The 19 Best X-Men Games, Ranked

• Metacritic Metascore/User Score: N/A

As the first X-Men game made specifically for Game Gear, X-Men delivers some simple side-scrolling beat 'em-up action to Sega's handheld in admirable launch title fashion. Fans will appreciate seeing Wolverine, Gambit, Cyclops, and other favorites in 16-bit format, but the shallow gameplay wears thin quickly even by early 90s standards. With basic attacks, repetitive gameplay, and unimpressive graphics, this cartoony adaptation salutes the X-Men adequately but fails to do justice to the mutants' mighty appeal. While a nice first effort, follow-up Game Gear titles X-Men: Gamemaster’s Legacy and X-Men: Mojo World built upon this foundation in more compelling ways.

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As a follow-up to the first X-Men game on Game Gear, X-Men: Gamesmaster's Legacy brings Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, and other X-Men back for an original adventure on the Sega Game Gear. Loosely based on the 1990s 'Legacy Virus' storylines, this sequel sees the X-Men battle against the evil mutant Gamesmaster and his twisted TV programming that threatens all mutants. While the gameplay feels repetitive with its simplistic side-scrolling action, fans will appreciate some nostalgic mutant action on the go.

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As the third X-Men Game Gear game, X-Men: Mojo World surprisingly emerges as the best of the bunch. Setting itself apart with stronger production values, Mojo World sees our heroes sucked into the twisted television dimension ruled by the villainous Mojo. The visuals and animations showcase the comic book tone well with vivid colors and effects. While the standard beat ‘em up stages continue feeling repetitive, the boss battles provide fun challenges requiring unique strategies. Add in a catchy soundtrack and a fun playable cameo from Shard Bishop, Bishop's obscure sister, X-Men: Mojo World ends the mutant Game Gear trilogy on a higher note than one would expect given its predecessors.

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As the third video game focused solely on Wolverine, X-Men: Wolverine's Rage finally gives fans the feral antihero experience we deserved at the time. Revolving around Logan's mysterious past that returns to haunt him, Rage builds intrigue through an original story free of previous film or comic book confines. While the basic gameplay still lacks complexity, it properly captures Wolverine's savage fighting style and lethal claw attacks for satisfying beast-like combat. With an appropriately moody soundtrack and solid visuals rounding things out, X-Men: Wolverine's Rage was the first good Wolverine-centric adaptation until the movie adaptation X2: Wolverine's Revenge came out several years later. 

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As the most recent video game to feature Marvel's mutants, Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past is a competent if unspectacular mobile game. Serving as a tie-in to the hit 2014 film, it translates the time-traveling plot reasonably well in addictive sideways-scrolling levels, allowing you to guide Wolverine, Shadowcat, and other X-Men across comic book settings by defeating foes, solving puzzles, and navigating quick time events. While basic in its touch controls and gameplay variety, this beat ‘em up adaptation marked a respectable send-off for the mutants as the last X-Men game entry in the past 10 years. 

• Metacritic Metascore: 47

While not the most polished X-Men video game experience, X-Men: Destiny deserves some credit for bringing acclaimed X-Men: Legacy comic book writer Mike Carey on board to pen its original story. In X-Men Destiny, you guide one of three new mutant recruits adjusting to their powers as they get embroiled in the escalating human/mutant conflict. Though the graphics felt somewhat last-gen at the time of its 2011 release and the mundane missions get repetitive, the game's complex plot and the concept of personalized mutant abilities showed promise. Overall, X-Men: Destiny lays down a respectable narrative foundation that sadly isn't supported by its lackluster gameplay and visual presentation.

• Metacritic Metascore: 52

Serving as an official tie-in bridge between X-Men: The Last Stand and X2,  X-Men: The Official Game had cinematic aspirations but mixed execution. The original story from scriptwriter Zak Penn, who was also a writer on The Last Stand, as well as longtime X-Men comic book writer Christ Claremont, gives the game additional heft, with Wolverine, Iceman, and Nightcrawler taking lead roles against classic foes like Sabretooth, Pyro, and Mastermold across recognizable X-Men locations. While benefiting from the movies' strong production values and voxel-based graphics, the action suffers from repetitive combat, uninspired level design, and occasional glitches. For fans seeking another dose of 2000s-era mutant heroics straight from the silver screen, The Official Game mostly delivers despite feeling a bit rushed. View it as the playable coda to your DVD boxset experience.

