10 Best X-Men Video Games Of All Time

From arcade games to RPGs, and third-person action-adventure titles, the X-Men have had a long history in gaming. With the X-Men ’97 series receiving high praise for its revival of the classic ’90s animated show, and the characters gradually being reintegrated into the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe, the mutant superheroes seem to be having a resurgence in mainstream media lately.

In the gaming space, Insomniac Games has already announced a Wolverine-led title set in the same continuity as its acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man games, and while there have been some leaks of the gameplay and story, many players are keen to see more official reveals from the studio when they’re ready. The title is set to be M-rated – which is faithful to the character’s style of combat – with a mature tone, and may lead to the introduction of further X-Men in Insomniac’s Marvel Universe down the line.

10

X-Men: The Arcade Game (1992)

Metacritic Score: 70

Konami’s arcade title, The Uncanny X-Men (later referred to as X-Men: The Arcade Game, or simply X-Men Arcade) saw up to six players teaming up to take on Magneto, and was extremely successful in the United States upon its release in 1992. The roster included six playable X-Men: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler, and saw them battle iconic villains such as Juggernaut, Pyro, Blob, Mystique, and Emma Frost (aka. The White Queen) with designs based on the 1989 cartoon pilot, X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, despite it never launching its intended series, with the unrelated X-Men: The Animated series releasing years later.

X-Men: The Arcade Game was an arcade exclusive for decades before a home release by Backbone Entertainment became available in 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360 and PlayStation Store on PS3. This port featured drop-in local or online multiplayer for up to six players on PS3, with up to four players on the Xbox Live Arcade version, and was praised by critics upon its release for its faithful arcade vibes while incorporating some more modern ways to play. Unfortunately, the title was delisted from both stores at the end of 2013, but was later included in Arcade1Up’s now-discontinued Marvel-themed cabinet in 2021 alongside Captain America and the Avengers and Avengers in Galactic Storm.

9

X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000)

Metacritic Score: 75

Paradox and Activision’s fighting title, X-Men: Mutant Academy was released on PlayStation in 2000, aligning with the release of the first X-Men movie on July 14. The PlayStation version featured nine playable characters from both the X-Men and their villain roster, with the team’s line-up from the movie being present alongside comic characters such as Apocalypse and Gambit, each with their own fighting moves akin to Street Fighter and other titles of the genre. While most of the characters featured in X-Men: Mutant Academy had their classic comic costumes, the game also incorporated the black leather costumes from the first X-Men movie for the first time in gaming.

8

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Uncaged Edition (2009)

Metacritic Score: 75

One of the best game versions of Wolverine came from an adaptation of one of the worst X-Men movies, 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The M-rated Uncaged Edition of the game on Xbox 360 and PS3 – not to be mistaken for the T-rated version on PS2 – truly leaned into the character’s Berserker rage and the brutality that comes with attacking enemies with giant claws, whether they are bone or adamantium-enhanced, which was something that wouldn’t be explored in the movies until the R-rated Logan movie in 2017. Wolverine’s enhanced healing factor is shown off to great effect throughout X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘s combat, with chunks of the character model being blown away by enemy attacks, even down to his skeleton.

The X-Men Origins: Wolverine game’s story mainly focuses on adapting elements of its movie counterpart, albeit with several extended sequences between cutscene recreations. One interesting detail not seen in the movie however, is how the game mixes the prequel movie’s storyline with post-apocalyptic cutscenes in which Logan is being hunted by a group of soldiers led by Bolivar Trask, inventor of the mutant-hunting Sentinels, which honestly could have made a cool Wolverine game on its own.

7

X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)

Metacritic Score: N/A, IGN User Score: 7.8

Capcom developed and published the side-scrolling beat ’em up game, X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse​​​​​​, for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. In Mutant Apocalypse, players control five of the X-Men: Beast, Cyclops, Gambit, Psylocke, and Wolverine, each with their own objectives, moves, and abilities. The story featured iconic locations such as the Genosha Island complex, Magneto’s Avalon space station on Asteroid M, and the Danger Room, with several of the X-Men’s most major foes making an appearance.

Unlike some of the other titles featured on this list, X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse didn’t get a re-release on modern consoles, despite its acclaim and general popularity. Fortunately, it is one of the eight X-Men titles from the ’90s and 2000s included in Arcade1Up’s X-Men ’97 arcade cabinet, suggesting that a modern port exists and may come to other platforms at a later date, maybe even as part of Nintendo Switch Online’s collections of SNES titles on the Nintendo Switch.

6

Lego Marvel Super Heroes (2013)

Metacritic Score: 80

While the other Lego Marvel games opted to eschew the X-Men and Fantastic Four – as did some other Marvel-owned media at the time due to the characters being owned by a yet-to-be-acquired 20th Century Fox – and focus more on MCU-friendly characters, the first Lego Marvel Super Heroes was full of mutants, with Wolverine featured prominently on the cover, and an entire mission set in the X-Mansion. Players could collect a wealth of characters from the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, each with their own special abilities that match their comic counterparts and could be used to unlock new areas or acquire hidden secrets while free-playing past missions or roaming the game’s open-world Manhattan map. Players can also unlock X-Men-themed vehicles such as the X-Jet, Wolverine’s motorcycle, and the Magneto-mobile to get around the city in style.

