Superhero games make for some of the best interactive entertainment around, as they provide the ideal form of escapism: all of the great power, and none of the great responsibility to use it wisely. The last couple of years have seen some terrific entries in this genre, from Eidos Interactive’s Guardians of the Galaxy to Insomniac’s successful reimagining of Spider-Man, and there’s a lot more to look forward to in the future. Several games based on characters from Marvel, DC, and other comic book publishers are in development at several studios. From Iron Man to Wonder Woman, here’s a closer look at the projects currently in development across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (Rocksteady Studio)
While we have some reservations about Rocksteady’s upcoming dive into the seedier underbelly of the DC Universe, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League still looks like a fun power fantasy to try out. With superheroes on a rampage thanks to the machinations of Brainiac and the streets of Metropolis overrun with his forces, only a handful of the most infamous supervillains around stand a chance against these overwhelming odds.
Rocksteady has big plans for its first live-service title, including a regular drop of new content, cosmetics, and even new members for Task Force X in the months to come. The game even has a big endgame mode planned out, an offline mode for anyone looking to invest solely in their own personal toybox of chaos, and options to create ridiculously over-the-top builds for each of your squadmates.
Marvel’s Blade (Arkane Lyon)
Blade’s no stranger to video games–the Wesley Snipes incarnation had two movie tie-in games and he’s appeared in various other big Marvel games over the years. But the idea of a new solo title with Deathloop studio Arkane Lyon leading the way sounds like a match made in heaven. This time, Blade’s adventure takes him to the streets of Paris, a city under siege by vampires and in dire need of the Daywalker’s lethal talents for dealing with the undead pain-in-the-neck menace. While it’s still early in development, Arkane has described this project as a narrative-driven third-person action game.
Marvel’s Iron Man (EA Motive)
Not much is known about EA’s take on everybody’s favorite genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Iron Man, as the game is still early in pre-production, but EA Motive has said that it wants to get this project right. The Dead Space studio has a legion of Iron Man fans to consult on this project, hiring is ramping up, and the game is being developed in Unreal Engine 5.
Marvel’s Wolverine (Insomniac)
After three games spent spinning webs, dealing with pesky symbiotes, and suffering regular insults from J. Jonah Jameson, Insomniac’s next project is focused on Canada’s finest export, Wolverine. Beyond a CG teaser trailer–and a terrible attack by hackers looking for a big payday–details on this Wolverine game are slim for now. What we do know is that Insomniac doesn’t plan to temper the dark nature of Marvel’s not-so-merry mutant, as this game will have a mature tone and likely plenty of blood to spill whenever Logan pops his trademark Adamantium claws.
Captain America and Black Panther (Skydance Media)
The next game from Uncharted director Amy Hennig and Skydance Media, the currently untitled Captain America and Black Panther video game will feature more than just Wakanda’s defender and the first Avenger in action. The debut trailer teased Gabriel Jones, who is a US soldier, and Nanali, who is the founder of the Wakandan Spy Network, as two more playable characters in the ensemble cast for the game. Gameplay has yet to be revealed, but fans can expect this game to take place during World War II.
While Captain America is still a rookie star-spangled hero, this incarnation of Black Panther is Wakandan King Azzuri, the grandfather of T’Challa, and the forces of Hydra are sweeping through Europe. The storyline will draw inspiration from the 2010 “Flags of Our Fathers” comic book arc and Hennig added the game is being structured somewhat similarly to a “binge-able serialized adventure” for fans to enjoy.
Black Panther (Cliffhanger Games)
Not content to just bring Marvel’s armored Avenger to life, EA also has a team focused on a trip to Wakanda with its Black Panther video game. Development is being led by Cliffhanger Games–a new studio at EA led by Middle-earth veteran Kevin Stephens–and EA says that it’s aiming to deliver a “definitive and authentic Black Panther experience” set within the fictional and technologically advanced African nation.
Mystery Marvel game (EA)
Details on the third mystery Marvel game at EA are locked up tighter than Wolverine’s liquor cabinet when he’s out of town, but EA has confirmed that it will be an original story-driven game set in the Marvel universe, just like its Black Panther and Iron Man projects. Which character will we see revealed eventually? Modern Marvel games typically focus on its biggest blockbuster icons, and it doesn’t look like the Hulk, Captain Marvel, or Ant-Man are up to anything right now. Who knows? It might be time to walk on the print side of that universe with Marvel’s Daily Bugle Simulator.
Wonder Woman (Monolith)
First revealed at The Game Awards in 2021, Monolith has kept pretty quiet since then on its upcoming Wonder Woman game. The last bit of info on the game came in late 2023, as after internet sleuths claimed that it would be a live-service game, publisher Warner Bros. stepped in to confirm that Wonder Woman will be “a single-player action-adventure game set in a dynamic open world.”
The good news here is that the rep mentioned that Monolith’s Nemesis system–the gameplay system that allowed for unique antagonists to torment you in its Middle-earth games–will be featured in the Amazonian’s solo game.
Invincible: Guarding the Globe
Not every big superhero game is scheduled to launch on PC and console. Invincible: Guarding the Globe is an upcoming mobile game based on the hit comics and popular animated series, giving you a free-to-play “idle” squad-based RPG. Ubisoft’s Barcelona Mobile studio is handling development on this game, and the roster includes Invincible, Atom Eve, Omni-Man, Robot, Rex Splode, and the Guardians of the Globe before they got deconstructive surgery from Omni-Man.