Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a 2023 action-adventure game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, and features a narrative inspired by its long-running comic book mythology which is also derived from various adaptations in other media. It is the third entry in the Marvel's Spider-Man series, acting as a sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man (2018) and a follow-up to Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020). The plot follows Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they come into conflict with Kraven the Hunter, who transforms New York City into a hunting ground for super-powered individuals; and the extraterrestrial Venom symbiote, which bonds itself to Peter and negatively influences him, threatening to destroy his personal relationships.
The gameplay builds on the foundation established by its predecessors, with an emphasis on the multiple play styles offered by Peter Parker and Miles Morales as Spider-Men. The game expands on their existing traversal and combat abilities, including new web-based gadgets and suits that can be unlocked through progressing in the story. It also introduces the former Spider-Man's symbiote suit, granting Parker unique abilities from his previous playable appearance. As with the prior games, content outside the main story consists of completing side-missions and obtaining collectibles dispersed throughout the game's open world, with the player able to switch between Parker and Morales to complete dedicated objectives for each of them and each with their own unique abilities.
Discussions regarding a proper sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man began during the game's development, with open story threads for future titles being teased across both it and Miles Morales. The game was announced in September 2021. Creative director Bryan Intihar, game director Ryan Smith, narrative lead Jon Paquette and art director Jacinda Chew from Insomniac Games respectively reprise their duties from prior entries, while Yuri Lowenthal, Nadji Jeter and Laura Bailey return to headline the game's voice cast, which comprises other returning actors and characters from the previous games. Jim Pirri and Tony Todd join the cast as the voices of Kraven and Venom, respectively.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was released for the PlayStation 5 on October 20, 2023, and was ported to Windows by Nixxes Software on January 30, 2025. The game received universal acclaim, with praise directed towards its narrative, characterization, and gameplay, although its writing received some criticism. It was nominated for numerous end-of-year accolades, and won in six categories at the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, including Action Game of the Year. The game was also included in many lists of the best games of 2023. The game sold over 2.5 million units in 24 hours and over five million in 11 days, becoming the best selling game on the console in addition to PlayStation's fastest selling first-party title. The game has sold over 11 million units as of April 20, 2024. Gameplay
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is an action-adventure single-player video game played from a third-person perspective. As with the first game Peter Parker and Miles Morales are the two main characters, with Mary Jane and Venom playable in certain missions, becoming individually playable in accordance with the story as they traverse an open world New York City and fight enemies. Players can acquire new abilities and collect various Spider-Man suits. Peter and Miles can be freely swapped between at any point during free-roam in the game's open world, and have dedicated missions both in the main story and as part of side content that takes advantage of their individual traits. The game expands upon the prior entries' open world, allowing players to explore Brooklyn and Queens in addition to Manhattan, which was the main setting of the previous two games.
Building on the combat system of the previous titles, both Spider-Men are able to parry physical attacks, as certain enemy types are impervious to dodging. During traversal, both Peter and Miles' new suits come equipped with Web Wings, which, when deployed, allow them to glide across the city, with their speed and distance covered increasing when taking advantage of areas such as wind tunnels. Each Spider-Man's gadget wheel has been upgraded with additional equippable mods for their web-shooters, such as being able to cast a Web Line across pillars for additional footing during stealth sequences suspended above enemies, and the Web Grabber, allowing multiple enemies to be pulled into an isolated spot for Stealth Takedowns, which can be performed on two enemies at once. In addition to Peter Parker's standard gameplay, he is playable when bonded to the Venom symbiote, granting him tendrils that he can use in combat and unique web-based abilities. Both Spider-Men have individual Skill Trees with additional unlockable abilities for both of them once they accumulate enough Skill Points in accordance with their experience level, as well as a third Skill Tree dedicated to shared abilities between them.
Synopsis Characters and setting
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set 10 months after the events of Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020). As with previous installments in the series, it features a large ensemble cast of various characters derived from the history of Spider-Man comics and other media. The game follows Peter Parker (Yuri Lowenthal) and Miles Morales (Nadji Jeter), who both became the superhero Spider-Man after gaining superhuman abilities upon being bitten by genetically modified spiders. Peter serves as a mentor to Miles, who gained his superpowers during the events of the first game, though he struggles with balancing his personal life and duties as the city's protector. They are supported by several allies: Daily Bugle reporter and Peter's girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (Laura Bailey); Miles' classmate and tech guru Ganke Lee (Griffin Puatu); city councilwoman and Miles' mother Rio (Jacqueline Piñol); deaf street artist Hailey Cooper (Natasha Ofili); and Miles' estranged uncle Aaron Davis (Ike Amadi), who previously operated as the Prowler.
