Top 4 Superman Games That Make You Feel Like the Real Superhero

In this top-down action RPG, teams of DC superheroes join forces to go on missions and fight their way through linear levels. Superman is obviously a playable character, complete with his super strength and heat vision, but he can only perform limited-flight dashes.

As far as co-op games are concerned, this game really poured it on in a fun way that was overall well-received. It may not have reached the pinnacle of success that Marvel: Ultimate Alliance did, but it pleased DC fans nonetheless. If you’re a Superman fan and you have friends who like other DC characters—such as Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, or the Flash—partner up and you’ll get to live out your DC Comics superhero dreams.

Injustice 2 (2017)

Mortal Kombat developers NetherRealm Studios took their fighting game engine and transformed it into a 2.5D fighting game based around DC superheroes and villains. The result was a dark, gritty, and violent fight fest that enjoyed a good amount of time in the limelight. Both fighting game fans and DC fans played the game and helped it reach center stage at big tournaments over the years.

For Superman fans, you get to experience the best, most total control over Superman and his powers while testing your skills head-to-head against AI or human-controlled opponents. You’ll get to freeze opponents with your breath (or blow them away), fire eye beams at different angles, launch opponents up and juggle them, and perform bursting flight attacks. It’s a different experience than playing through a story and interacting with different levels and enemies, but it’s the most pure way to play Superman. Besides the first Injustice game, there’s also a fun arcade version that streamlines the game for easy play and gives out character trading cards.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be Superman and battle mighty opponents, Injustice is your best bet.

Superman: Shadow of Apokolips (2002)

Unfortunately, this game is the last solo Superman game that focuses on the Boy Scout. It’s a third-person action-adventure game set in a 3D world, which was exciting and promised a mix of the Man of Steel’s superpowers and puzzles to solve. Based on the popular animated series of the time, fans appreciated the cel-shaded graphics that made players feel like they were almost playing inside the animated show, alongside the great voice acting.

Overall, most Superman fans agree that this is a better-than-average game, even though the levels felt too linear and repetitive. On the plus side, there are plenty of waves of enemies to fight and lots of flying to be done. That sounds like the perfect “day-in-the-life” experience of Superman.

So, be sure to check this one out, especially if you enjoy DC animated shows, and you’ll get to live or relive that excitement as you play Superman.

The Death and Return of Superman (1994)

This is the one surviving game from this era that’s worth playing. Surprisingly, The Death and Return of Superman is a beat ‘em up that was developed by none other than Blizzard Entertainment and published by Sunsoft. This title is directly based on the monumental comic event of the ’90s that saw Superman killed by his most powerful enemy, Doomsday. Subsequently, new Supermen rose to take his place until the eventual return of Clark Kent.

You play as Superman, Superboy, Steel, the Eradicator, and Cyborg Superman. The game stands out for closely adapting a modern comic book arc, with comic-style cutscenes and a darker tone than most superhero games of its time. Flying shooter segments break up the brawling, and each Superman has a unique special move. It’s considered a cult classic—praised for its faithfulness to the source material but criticized for repetitive gameplay and the lack of a co-op mode.

This is a must-play game for Superman fans, either to understand the ’90s storyline or relive the nostalgia. As you can see, they’re all on console, and in case you’re interested, there are some PC-only games that need to come to consoles. One a similar note, Superman has received the movie adaptation treatment, but there some other video games that need a movie or TV series adaptation.

Surprisingly, there have been no solo Superman games in decades…maybe because Clark Kent’s real superpower is staying hidden under the radar.