In this review
The big picture
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has an obvious advantage over most games that ask you to travel across a city: getting there involves being Spider-Man. Peter Parker and Miles Morales can swing through New York, add Web Wings to the journey and make an ordinary trip look offensively enjoyable. The villains remain a problem, but at least the commute has improved.
Insomniac's single-player adventure launched on PS5 on 20 October 2023, with Nixxes handling the Windows version released on 30 January 2025. Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation Publishing publish the respective versions. Venom, Kraven the Hunter and the Lizard are among the threats, complicating the heroes' existing struggle to balance friendships, responsibilities and personal lives. Having extraordinary powers doesn't seem to help either man answer every message on time.
Reasons to look closer
Peter and Miles bring different powers and individual stories to one shared adventure, while Brooklyn and Queens broaden the map beyond Manhattan. Web Wings add gliding to the movement toolkit, and New Game Plus, suits and Photo Mode offer reasons to revisit favourite moments. The combination is appealing if you want a character-led superhero story in a city where travelling between problems can become a diversion all by itself.
Take the scenic route, then remember why you left
Expanded New York includes Brooklyn and Queens, and swinging can be combined with Web Wings. Peter and Miles can also be swapped during open-world exploration. Those changes give the sequel more space and more ways of using it, rather than relying entirely on a larger collection of destinations to justify another journey.
That's important to the fantasy. A street suggests a route, a rooftop offers a place to launch and the skyline invites another change of direction. A trip can be interesting before you arrive at the assigned trouble. The danger is treating every available activity as urgent civic business. A bigger map can become a longer checklist if you let it. Follow what interests you instead of promoting every icon to a personal emergency. New York already has enough people telling Spider-Man what needs doing.
Two sets of powers, one pair of hands on the controller
Peter has Spider-Arms and symbiote abilities, while Miles brings bio-electric powers, including evolved abilities. Gadgets and upgrades surround those different toolkits, and each hero has individual side stories and activities. The shared identity therefore comes with meaningful differences in what the characters can do and whose lives surround them.
That gives the story room to examine responsibility at different stages of life. It also divides attention, so players strongly attached to one hero may naturally wish to spend more time with him. The useful buying argument is an interest in the pair and their world, rather than assuming the second protagonist will remain politely in the background. And despite the two leads, this is explicitly single-player. A friend cannot solve the workload problem by joining as the other Spider-Man, however efficient that staffing arrangement sounds.
The new suit has some concerning side effects
Peter's symbiote premise pairs extraordinary power with a personal cost. Relationships and obligations carried over from Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales give that danger context. Sony says newcomers can enjoy the sequel, while recommending the previous games for the full narrative picture. Those are different levels of preparation, rather than a requirement to complete an enormous comic-book syllabus.
If the character drama is your main reason to play, the earlier stories are the sensible starting point. Knowing why somebody matters can give a threat more weight. If you mainly want a superhero action adventure, the central premise is easy enough to grasp without assigning yourself every previous appearance of the characters. Expect some melodrama either way. Ordinary relationship problems and extraordinary disasters share the same schedule, and neither seems inclined to accept that the other already booked the afternoon.
Leave time for the activity you actually enjoy
The open-world structure provides room for side stories, exploration and revisiting favourite moments. New Game Plus gives returning players another reason to engage, while suit choices and expanded Photo Mode let the presentation become its own small project. It's entirely possible to care about saving the city and also care about how the city looks behind you while you're doing it.
Those additions are valuable when they support your interests. They needn't become obligations merely because they're available. Players who prefer tightly directed adventures should consider how much surrounding activity they want, and anyone less enthusiastic about superhero drama should remember that movement isn't the whole package. The appeal comes from the combination of traversal and character stakes. Looking magnificent between missions is an excellent bonus, but it doesn't replace wanting to see what happens during them.
Check what your machine can actually swing
PS5 and Windows are the native platforms; there is no PS4 edition listed. PC is available through Steam and Epic and includes previously added features such as New Game Plus and expanded Photo Mode. Nixxes' PC options include ultrawide support, adjustable graphics, upscaling and ray tracing. A PlayStation Network account is optional for PC play. Match settings to the current hardware requirements rather than assuming every attractive graphics option should immediately be switched on.
Steam Deck is rated Playable, with graphics adjustments required; that is compatibility with the Windows game, not a native Linux release. Once the practical details fit, Spider-Man 2 is a compelling prospect for players drawn to expressive movement and a character-led superhero adventure. Choose it because both parts appeal. Then feel free to take a slightly unnecessary route to the next crisis. If you're going to have another difficult week as Spider-Man, you might as well appreciate the way there.
Sources
Information checked on 16 October 2026. Features, platform compatibility and editions can change.
- Steam: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 compatibility ↗Current Valve Deck rating is Playable; default graphics configuration requires adjustment.
- Valve: Steam Deck compatibility ratings ↗Playable category and Proton compatibility context.