Whether you're swinging through the metropolis of New York City as Spider-Man, exploring space with your ragtag crew that consists of a talking tree and raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy, or assembling 'Earth's mightiest heroes' in the various Avengers-based games, there are a bunch of Marvel games that have made a mark on the gaming industry.

Marvel games have really undergone various mutations - wink, wink - from side-scrolling beat'em ups that were arcade classics to winning yearly awards. For our list, we're going to be focusing on Marvel games that are action-based, not fighters, so none of the Marvel vs. Capcom games will not be part of the list, but they might be part of another list.

Updated by Chad Thesen on October 10, 2023: This list has been updated for the purpose of adding additional entries to give it a more expansive range of coverage so that readers are able to make more informed decisions for their choices in the game.

14 The Incredible Hulk (1994)

Developed by Probe Entertainment, The Incredible Hunk was a side-scrolling beat'em up where you were in charge of the hard-to-stop big green guy and had to stop his nemesis, the Leader, from taking over the world. Depending on the amount of health you had, Hulk had four different stages: 'Hulk-Out,' 'Super Hulk,' 'Hulk,' and when your health reached below 5%, you would turn into Hulk's human form and identity Bruce Banner - who was equipped with a gun that only had two bullets.

But turning into Banner wasn't always a bad thing because if you took a gamma capsule, you could turn into Banner and explore smaller areas Hulk can't get into without losing gamma. The game contained five levels, which included various boss fights, including Abomination - who acted as a mini-boss throughout the game. Throughout each level, you could collect coins that added 10 seconds to your time, coins that would give you an extra life once your lives reached zero, as well as extra lives. Being big and green never felt so satisfying.

13 Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage

One of the first ever video games to be based on an actual comic book story, Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, puts you in control of both the famed wall-crawler and symbiote to take down Carnage. It wasn't just based on a story it even contained cutscenes stylized like pages of an actual comic book with moving images and word bubbles that would appear.

As you attack enemies words like 'Pow' and 'Kchack' appear over them on screen, giving fights a major comic book feel.

12 Deadpool

What game allows you to slap Wolverine as much as you want, electrocute Mr. Sinister, and slice and dice bad guys? Why it's 2013's fourth-wall-breaking wackadoo Deadpool! The game - which was developed by High Moon Studios - captured the 'Merc With The Mouth' in the best way possible.

Its story is a giant fourth wall break about him forcing the studio to make his game, and its hack-and-slash mechanics made performing combos and using various guns memorable. The game even has a gun, 'stealth kills,' as a joke.

11 Spider-Man 2

The first two Spider-Man games based on the Sam Raimi movies are some of the best to be made, but what puts Spider-Man 2 on the list is its implementation of side quests and missions. Not only does their inclusion make you feel like Spider-Man they are necessary to complete, but the more you did, the more of the main story you unlocked.

Unlike the first game, you can also touch the ground as you swing around the city and perform side missions, which you couldn't do in the previous game. The game also has some gorgeous cutscenes, which still hold up better than you'd think by today's standards.

10 Marvel Heroes Omega

This game takes a page, gameplay-wise, from one of Marvel's most successful ventures — the Ultimate Alliance games. This game also happened to be a Free-to-play MMO that allowed players to join forces and change between many different iconic heroes.

Unlocking these characters for free was a very arduous task, with some characters completely outshining others. Sadly, Marvel severed ties with the developers, and the game servers were permanently shut down as of November 27, 2017.

9 Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy

Despite its underperforming sales numbers, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a game that is surprisingly good and something every Marvel fan should play. Taking control of Star-Lord, you fight and fly alongside the other members of your famous team and can command them to perform special attacks. The game offers a great feature where if you and your team are getting your butts kicked, you can call a team huddle. By deciding on the proper pep talk to give your team, they receive combat boosts as its soundtrack of famous rock power ballads plays.

Its story is also decision-driven and offers you different ways to interact with other characters; some decisions - like whether to hide ship parts or a llama from the Nova Corps - will affect certain parts of the game; the latter unlocks a mini-game later on. The only reason why it's not in the top five is that you cannot take full control of the other guardians; you can only command them. Being able to play as Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot would've been a nice addition to the gameplay.

