I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: it’s been far too long since we had a great X-Men game. The Marvel mutants have had central roles in bigger team-based games like Marvel Rivals. But it’s been many years since we’ve seen them take center stage. If you consider Insomniac’s Marvel’s Wolverine, we may finally be getting to step into the world of the X-Men again soon. Until it comes out, however, it’s hard to say whether it will earn a place among the best X-Men games in history. And it’s up against some steep competition.
The X-Men have been the stars of many video games throughout the years. From arcade beat ’em ups to more in-depth action games and beyond, there’s no shortage of options for stepping into the shoes of your favorite mutant. But not all of these games have stood the test of time. Whether you’re looking for your next video game or just in the mood for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, let’s revisit the best X-Men video games ever made. To get my ranking, I’m taking into account both critical and fan reception, along with how fondly the games are still remembered years later.
5) X-Men (Sega Genesis)
This 1993 action platformer was among the first X-Men games to release for home consoles. It was developed by Sega and released exclusively on the Sega Genesis, where it has remained without modern ports or remasters ever since. The game is notoriously difficult, with tricky enemy placement and some near-impossible boss battles. And yet, it is fondly remembered by X-Men fans as an early example of a fun, if tough, action game featuring our beloved mutants.
Despite its difficulty, the Sega Genesis X-Men offers a nostalgic treat for X-Men fans. You can play as Cyclops, Gambit, Nightcrawler, or Wolverine, a delight for fans eager to step into the shoes of their favorite characters from the series. For its time, the game offered decent graphics and sound, bringing the X-Men to life in a way prior games hadn’t managed. Therefore, even if it’s tough to the point of being unfair, X-Men earns a place among the best X-Men games in history.
3) X-Men: Mutant Academy
One of two highly-rated movie tie-ins on our list is X-Men: Mutant Academy. This fighting game released for the original PlayStation and for Game Boy Color as a tie-in for the 2000 movie, X-Men. It is one of the earliest 3D X-Men games, but otherwise largely plays like a standard 2D fighter. The Game Boy version was 2D and fairly limited due to the handheld’s software, but the PS1 edition is fondly remembered by many X-Men fans of a certain age. While a bit too similar to what came before, the PS1 version and its sequels are still among the better offerings out there.
With pretty decent graphics for its time, where Mutant Academy really shines is its roster. The game has a roster of 9 playable characters, along with a few console-exclusive options. Characters have both their comic book and movie costumes available. For X-Men fans who grew up in the PS1 era, this game remains a classic full of nostalgic goodness and pretty solid, if slightly derivative, gameplay.
2) X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Oddly enough, one of the worst X-Men movies delivered one of the best movie tie-in games of all time, and one of the best X-Men games in general. Though X-Men: Origins was a confusing mess that threw longtime X-Men lore out the window, the game of the same name was surprisingly solid. This is partly because the developers chose to weave the film’s story with their own plot, which draws much more heavily from the comics. But that’s not the only reason X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a solid entry in video game history.
Despite being a movie tie-in, X-Men Origins: Wolverine delivered solid action gameplay that doesn’t shy away from the gritty realities of Logan’s powers. The game features variety, fast-paced combat, and plenty of opportunities to use the landscape to your advantage. As you gain experience, you unlock new abilities, giving the game a satisfying sense of progression. Though critics were a bit hard on the game, it landed well with fans, particularly the more violent Uncaged Edition. To date, this is one of the best Wolverine games out there. Only time will tell if Insomniac’s Marvel’s Wolverine will top it.
2) X-Men vs. Street Fighter
Capcom’s first fighting game using the X-Men was 1994’s X-Men: Children of the Atom. And while that game is remembered fondly by fans, it was also notoriously difficult. Later arcade fighting games starring the X-Men improved on the mechanics and balanced the difficulty more effectively. And that earns the 1996 crossover X-Men vs. Street Fighter a slot on our list of the best X-Men games of all time. This was the third installment in Capcom’s series of X-Men arcade fighters. And while yes, it’s also technically a Street Fighter game, it’s still an X-Men game.
X-Men vs. Street Fighter doesn’t suffer from the difficulty issues of Children of the Atom, and it improves on the fast-paced battle mechanics. It’s got solid arcade graphics and fun tag-team combat, leaving many X-Men fans to rank it among their favorites. You may well be able to find the arcade version out in the wild, but X-Men vs. Street Fighter also got a home release for PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. It’s now fairly easy to revisit thanks to its inclusion in the 2024 multi-platform release of Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics.
1) X-Men: Legends
Few fans would argue that the Legends games are the absolute top-tier X-Men experience. The only real debate is whether to give X-Men: Legends or X-Men: Legends 2 the top slot. The sequel does improve upon the original in many ways, but I’m going with the OG here because both games are well worth revisiting, so why not start with the first? X-Men: Legends released in 2004, hitting the GameCube, PS2, and Xbox simultaneously. And this ActiVision title, along with its sequel, remain the best X-Men games we’ve ever had.
X-Men: Legends is an action RPG with team-based real-time combat. You choose from a cast of 15 playable characters, one of the biggest rosters in standalone X-Men game history. And as you play through the game’s story, you’ll be able to unlock new powers for your X-Men, giving it a satisfying sense of progression. The cel-shading art style makes it feel like stepping into a comic book, made all the more immersive thanks to the RPG elements. Playing Legends really felt like becoming one of the X-Men, and the sequel delivered this same feeling. Alas, we never got an X-Men: Legends 3, which is frankly criminal.
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