The Best Web-Swinging In Spider-Man Games

Superhero games have been around since gaming started to rise in arcades and home consoles such as the Atari 2600. Spider-Man has been fortunate enough to be one of those superheroes adapted to many video games, starting in the 70s and going up to the 2020s, with dozens of games in the Marvel hero’s history.

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In the last two decades, there have been over fifteen different Spider-Man games and one reason why Spider-Man games are so famous is because of how versatile the character is without being super overpowered. His quick-witted attitude and swift abilities are also entertaining for most players. However, the biggest reason why most gamers play Spider-Man games is web-swinging.

Updated on February 1st, 2025, by Melody MacReady: It’s difficult to envision a Spider-Man game without excellent web-swinging mechanics that motivate players to thoroughly explore their worlds, from the streets of New York City to across the Marvel multiverse. Even classic linear games have left their unique mark on web-swinging, with some games performing better and others revolutionizing web-swinging. Nonetheless, even titles that weren’t as effective deserve recognition for their contributions to the genre, as they helped pave the way for the mechanics we see in Spider-Man games today.

14

Spider-Man 3

Web-Swinging Was Still Fun In This Disappointing Threequel

In 2007, Spider-Man 3 was probably the most awaited superhero movie for fans. Hence, its tie-in game was also one of the most intriguing games of the year. Moreover, players were super excited to play Spider-Man 3, as it was made by Call of Duty developer Treyarch, who also developed the two previous games.

Unfortunately, the game disappointed many players due to its odd pacing and poor mission structure. The negative reviews became a big reason many players didn’t even try the game. It later found new life as the source of many memes thanks to the cutscenes, but web-swinging itself is one of the game’s strongest aspects, adding more weight and momentum to Spider-Man’s movements.

13

Spider-Man (2002)

Simple But Effective For A Movie Tie-In Game

Based on the first Sam Raimi movie and featuring Tobey Maguire as the voice of Peter Parker, Spider-Man retells the web-slinger’s origin from the movie with even more villains added, including Shocker, Scorpion, and Vulture. Unlike its more famous sequel, there is no open world to explore; instead, there are linear levels to progress through.

However, Spider-Man does still fear momentum-based web-swinging in this game, with an emphasis placed on swing kicking that can mix well with hand-to-hand combat. The only downside is that Spider-Man’s webs seem to grab onto the sky itself. The web-swinging was even the focus of an entire bowling mode in which Spider-Man is the ball and thugs are the pins.

12

Spider-Man (2000)

This PS1 Game Still Influences Modern Spider-Man Titles

It’s easy to look back on 2000’s Spider-Man and call it a dated product, but the game remains a beloved game for the PlayStation 1 thanks to sheer heart and a great understanding of what makes Spider-Man so riveting as a character. Swinging around in this game was a ton of fun at the time, and can still be pretty fun despite its on-rails approach and lack of realism.

There’s something strangely captivating about watching the web-slinger launch his web into the sky and swing through the city. The movement is quick and responsive. What truly stands out is the dynamic between Spider-Man and Venom as partners, with the two sharing the funniest interactions throughout the story.

11

The Amazing Spider-Man

Like An Arkham Game With Web-Swinging

The Amazing Spider-Man is a game that served as a tie-in pseudo-sequel to the first Andrew Garfield movie. However, it offers a much different story that starts months after the events of the film. The Amazing Spider-Man is one memorable game as it finally brought back the open world and introduced more free-flowing combat, similar to the Batman: Arkham games.

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The game focused on letting players solve crimes in Manhattan as side content while completing linear scenarios to progress through the story. The swinging in the game was completely revamped as well, with an automatic third-person view camera that would adjust the field of view based on Spider-Man’s actions while swinging.

10

Spider-Man: Edge Of Time

Peter And Miguel On An Adventure Through Time And Space

Spider-Man: Edge of Time is the sequel to Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and continues with the more linear mission design. In the game, players assume control of two renditions of Spider-Man. One is Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara, and the other is the Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker.

Edge of Time had a unique gameplay concept: players switch between the two superheroes and change the past to alter the future. Despite its linear design, the game offered strong web-swinging mechanics, even if they were mostly optional. Peter and Miguel have unique combat and swinging styles that make the dynamic even more appealing.

9

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

Amazing Swinging Mechanics For A LEGO Game

The more we say about LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, the less it is. The popular Lego game is a one-of-a-kind action-adventure title that offers players a huge variety of superheroes to play. One such character is Spider-Man, who packs all his classic moves in the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2.

Anyone who has played LEGO games knows they are famous for building detailed characters with authentic attributes and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is no different. Hence, Spider-Man feels extremely fun to play and comes with a top-notch swinging mechanism that works for the game.

8

Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows

Light And Dark Paths Have Different Controls

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows may be one of the most experimental superhero games of all time. It’s a third-person action-adventure title that is heavily focused on a karma system, where players’ actions will change the course of the game. In Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, players can swap between the normal and symbiote versions of Spider-Man with the tap of a button.