Other characters in the game include former New York mayor and Oscorp CEO Norman Osborn (Mark Rolston) and his son, Peter and Mary Jane's best friend Harry Osborn (Graham Phillips), who suffers from a neurological disease inherited from his mother, Emily; Yuri Watanabe (Tara Platt), a disgraced former police captain and ally of Peter who has assumed the vigilante identity of "Wraith" following the events of The City That Never Sleeps; J. Jonah Jameson (Darin De Paul), the Daily Bugles chief editor and Mary Jane's boss; Danika Hart (Ashly Burch), host of the "Danikast" podcast; Peter's deceased aunt, May (Nancy Linari), who is featured in a flashback; and Miles' late father, Officer Jefferson Davis (Russell Richardson), who appears in a dream sequence.
Throughout the city, the two Spider-Men are faced with several supervillains such as Venom (Tony Todd), an extraterrestrial symbiote capable of bonding to human bodies and granting regenerative powers while negatively influencing their behavior; Sergei Kravinoff / Kraven the Hunter (Jim Pirri), the leader of a faction of mercenaries called the "Hunters" who seek to hunt super-powered beings; and Cletus Kasady (Chad Doreck), also known as "The Flame", the head of a nihilistic cult who seeks to perform a demonic ritual to bring about an eschatological event dubbed the "Crimson Hour". Returning villains from the first game include Martin Li / Mister Negative (Stephen Oyoung), Mac Gargan / Scorpion (Jason Spisak), Lonnie Lincoln / Tombstone (Corey Jones), and Felicia Hardy / Black Cat (Erica Lindbeck). Additional antagonists who were referenced in prior entries make full appearances in Spider-Man 2, including Flint Marko / Sandman (Leandro Cano), a lowly burglar who, through an accident, gained the ability to turn into molecules of sand and manipulate them at will; Curt Connors / Lizard (Mark Whitten), an Oscorp scientist who transformed into a giant reptilian creature; Dmitri Smerdyakov / Chameleon (Jim Pirri), a criminal master of disguises and Kraven's half-brother; and Quentin Beck / Mysterio (Noshir Dalal), a visual effects artist and reformed criminal who became the head developer of a virtual reality entertainment attraction called "Mysterium". Furthermore, Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus (William Salyers), who is incarcerated in the Raft after the events of the first game, appears in a mid-credits scene.
The character Cindy Moon makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the game's post-credits scene, along with her father Albert Moon (Tom Choi). The character Delilah, a skilled assassin who serves as the bartender at the Bar with No Name in an alternate universe, makes a cameo appearance during "The Message" side-quest. This version of the character was originally intended to appear in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) before her scene was cut from the final film.
Plot 10 months after the events of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Peter Parker starts his first day as a physics teacher at Brooklyn Visions Academy with Miles Morales among his students, but they are interrupted by a rampaging Sandman, requiring both Spider-Men to subdue him. Fired for abandoning his class, Peter returns to his Aunt May's home in Queens (which he has moved into following her death) to meet with Mary Jane. They are surprised by their friend Harry Osborn, who has seemingly made a full recovery from a terminal illness. Harry invites Peter to work at his environmental technology startup, the Emily-May Foundation, so they can pursue Harry's dream of "healing the world". Concurrently, Kraven arrives in New York with his army of Hunters.
While overseeing a prison transfer with Peter at the Raft, a vengeful Miles fails to stop the Hunters from capturing Martin Li, who is responsible for the death of Miles' father Jefferson Davis. Investigating Kraven, Peter discovers he is hunting super-powered individuals in search of an "equal". Having already killed Scorpion, Vulture, Shocker, and Electro, Kraven attempts to capture Black Cat; however, Miles helps her escape to Paris by using the mystical Wand of Watoomb.
Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry visit Coney Island to reconnect. While there, the Hunters attack the park to capture a reformed Tombstone; as Peter rescues civilians, he is assisted by a super-powered Harry, who in turn learns Peter is Spider-Man. Harry reveals that, on his father's insistence, he was cured by Curt Connors via a powerful organic exosuit that physically augments his body. With the exosuit's powers rapidly developing, Harry helps Peter rescue Tombstone from the Hunters, while Mary Jane discovers that Kraven has also kidnapped Connors. The trio attempt to save Connors, but Kraven forcibly transforms him into the Lizard, steals a vial of the Lizard serum, and mortally wounds Peter. Moments before Peter's death, the exosuit transfers itself from Harry to Peter's body, saving his life. After Peter viciously defeats the Hunters with his newly enhanced powers, Kraven develops an interest in hunting Peter personally.