10 Best Superhero Games (Not Based On Marvel or DC)

From movies to television, superheroes are have been dominating pop culture for years. Video games haven’t been immune to their influence either, with several amazing games like Marvel’s Spider-Man and the Arkham series garnering acclaim from both critics and players.

However, not all superhero video games are based on the properties of famous comics publishers. Though it can be harder to sell players on a new hero or world instead of one they’re already familiar with, the creative freedom granted by original properties has allowed game developers to explore a wide range of play styles and plots in superhero games.

Prototype

Prototype came in a bit under the radar due to its release’s proximity to the critically acclaimed Infamous, but the games are quite different apart from both featuring superpowered protagonists. Prototype‘s Alex Mercer resembles several of Marvel’s most powerful symbiotes, as the Blacklight Virus gives him the ability to shapeshift and form weapons with his malleable limbs. The game’s sequel switches to a new protagonist, James Heller, who wants revenge on Mercer for the death of his family during Mercer’s attempt to save New York in the original game.

City of Heroes

Despite the large number of MMOs that have been released since World of Warcraft defined the genre, only a select few have let players step into the shoes of a superhero or supervillain. While DC Universe Online is still going strong after more than a decade, it was the now-closed City of Heroes that best allowed players to live out their superpowered fantasies.

The original version featured only characters on the side of good, but the stand-alone City of Villains let players fight for evil, and the expansion Going Rogue opened to door to characters with flexible moral alignment.

Freedom Force

Freedom Force isn’t based on Marvel or DC Comics characters (despite Marvel having two teams of the same name), but the most famous superheroes in pop culture clearly inspire its heroes. Despite most games featuring superpowers being third-person action games, Freedom Force is instead a top-down tactical experience.

The game was a critical success and garnered several aways in 2002, and its sequel was also well-received (though it didn’t receive the same universal praise). In 2005, Image Comics transformed the series into a limited-run comic book that brought its design influences full-circle.

Saint Row IV

The Saint’s Row series started off as a grounded competitor of the Grand Theft Auto games, but they found greater critical and commercial success as later games carved their own niche in the realm of parody. While Saints Row the Third introduced absurd weapons and outfits, Saints Row IV went further away from realism by giving the gang actual superpowers. The majority of the game takes place in an alien-controlled computer simulation, and the varied bevy of powers are uploaded to the Saints to help them escape back to the real world.

Viewtiful Joe

Viewtiful Joe is every MCU fan’s dream. In the game, Joe is a huge superhero movie fan that is pulled into a movie world and transformed into the titular Viewtiful Joe by his favorite superhero. Joe uses various powers to fight enemy hordes and rescue his girlfriend from danger.

The game is a sidescrolling platformer that was critically acclaimed upon its release for having tight combat controls and a beautiful cell-shaded visual design. The game spawned several sequels and a manga series, though none came close to the popularity of the original.

Infamous

The first two games in the Infamous series and several expansion stories follow the development of courier Cole McGrath as he develops electric superpowers and must decide which role to take in a looming worldwide apocalypse. The third, Infamous: Second Son, shifts to a new protagonist. The three mainline games are sets in Empire City (New York), New Marais (New Orleans), and Seattle and let players interact with one of the best open-world cities in gaming.

Not only do the games let players branch into diverse powers based on Smoke, Neon, Video, Vampirism, and more, but players can also decide if they want to save the world or help destroy it.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

When South Park: The Stick of Truth was announced, most fans weren’t sure what to expect. While the South Park franchise is beloved by many, some feared that humor would replace solid role-playing mechanics. Luckily this wasn’t true, and the fantasy-parody game ended up being both hilarious and well-made. The sequel, South Park: The Fractured but Whole, ditched sword and sorcery and replaced them with superpowers. The result was another game that was both a comedic hit and a satisfying tactical experience for players looking for a bonafide squad-based RPG.

The Wonderful 101

Hideki Kamiya, the creator of the superhero game Viewtiful Joe, reteamed with Atsushi Inaba to create The Wonderful 101 for the Wii U. The game drops players into a massive war between Earth and an invading alien force, and survival depends on a group of superheroes called the Wonderful Ones. These heroes are capable of imbuing ordinary citizens with superpowers, and large swarms of these individuals work together to form large, multi-person objects and shapes capable of defeating the invaders. The original game uniquely required drawing these shapes on the Wii U touchscreen, but later ports have changed the input to a standard analog stick.

Overwatch

Very few multiplayer-only games feature deep lore or a compelling narrative, but Overwatch tells a decades-long story about the titular superhero team across the game, comics, and short films. Overwatch features several memorable characters embued with superpowers or fantastic weapons to maintain (or destroy) the world’s safety.

Also unique to Overwatch is the fact that the game takes place after the fall of the superhero team. The brilliant gorilla Winston is attempting to get the team back together, but it won’t be until the continuously-delayed Overwatch 2 that players get to see the entire squad officially back together.

Megaton Rainfall

Megaton Rainfall may have bit off a more daunting premise than it can reliably deliver on, but when it works, it’s one of the most epic superhero video games ever made. Instead of tasking players with protecting a city, Megaton Rainfall asks them to save the entire planet from alien invaders. The game’s visuals leave a bit to be desired, but the immense sense of scale and destructible environments are unparalleled. The game is presented in first-person, making it a successful experience on several virtual reality platforms.

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