The superhero genre has taken off in the past 10 years, and while the movie industry has seen the biggest boom in that regard, the gaming world has also seen its fair share of outstanding superhero titles.
Unsurprisingly, open-world games have been the perfect fit for the superhero genre to be explored, and it has resulted in some fantastic games, allowing unparalleled freedom and a true power fantasy when it comes to some of fiction’s most famous characters.
Some franchises have fared better than others, and here are the eight best open-world superhero games to come out in quite some time.
The criteria here will be a bit flexible, as we want to include a few different superheroes here, but the games must have some sort of open-world structure, such as freedom to attack mission objectives in the order they’d like, as well as free-roaming exploration.
8Crackdown 3
An Old Soul
Crackdown 3
Crackdown 3is a strange beast. It wasn’tcommercially successful, or critically successful, but it still holds a special place in the superhero game lexicon.
Why is it here then? Because, for me at least, it represents a simpler time in gaming. Yes, the mechanics are ancient, and the quest structure is simplistic, but overall, there is a lot of fun to be had here.
The story is nonsense, and the graphics are less than impressive, but the gameplay is just old-school, over-the-top, dumb action.
And sometimes? That’s all you need. We don’t always need an amazing story with groundbreaking mocap and incredible voice acting.
What we got here was some amazing destruction physics, fun traversal, and a title completely unashamed of bringing back the feeling of games from the mid-2000s with little flexibility, and damn it, I respect it.
7Prototype
Become The Monster
Prototypeshould’ve been the start of a major franchise, but unfortunately, the second game didn’t hit the mark. Thankfully, the first one did.
You are put in the shoes of Alex Mercer, a regular man infected with a virus that turns him into a superhero, powers-wise, at least.
What you choose to do with those powers, however, is up to you. Will you consume everyone in sight? Will you lay waste to entire city blocks? Will you fight for good? You decide.
It’s one of the more interesting approaches to the superhero genre that we’ve seen, and it’s done incredibly well, with visceral combat, and a lively open world to interact with an intriguing story that unfortunately, never really got its flowers.
6Infamous 2
A Gritty Tale of Power
inFAMOUS 2
Infamous 2 took all the good parts of the first game and bolted down the hatches with great combat, better graphics, and a more interesting story that drove the whole thing forward.
Infamous 2 brings the action to a fictionalized New Orleans city that is in bad shape, to say the least.
This time around, Cole is racing against the clock to stop The Beast from leveling another city on his rampage across the country.
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It’s an interesting tale because it heavily considers morality in a more intense way this time around. You can choose between two different sides, the defacto good vs evil, but not everything is black and white.
Each side has its own motivations, characters to interact with, and, most importantly, powers. You get two entirely different sets of powers depending on your morality choice, and it inspires multiple playthroughs because of that.
Overall, it is justa fantastic superhero gamethat stands alone in its uniqueness.
5Batman: Arkham Knight
Almost Perfect
Batman: Arkham Knight
Batman: Arkham Knightshould be at the top of this list, but due to the use of the Batmobile, I can’t in good faith do that.
On foot, as Batman? This is the best superhero game of all time. It’s fantastic, from the combat to the storytelling to the unreal graphics that hold up 10 years later; it’s just 10/10 greatness.
The city itself isn’t the most lively open world for good reason, but there are still so many interesting side quests to seek out, puzzles to solve and the look of the city is just as you’d imagine Gotham to be.
The big letdown in the game is the boss fights and how they are basically all in the Batmobile. I can’t defend that, it’s ridiculous, and it makes no sense why, say, Arkham Knight has a massive drill tank monstrosity. Seriously, why does he have that?
I can ignore it, though, because the combat is thebest of the series, the interplay between Batman and the memories of Joker is compelling as hell, and even if the main villain is less than stellar, everything surrounding him hits the mark.
4The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
The Green Man Gets His Due
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
For some reason, the Incredible Hulk has only been in one good game in the entirety of his existence, butluckily, it’s among the best.
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction was a fantastic game when it was released and still holds up today as it does just what it tells you in its title.
You are the Hulk, and you destroy everything. That’s not hyperbole, as the destruction physics were far ahead of their time, and the game makes you feel like Hulk should, as everything in your path, from enemies to tanks, is nothing but fodder for you to destroy.
The combat feels weighty, and there is very little restricting you as you jump around the city, laying waste to everything in your path while also following a fun story that uses a ton of comic book characters like Thunderbolt Ross and Abomination to tell one of the better stories in the genre.
Overall, if you want to feel like a superhero, few games do it better.
3DC Universe Online
Create a Hero Done Perfectly
DC Universe Online
DC Universe Online is one of the modern marvels of gaming. Pun aside, I played this game in 2012, andit’s still relevant today.
There is nothing overtly spectacular about any part of the game, but its developer support for over a decade, dedicated fanbase, and simple notion of “getting it” has made DC Universe Online one of the best superhero games ever.
you’re able to create a hero from scratch with many different powers to choose from, and from there, you can be a hero or villain, or somewhere in between.
You’ll interact with all manner of iconic heroes and villains, like the Joker, The Flash, Superman, and whoever else you may imagine.
The combat is a bit dated, but it’s still fun to fly around and beat up enemies with your friends, and making your own superhero has never felt better.
2Batman: Arkham City
Be the Batman
Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition
Batman: Arkham City doeseverything you could possibly want from a Batman game. Amazing use of the villains, an expansive world to explore, great combat, and great boss battles, it’s all here.
The second game in the Arkham series puts you in Arkham City, which is essentially a prison island, and Batman is working to stop a handful of villains from Mr. Freeze to Joker during his time there.
You’ll also get to play Catwoman, who has her own story missions and combat style, which is an amazing touch as well.
There is just so much to do here, from side content to the amazing mission structure, all while featuring expert voice work from Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, and if that’s not enough, it has one of the best endings to any Batman story, period.
1Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
For all intents and purposes, you can put all three Marvel’s Spider-Man games here. The first was absolutely fantastic and a game-changer for the superhero genre, but it shares so much in DNA with the sequel that I think it’s only fitting that the sequel goes in the top spot.
Marvel’s Spiderman 2took everything the first game did andupped the ante considerably. The set pieces were bigger, the stakes were higher, and Peter Parker’s fate became uncertain in the process.
The dichotomy between Miles and Peter is great, and while you are required to switch to one or the other during certain story segments, for the most part, you have the choice of which Spider-Man you want to tackle the story with.
That story is a huge highlight here, with Peter and Harry Osborne’s relationship taking front and center, leading to some shocking events that twist well-known comic book lore in a brilliant way.
The open world itself is also far more interesting, with better side quests and a more lively feeling that unlocks even more of New York City to explore.
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