8 Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Following the events of Marvel's Spider-Man, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is similar in terms of its combat system, but playing as Miles is completely different from playing Peter. Miles swings more fun and freestyle-like, and performing his electrical-based attacks offers something new and exciting for players, allowing you to unleash the most devastating of combos.

It is also a superhero game set in the Winter, and its ending is one of the more shocking - pun not intended - endings in a superhero game. The game boasts awesome accessibility options - like its predecessor and was used to help launch the PlayStation 5, and you get to wear the Spider-Verse suit if you'd like.

7 X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The movie version of X-Men: Origins: Wolverine was terrible, but the video game adaptation was Logan before Logan. The game was super gory and bloody; the opening cutscene shows Wolverine stabbing an enemy in the head through a wall. It's like God of War but with Marvel's most famous mutant. You can lunge at enemies, perform grabs, and various levels of attacks.

Wolverine can perform a claw spin attack after his rage meter is filled up, making mincemeat out of groups of enemies and gaining more XP to level up. You can even use your senses to discover traps and other dangers. It's the most realistic X-Men game that has been made so far.

6 X-Men (The Arcade Game)

Based on the 1989 cartoon 'X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men,' Konami's famous arcade game allows players to take control of Wolverine, Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Dazzler. Each character has a special mutant attack move they could use during combat and could use punches, kicks, and other moves - Nightcrawler will jump up and down on downed enemies.

X-Men was a staple of arcades during the 1990s and was beloved by fans looking to express their admiration for it. It was nominated for multiple AMOA - Amusement & Music Operators Association - awards, including most played video games. The game's most popular 6-person cabinet also used dual monitors.

5 Marvel Snap

Marvel Snap is Marvel's entry into the world of Free-to-play collectible card games. What skyrockets up this list is that it offers very fast and engaging gameplay that is really fun to get into. It drops a lot of traditional staples of the TCG and Digital CCG genres in favor of creating something new and addictive.

Of course, with any Free-to-play game, monetization has led to some controversy, with some very powerful cards appearing in the game's paid battle pass. Regardless of this, it is a game that is very enjoyable and worth giving a shot.

4 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance consisted of a roster of more than 20 different Marvel superheroes and gave you the opportunity to create your own four-character team to take on bad guys, including Dr. Doom - who really did a number on Colossus in that one cutscene. The game also had various endings, and characters had multiple costumes.

Even though Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 was based around the Civil War story arc, the first game places so high up on our list because it told a strong and amazing story and introduced gameplay that really made an impact when it comes to single-player gaming. Being able to jump from character to character at any time was great, and seeing each one level up brought a feeling of excitement and accomplishment, and it is one of the pillars of customizable team-based gameplay.

3 Marvel Midnight Suns

This game comes from some of the industry leaders in tactical turn-based combat. With a veteran development studio in the genre, this game came in with a lot of big-name support, and reception for the game was well-received.

Players are able to take control of various deployed heroes, choosing where they move to and using cards to decide their actions. For fans of turn-based tactics, this game has plenty of the staples they will love with some new elements they never knew they wanted.

2 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 Improves on the franchise's formula in every conceivable way. It has stunning modern graphics, very fluid controls, and a very action-packed story. For those who loved either of the first two games or Marvel Heroes Omega, this is definitely a game to experience.

Sadly, the third installment in these Ultimate Alliance games would be released exclusively for the Switch — much to the dismay and heartache of long-time and loyal fans who did not have the Nintendo console.

1 Marvel's Spider-Man

Marvel's Spider-Man sees New York City come more to life than ever before and is the best out of any Marvel-based game that includes it. The city contains multiple famous landmarks like Avengers Tower, the Sanctum Santorum, the Wakandan Embassy, and more. The game's story is one of the best Spider-Man stories told within the medium, and its controls and suit upgrades are fantastic.

If you're someone who doesn't normally 100% games you play, Marvel's Spider-Man's side quests, like visiting Oscorp research stations and collecting backpacks, are a great way to spend your time in between completing main story missions. The voice acting is also top-notch as well.

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