• Metacritic Metascore: 58

X2: Wolverine’s Revenge followed the comics by centering everyone’s favorite gruff mutant in his own difficult action-stealth outing. Inspired mechanics-wise by Metal Gear Solid, sneaking and strategy were required to infiltrate secret facilities as Logan uncovered a conspiracy tied to his mysterious past. The complex fighting emphasizes Wolverine’s brutality with satisfying dismemberment effects. However, some tedious objectives, clunky platforming, and sadistic boss fights tested players' adamantium limits. Still, channeling his inner Solid Snake made this solitary X-Men adventure stand out, especially given that Mark Hamill is behind the growl, even if most had their fill well before the final credits.

• Metacritic Metascore: 61

X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse stands out as a quality action game for its era, letting comic fans finally control a small roster of mutant heroes. As the X-Men confront the world-conquering Apocalypse, players experience well-crafted side-scrolling levels and boss fights. The combat mechanics feel satisfying, especially when unleashing character-specific abilities. Add in smooth animation, great voice acting, and link cable support for two-player co-op and competitive modes, and Reign of Apocalypse gets the X-Men game treatment right on Game Boy Advance. This challenging beat ‘em up provides plenty of bang for your buck through its epic comic book campaign exploring the alternative Apocolypse timeline or by teaming up with fellow mutants.

• Metacritic Metascore: 61

Originally conceived as X-Men: Mutant Academy 3, X-Men: Next Dimension directly continues the fighter pedigree of its predecessors as a full-fledged 3D sequel. Patrick Stewart reprises his movie role to narrate events set after the classic "Operation: Zero Tolerance" comic crossover and the game allows you to finally battle as more obscure mutants like Lady Deathstrike, Forge, Havok, and Bastion, across fully interactive 3D environments. While the controls could occasionally prove stiff, seeing a huge roster of characters realized with complete graphical overhauls and signature powers was a great experience on the PS2 in 2002. For those seeking a nostalgic bridge to modern X-Men versus glory, this one's worth digging up.

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As one of the biggest X-Men adventures of its era, Mutant Apocalypse gave Marvel's mutant heroes their ambitious due on the Super Nintendo. This side-scrolling action platformer makes great use of the console’s graphical capabilities by bringing iconic locations like "Genosha" and "Asteroid M" to life. Fans can assemble their dream team across the extensive roster and then battle iconic baddies like Magneto and Omega Red through lengthy levels demanding equal parts reflexes and mutant mastery. Some cheap enemy placement causes frustration and the celebrated art style won’t impress today. With tight controls, big set pieces, and great music, X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse proved a 16-bit labor of comic book love, setting the bar for early 90’s X-gaming and making it still worth revisiting today.

• Metacritic Metascore: 75

As a PS1 fighter, the console version of X-Men: Mutant Academy still delivers a fun, if heavily Street Fighter-inspired mutant brawling experience. The 3D visuals have aged well, capturing the mutants’ comic flair through signature moves tailored to classic favorites like Wolverine, Cyclops, and Storm, as well as hard-hitting bad guys like Magneto, Mystique, and Sabertooth. Though casual players may find the controls complex, veterans can enjoy testing skills against friends or the computer. However, the Game Boy Color port fails to impress, even by handheld fighting standards of the time. The choppy graphics, weak audio, and limited roster make the Game Boy Color Mutant Academy version better left forgotten. So stick to the PS1 edition for some nostalgic 1990s X-Men versus action if looking to revisit this X-title.

• Metacritic Metascore: 72

Improving upon its predecessor in every way, X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 remains one of the most fun and inviting fighting games starring Marvel’s mutants. Fluid animations exemplified the game's next-gen visuals in 2001 while new characters like Magneto and Mystique joined familiar "X-Faces" to deliver mutant mayhem. Underneath the easy pick-up-and-play exterior lies a surprising technical depth for veterans to master. Creatively themed stages like Asteroid M and plenty of nods to X-Men lore round out the game's inclusive and deep package. Accessible to novices but with enough complexity for dedicated players, Mutant Academy 2 struck the perfect balance for a fighting game in its era and remains an inviting portal into the competitive genre.

