb buildings. Nowadays, this might sound basic, but Spider-Man 2 was ambitious as heck in 2004, and its success caused the IP to fixate on open-world games moving forward. If this release fell flat on its face, we might never have gotten Ultimate Spider-Man, Web of Shadows, The Amazing Spider-Man, or Marvel’s Spider-Man, or they might have been very different.
Graphically, concessions were made to facilitate the project’s scope, and the characters arguably looked worse than in 2002’s Spider-Man (which was also a good-looking Spider-Man game in its own right). However, the sheer scale of Spider-Man 2 cannot be understated, and the visuals were and still are impressive today, as long as your expectations are kept realistic.
Spider-Man (2000)
Spider-Man Goes 3D And Nails The Transition
Spider-Man
- Released
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September 1, 2000
- ESRB
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E // Animated Violence
During the ’90s, Spidey had to settle for side-scrolling beat ’em ups and platformers, which were the standard genres for licensed games. With the turn of the century approaching and gaming falling in love with three dimensions, Spider-Man needed to embrace this evolution to remain relevant. As seen with Superman 64 and Batman’s early 3D misfires, this shift was by no means easy to pull off, and Spider-Man could have found himself starring in some of his ugliest adventures to date. Instead, we got 2000’s Spider-Man, arguably the best superhero adventure game up to that point.
Neversoft did an admirable job of adapting to the consoles’ limitations, even incorporating a plot development that explains why New York’s streets are covered in fog and cannot be explored. While most stages consisted of rooftops and somewhat sparse interiors, they were accompanied by awesome character models that were light-years ahead of the franchise’s previous efforts at the time, and they are still charming more than two decades later.
All the home console versions look great, but Spider-Man on the Dreamcast is the best version. Also, special mention to Spider-Man 2: Enter: Electro, as it is a forgotten gem.
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
The Best Of A Forgotten Decade
Spider-Man’s 90s games are difficult to revisit in this day and age. That’s not to say they are terrible, rather just forgettable and uninspired. Visually, they mostly fall in the same ballpark of being “fine, I guess,” and they do not rank among the prettiest games on the NES, SNES, or Genesis.
If there is one early Spidey title that deserves to be remembered and preserved, it would have to be Maximum Carnage. A beat ’em up that features both Venom and Spider-Man as playable characters, the game is a fairly traditional entry in the genre, albeit one executed well. Except for the baffling fact that it is only single-player, Maximum Carnage plays well and looks good, particularly the designs and the campy but fun cutscenes. The backdrops are nothing too special, but they fit the franchise and do not distract from the gameplay.
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