5

Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006)

Metacritic Score: 82

Marvel Ultimate Alliance took the gameplay of the acclaimed X-Men Legends games – more on them later – and expanded it to include heroes from all across the Marvel Universe. In a story that saw the heroes taking on Doctor Doom and his Masters of Evil, players could assemble their own teams, with characters from the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, and more, and selecting certain teams from the comics would grant certain buffs.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance went on to have two well-received sequels, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 which served more as a continuation of the characters seen in the first game and adapted the then-recent Civil War storyline from the comics, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, which aligned more with the MCU’s versions of the characters – barring the X-Men and Fantastic Four who had yet to be introduced to Marvel Studios’ continuity – and the movies’ storyline at the time with the heroes teaming up to take on Thanos and his Black Order. Both scored 73 on Metacritic.

4

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 (2000)

Metacritic Score: 82

Since its release in 2000, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is widely regarded as the peak of Capcom’s work on the franchise, and the last 2D entry produced. The fighting title had an impressive roster of 56 characters comprised of those from Capcom’s own franchises, completely original characters, and several from the Marvel universe. These featured several X-Men who were extremely popular in the ’90s such as Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Gambit, Cable, and Rogue, and several of their most iconic foes, like Magneto, Sabretooth, and even a playable Sentinel.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was included in the Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360 and PlayStation Store on PlayStation 3, making it available to modern audiences. This was only for a brief time, however, as it was pulled in 2013 following the apparent expiration of Capcom’s licensing contract with Marvel Comics and has been stuck in legal limbo ever since, with many fans being vocal about their desire to see the franchise return. Fortunately, Marvel vs Capcom 2 will be included in the aforementioned X-Men ’97 arcade cabinet alongside X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse later this year.

3

X-Men Legends (2004)

Metacritic Score: 82

The first X-Men Legends game was released in 2004 and bears many of the hallmarks of the characters from that era, including a yellow and black aesthetic heavily influenced by Marvel’s Ultimate X-Men comics. Much like the aforementioned Marvel Ultimate Alliance, the isometric RPG saw players forming teams from unlockable heroes, each with their own special abilities that could be upgraded over time, with certain combinations unleashing unique attacks with names fans from the comics would recognize.

X-Men Legends also served as a great introduction to the world of the X-Men for those who may have been less familiar with the characters as it is largely told through the eyes of Alison Crestmere (aka Magma), a young teenager who first discovers her powers during a Sentinel attack and is promptly rescued by the X-Men. Through an explorable X-Mansion, Alison can meet and interact with some of the more established X-Men, such as Beast, Jean Grey, Iceman, Professor X, and more, with their conversations and collectibles providing further insights into Marvel lore. The game also featured unlockable Danger Room missions to further hone different characters’ abilities and experiment with them before taking them into the field.

2

Marvel’s Midnight Suns (2022)

Metacritic Score: 83

Marvel’s Midnight Suns told a supernatural story in which a legendary demon slayer known as The Hunter must team up with various Marvel heroes to stop the Mother of Demons, Lilith from fulfilling an ancient prophecy. While it wasn’t an X-Men game and instead focused on horror hero icons like Ghost Rider or Blade, Midnight Suns did feature some mutant characters in its roster. Wolverine and Scarlet Witch were present alongside The New Mutants‘ Magik in the main campaign, with Storm being added in the game’s Blood Storm DLC, and Deadpool in its The Good, the Bad, and the Undead DLC.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns featured tactical RPG gameplay from the creators of the XCOM series, setting it apart from other AAA Marvel titles. Departing from the combat seen in many other games on this list, Marvel’s Midnight Suns was turn-based, allowing players to assemble up to three heroes at a time to take on intricately arranged scenarios, with a card-based mechanic seeing players unlocking new abilities to use as the game went on.

1

X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005)

Metacritic Score: 84

X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse‘s story upped the ante in every way by seeing the X-Men team up with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to take on the even greater threat of Apocalypse. Its story took players to several iconic X-Men locales, ranging from the Savage Land and Genosha to Apocalypse’s base in Egypt. The playable character roster grew substantially too, with many returning characters from X-Men Legends now teaming up with the likes of Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Juggernaut, Sunfire, and more, with Professor X even being unlockable after completing all of the Danger Room missions, although somewhat bizarrely, the game didn’t feature Magma as a playable character despite the first game’s development of her abilities.

As far as X-Men titles go, X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse gave fans more of what they loved from its predecessor, and is widely regarded as one of the best X-Men games of all time. Hopefully, with the characters now due to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the popularity of X-Men ’97, Marvel will find a way to get the X-Men Legends titles onto modern consoles to make them more easily accessible, and maybe even revisit the series with a new entry, much as it did with the more recent Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order.