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As one of the most iconic arcade cabinet experiences ever, the original X-Men coin-op machine defined many a childhood spent at bowling alleys and pizza parlors in the early 90s. Its simple yet satisfying side-scrolling beat ‘em up action lets up to six players smash through endless hordes of "Sentinels" and mutant menaces as their favorite mutants. Alongside contemporaries like TMNT and The Simpsons games, X-Men attracted legions of fans to its simultaneous, quarter-draining gameplay. Thanks to its popularity, the comic book brawler saw digital re-releases on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2010, plus iOS and Android, introducing modern gamers to arcade cooperative play at its finest. For those who came of age in the early 90s, few arcade memories remain as treasured or widely shared as uniting with friends to save the mutant race.

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As the first Marvel licensed fighter from legendary developer Capcom, X-Men: Children of the Atom brought comic book chaos to the arcade perfectly timed alongside the 1990s animated series phenomenon. Fans finally could control the mutant heroes and villains they watched each Saturday morning, with Cyclops, Wolverine, Magneto, Omega Red, Juggernaut, and more realized in fluid 2D glory and complemented by the iconic voices reprised from the beloved show. With familiar locations like the "Danger Room" and cameos from the wider Capcom universe like Akuma, Children of the Atom welcomed novice arcade fighters through its doors for tag team friction and set the benchmark for superhero fighters like Marvel vs. Capcom. 

• Metacritic Metascore: 75

Voiced by Hugh Jackman and riding high off the film's release, X-Men Origins: Wolverine finally unleashed everyone’s favorite mutant in satisfyingly savage hack ‘n slash fashion. The combo-based gameplay takes cues from God of War but still captures Logan’s berserker rage well from the start. Though the final product felt noticeably rushed in parts, the visceral dismemberment system and Jackman’s performance helped anchor the experience. Thankfully, the Uncaged Edition provides further blood and gore missing initially to truly sell Wolverine’s lethal abilities. Still, some repetitive encounters and bland environments hamper things from achieving greatness. However, this marked a long-overdue step towards realizing Wolverine's video game potential, which will next be seen in Insomniac Games' Wolverine, and notably outshines the mediocre film it is based on.

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Though often overlooked today in favor of its more grandiose Marvel vs Capcom sequels, X-Men vs. Street Fighter deserves recognition for kicking off this comic book crossover clash in style back in 1996. Bringing X-regulars like Wolverine and Cyclops face to face with Ryu, Chun-Li, and other Street Fighter mainstays for the first time made for an instantly irresistible package. The 2D sprite visuals pop with color and energy while retaining the tight controls the genre was known for. Fans can duke it out in tag team bouts or tackle arcade mode for an ambitious narrative complete with original cutscenes. Blending these symbols of 90s gaming culture so seamlessly across fun modes and dynamic gameplay makes X-Men vs Street Fighter an innovative genre trailblazer that still has appeal today.

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X-Men Legends finally realized the open-world action RPG potential of Marvel’s mutants with strong production values and an original storyline centered around new mutant recruit Alison Crestmere. Players controlled a satisfyingly diverse dream team of X-Men and Brotherhood members alike as they uncovered sinister experiments on Marvel’s powered population. Patrick Stewart himself voices Professor X while other familiar acting talents from previous animated outings reprise fan-favorite heroes and villains for authenticity.

Though not set in any particular comic universe, Legends cherry-picked the most engaging character interpretations across Marvel lore into one satisfying adventure. The fusion of RPG mechanics with squad-based combat remains fun today, especially when unleashing screen-filling destruction as your customized Omega-level warrior teams. X-Men Legends marked a pivotal leap ahead for comic book games and the beginnings of a legendary franchise in its own right.

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As the apex of not just X-Men gaming but superhero action RPGs period, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse handily trumps the middling Marvel: Ultimate Alliance trilogy. Iconic locations, deep RPG customization, satisfying power combos, mammoth boss battles, and an epic storyline centered on the legendary villain Apocalypse outclass nearly every comic adaptation around. Whether playing single-player or cooperatively rampaging through Egypt as Wolverine, Storm, Magneto, and company, Legends II immerses fans in interactive comic lore like never before.

Easily eclipsing the dismal X-Men: Apocalypse film, this remains the ultimate video game realization of the Apocalypse storyline and sets the gold standard for bringing comic mythos successfully to consoles. Every upcoming X-Men action RPG adventure experience should continue building off this masterpiece’s legacy.