Being a Spider-Man fan is a wild ride.
The comics?
Fire.
The movies?
Mostly bangers (we're side-eyeing you, Spider-Man 3 dance scene).
But when it comes to games?
That's where things get a little... uneven.

Some of Spidey's digital outings have been chef's kiss, while others feel like getting hit with a pumpkin bomb to the face.
Today, we're deep-diving into the wonderful (and sometimes painfully awkward) world of Spider-Man games.
From the janky messes that should've stayed in development hell to the ones that make you feel like you are the wall-crawler himself, here's the ultimate ranking - worst to best.

Spoiler alert: it's gonna get webby.
13. Spider-Man: The Movie (2002) - The One That Tried, But Kinda Tripped
Listen, we give it props for trying.

It came out alongside Sam Raimi's first Spidey flick, and back then? Just swinging around New York (well, sort of near buildings... kinda) was enough to blow minds.
But this one aged like milk. Combat's clunky, the web-swinging physics are a joke, and let's not even talk about those stealth missions. Still, it walked so others could swing.

12. Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge (1992) - The "What Is This Even?" One
Old heads might remember this from the SNES days. You die. A lot. For no good reason.

You start off as Spidey, but then suddenly you're Wolverine fighting weird carnival enemies. The difficulty curve? It's not a curve - it's a wall. This game is like that one ex who looked good from afar but had zero personality up close.

11. Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (2007) - The One for the Kiddos
Imagine if Spider-Man got thrown into a LEGO Marvel Super Heroes-style beat-'em-up but forgot to bring the polish.

It's clearly aimed at a younger crowd, with simplified controls and family-friendly vibes. The co-op is fun with a sibling or your 9-year-old cousin, but not exactly "gamer fuel" material.

Still, you get to team up with villains like Venom and Doc Ock, which is neat. Like a Saturday morning cartoon in game form.

10. Spider-Man: Edge of Time (2011) - The Swing and Miss
Made by the same devs behind Shattered Dimensions, this one should've hit.
You control both Peter Parker and Miguel O'Hara (Spider-Man 2099), jumping between timelines. The story's solid, but gameplay-wise? It's repetitive, and the level design is flatter than Aunt May's pancakes.

A good concept trapped in a meh execution. It's like ordering a milkshake and getting chocolate water.

9. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (2008) - The Underrated Edgelord
Venom? Check. Symbiote suit? Double check. Mid-2000s gritty vibes? You bet.
Web of Shadows is the emo cousin of Spidey games - kind of a hot mess, but fun at parties.
Combat's flashy with cool mid-air combos, and you get morality choices (hello, BioWare-lite). Sure, the voice acting's off and the camera's drunk half the time, but the chaotic charm holds up.

8. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010) - The Cool Concept King
Four Spider-Men. One game.
You got classic Spidey, Noir, 2099, and Ultimate with the symbiote. The vibes are immaculate. Each dimension has its own art style and mechanics. Noir's stealthy. 2099's trippy. The others? Pure brawler fun. It's linear, but stylish enough to overlook the rails.

Would be higher if not for the repetitive missions. Still, it's like a multiverse appetizer before Into the Spider-Verse came to feast.

7. Ultimate Spider-Man (2005) - The Comic-Book Dream
This one looks like a comic book and plays pretty close to one, too.
Based on the Ultimate Spider-Man line (a must-read for new comic fans), this game lets you play as both Spidey and Venom. And Venom is a unit. Like, eat-a-dude-and-toss-a-car strong. The cel-shaded style still holds up, and the story's penned by Brian Michael Bendis himself.

Hot tip: Read the Ultimate Spider-Man comics before playing. They're a crash course in how to read Spider-Man comics in a modern, digestible way. The game hits harder if you know the backstory.

6. Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1995) - The Forgotten Gem
Only '90s kids remember this one. A 2D side-scroller with vibes straight out of the Fox Kids show. Tight platforming, snappy animation, and some genuinely creative boss fights. It gets buried under flashier titles, but deserves a revisit, especially for retro gamers.
Rare advice: Play it on a CRT if you can. Something about the fuzzy edges makes it feel like Saturday morning again.

5. Spider-Man 2 (2004) - The Blueprint
The GOAT of the early 2000s.

That web-swinging? Revolutionary. Like, the devs said "what if we actually attached the web to buildings" and the industry lost its mind. Open-world Manhattan was a blast to explore, pizza delivery missions were meme-tier, and Tobey Maguire phoned in his voice acting like a champ.

Is it perfect? No. But it changed the game. Literally.

4. Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020) - The Stylish One
Short? Yeah. But sweet as hell.

Miles' version of Spider-Man feels different in the best ways - the venom powers add a zap to combat, and his movement has that awkward-cool swagger teens actually have. The soundtrack? Slaps. Visually? Chef's kiss.

Pro tip: Play it in performance RT mode if you're on PS5. Miles' hoodie flaps in the wind like it owes you money.

3. Spider-Man: The PS1 Game (2000) - The Cult Classic
If you were a gamer in the early 2000s, this game was your childhood.

Narrated by Stan freakin' Lee.

Hidden comic book covers to collect. Over-the-top boss fights. It's campy, yes, but also awesome. Spidey had quips for days, and the villain lineup was stacked.

2. Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (2001) - The Sequel That Got Slept On
People dunk on this one unfairly.

Yes, it's more of the same PS1 goodness. But Electro as a villain? Underrated.

Levels were more refined, and combat got a slight upgrade. It's like your favorite band's second album - not as iconic as the first, but still a banger.

1. Marvel's Spider-Man (2018) - The Pinnacle
This is it. The crown jewel.

Insomniac Games said, "let's make you feel like Spider-Man" and nailed it. From fluid web-swinging to weighty emotional storytelling, this game has it all.

It juggles Peter Parker's life and Spidey's adventures flawlessly. Side missions aren't trash. The villains are complex. The city feels alive.

And that ending? Tears. Actual tears.

Extra-mile advice: Turn off waypoints and just swing around. Explore naturally. You'll bump into surprises - mini missions, convos, even photo ops that feel like Easter eggs from the comics.

Final Web-Sling
Ranking Spidey games isn't just about graphics or boss fights - it's about vibes. It's about that moment when you're 10 missions deep, stuck in traffic IRL, and you imagine yourself just webbing out of your car and swinging downtown. That's what a great Spider-Man game does - it lets you escape, not just play.

If you're new to Spidey and wondering how to read Spider-Man comics to match the tone of the games - start with Ultimate Spider-Man, then move into The Amazing Spider-Man (Dan Slott's run) for a modern, witty vibe. Match the games with the comics, and you'll see the connective tissue of the Spider-Verse unfold beautifully.

And remember: with great gaming comes great responsibility. So swing smart, dodge often, and never - never - underestimate a side mission involving a lost pigeon.