Hence, gamers can easily switch between the symbiotic suit and the regular one based on how they want to tackle a situation, which includes different web-swinging, combat, and abilities. The game came out in 2008 but still holds up in various areas, with some gamers praising it for doing some things better than the current games.

7

Ultimate Spider-Man

Spider-Man And Venom Are A Dynamic Duo

Often overlooked, Ultimate Spider-Man is a 2005 game that is known for its comic-book art style and visual design. It’s an open-world game with an emphasis on beat-em-up combat and a free-roam mission structure. The game’s story is centered around Venom and Spider-Man, and it is up to players to pick which character they want to use to finish the missions.

Long before Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ultimate Spider-Man was the first open-world Spider-Man game to feature more than one playable character, with Venom and Spidey having distinct attacks and powers. Venom uses his symbiote tendrils to travel around the city, while Spider-Man uses his web to swing across skyscrapers.

6

Spider-Man 2

Treyarch Revolutionized Web-Swinging Mechanics

Spider-Man 2 was the go-to game for anyone who wanted to feel like a true web-crawling superhero. The 2004 game defined what it meant to be Spider-Man with its open-world gameplay, strong mission structure for the time, and web-swinging mechanics that inspired the newer games in the franchise.

The game also popularized gameplay features to web-swinging such as power jumps and wall-running, which truly make it stand out compared to other Spider-Man titles. It was also the first game to ever use realistic anchor points for the webs rather than just having Spidey stick to the ceiling and the sky.

5

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

One Of The Few Games Better Than The Movie It Ties In To

The final game developed by Activision and Beenox, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, continued to give fans a fun open-world adventure. The game came out in 2014 and improved everything that made the first one good, featuring a different story, with more characters, enemies, and an arguably better plot than the movie it is based on.

While The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn’t a masterpiece, it offers an entertaining experience and a memorable interpretation of the villains. Additionally, the web-swinging mechanics are noteworthy; the game experiments with controls by assigning each web shooter to a corresponding trigger, which adds finesse to the web-swinging experience.

4

Marvel Rivals

Web-Swinging Is Not Easy, But It Is Helpful

Third-Person Shooter

Action

Multiplayer

Systems

Released

December 6, 2024

Developer(s)

NetEase Games

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Akin to games like Overwatch, Marvel Rivals is a hero shooter that puts six players against another team of six opponents, completing objectives such as guiding a payload or capturing a point. Many heroes and villains from across the Marvel multiverse are available to play, and Spider-Man is one of them.

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Even though Spider-Man is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal in Marvel Rivals, he does not play like he does in the Marvel’s Spider-Man games. He is one of the more complex characters, with his web-swinging being precise and fast. This can throw new players off, but if mastered, Spider-Man can become the ideal flanking character, able to swing and zip across a map in seconds to deal damage before quickly escaping from danger.

3

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Insomniac Changed Marvel Games Forever

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Action

Adventure

Open-World

Systems

Released

September 7, 2018

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Marvel’s Spider-Man is an open-world action-adventure title that starts a whole new Marvel universe created by Insomniac Games, giving Spider-Man a AAA treatment on par with the Batman: Arkham games and even the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The game first came out in 2018 exclusively for PlayStation 4 and later made its way to the PlayStation 5.

Sony and Insomniac created one of the biggest hits in superhero game history, featuring elements from the comics, movies, and even other Spider-Man video games. The developers even stated that they used Treyarch’s Spider-Man 2 as inspiration for their web-swinging in an open-world New York City, which was more refined than ever, allowing the player to feel truly like Spider-Man.

2

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Miles’ Coming Of Age Adventure Is A Perfect Spin-Off

Systems

Released

November 12, 2020

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

In 2020, Miles Morales got his own spin-off title and, much to the surprise of gamers, it turned out to be more than a reskinned version of Marvel’s Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Miles Morales shows Miles lacing up his boots as Peter Parker’s protégé. Much like the original PlayStation 4 game, it is all about great storytelling, tight-knit combat design, and open-world gameplay.

Apart from that, the spin-off game features fun web-swinging mechanics that are unparalleled to anything out there. However, rather than just porting over the mechanics from the first game, Miles’ swinging evolves as the player upgrades him and, as a nice bonus, Miles even has unique animations for his style of web-swinging to show that he is a younger and inexperienced hero.

1

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Twice The Spider-Men, Twice The Fun

Open-World

Action-Adventure

Superhero

Systems

Released

October 20, 2023

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Expectations were high for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to blow everything out of the water when it launched, and the game certainly didn’t disappoint on the gameplay front. Featuring two Spider-Men, improved combat, diverse traversal mechanics, and some of the best set-pieces in any Spider-Man game, it’s easy to see why so many people loved this title when it came out.

The introduction of Venom enhances the engagement of the game, with Yuri Lowenthal showcasing his talent as a voice actor portraying a corrupted Spider-Man. Additionally, the inclusion of web wings makes traversal more exciting than ever, prompting players to consider their moves as they swing through the expansive game map.

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