2026 has begun, and with January being a fairly slow month in terms of new releases, gamers may be eager to dive into their backlogs. With so many memorable games coming out over the last few years, and subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus opening up access to hundreds of titles at any given time, said backlogs are likely to be massive. However, while whittling away at a mountain of games is a productive way to kick off the year, replaying favorites can be just as enjoyable. And when it comes to replays, the Marvel’s Spider-Man series deserves to be at the top of many lists.
There are numerous surface-level reasons to replay the Marvel’s Spider-Man games. Perhaps the most obvious is that they’re excellent superhero fare, with immensely satisfying combat and traversal alongside some enjoyable stories and entertaining dialogue. Visually, they remain top-tier, and players can spend hours getting lost in photo mode. New game plus modes make it even easier to jump back into the fun, as players can mess around with all the costumes that they unlocked during their original playthroughs. However, alongside the Marvel’s Spider-Man series being consistently good and highly replayable, there are a few specific reasons that 2026 is the ideal year for a revisit: Marvel’s Wolverine, TASM issue #1000, and Brand New Day.
Reason 1: 2026 is a Monumental Year For the Wall-Crawler
While Spider-Man is like Batman in the sense that he’s enduringly popular and is always receiving plenty of content, 2026 has two particularly important releases on the way. First, there’s issue #1,000 of Amazing Spider-Man, a jaw-dropping milestone that few comics ever reach. What story this celebratory issue will tell is anyone’s guess, but Marvel has already been building up to it with some special covers in 2025. Even if it doesn’t make fans’ wishes come true and retcon One More Day, bringing MJ and Peter back together for good, it’s a monumental event and will surely sell extremely well.
While celebrating 1,000 issues of Amazing Spider-Man would already have many in the mood to play as Marvel’s friendly neighborhood hero, the hype will only increase thanks to the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The fourth Tom Holland Spider-Man film drops on July 31 and will feature both The Hulk and The Punisher, with top-notch action expected thanks to director Dustin Daniel Cretton’s experience working on Shang-Chi. Like the other MCU Spider-Man films, this movie can be expected to be a huge success, and the buzz after watching it will likely have fans wanting more content featuring the webslinger as soon as they can get it. Another season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in 2026 is just icing on the cake.
Whether fans prefer to read about Spidey or watch him fight crime, 2026 has them covered. And for gamers, there may not be any new releases, but fortunately they have a brilliant group of games from Insomniac to replay. Much like gamers will regularly revisit the Arkham series, which clearly inspired certain aspects of Marvel’s Spider-Man, Insomniac’s games are worth going back to. Not only do they offer some of the best takes on Peter Parker and Miles Morales, but players can battle a large chunk of the Spider-Man rogues’ gallery, including Tombstone and Scorpion — villains that will feature in Brand New Day. Regardless of whether Spider-Man fans want to kick off 2026 by playing the games to build hype for issue #1,000 and the next Tom Holland Spidey film, or re-download the games after the release of those major projects, this year is an ideal time for a replay.
While Brand New Day will feature the suit from the final swing in No Way Home, there’s always a chance that another costume appears in the film. If it does, a free update that makes it an alternate suit in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is likely, as Insomniac has done this in the past with other MCU costumes.
Reason 2: A Great Way to Set the Stage for Marvel’s Wolverine
While getting in the mood for Spidey’s most eventful year in a while would be a good enough motivator for replaying the Marvel’s Spider-Man games, there’s another reason why 2026 is a particularly good year for a revisit: Marvel’s Wolverine. Following the devastating Insomniac Games leak that slowed down the studio, Marvel’s Wolverine is finally launching in 2026. The violent, M-rated game will differ heavily from Spider-Man, as it trades out an open-world for a globe-trotting adventure focuses on Weapon X. Players can expect to see several of Logan’s rivals, including Mystique and Omega Red, while a brutal combat system that looks more comparable to God of War than Arkham should help the game stand out.
However, while there are some clear differences between these properties, there’s an important thing in common between Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Wolverine: they share a universe. Sure, there may not be a big cameo from Peter or Miles in Marvel’s Wolverine (unless it was crafted after the Insomniac leak), but there could be plenty of fun world-building for Earth-1048. If Wolverine sets up The Hand, then those ninjas could be fair game for Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 or an eventual Daredevil game. Similarly, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 teasing Doctor Strange’s existence means magic is present in Marvel’s Wolverine’s version of the Marvel universe, too. Outside of Wolverine potentially planting seeds for future Insomniac Marvel content, small nods to Spidey’s activities could be snuck in via radio or newspapers. Refreshing oneself on everything that happened in those games is a great way to make sure nothing neat is missed when playing through Marvel’s Wolverine.
PS Plus Extra offers access to Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Miles Morales. If players are subscribed to Extra, only Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has to be purchased.
The Best Reason: The Marvel’s Spider-Man Games Are Tremendous
As always, the best reason to replay a great game is because it’s so great. Sure, seeing Miles Morales go from civilian to hero, or Peter Parker make a terrible sacrifice at the end of the first game, are moments that may not hit as hard as it did when players didn’t know what was coming next, but they remain great even if they’re predictable. Top-notch acting elevates sequences like the Symbiote hijacking Peter’s body in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, while all the gadgets on offer keep combat and stealth fresh. On another playthrough, players may pick up on quips they missed the first time around, gain a new appreciation for side stories, or simply have a blast swinging through the city as fast as possible with all the movement upgrades acquired.
While issue #1,000, Brand New Day, and a new Insomniac Marvel game are all extra incentives to go back through the Marvel’s Spider-Man series, the games themselves are the best incentive. Whether players are unleashing symbiote powers, snapping pictures like a Daily Bugle photographer, or building up the biggest combo they can, playing Marvel’s Spider-Man is a surefire way to make any Marvel fan’s 2026 a bit better.
