The history of superhero video games is quite extensive. Starting with the first superhero to make an appearance in a video game, Superman in 1979's Atari 2600 titled "Superman." This game, despite its positive reviews, was largely forgotten due to the gaming industry crash that occurred a few years later.

In 1986, "Batman" from Ocean Software marked the first superhero game that is still fondly remembered. Based loosely on the 1989 film starring Michael Keaton, Batman: The Video Game was a popular 2D side-scroller. By the late 20th century, due to the success of Batman series games, the market experienced an explosion of superhero games.

Marvel and DC utilized this trend to create numerous superhero games, including "The Flash" and "Maximum Carnage," among others. Noteworthy was the cross-over game Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, a fighting game that gained popularity among avid gamers.

However, not all superhero games were successes. For example, Superman 64 for Nintendo 64, released in 1999, received heavy criticism due to its poor gameplay and design.

Into the 21st century, superhero games gained momentum with successful releases like Spider-Man in 2002 and Spider-Man 2 in 2004, both by Activision alongside the Spider-Man movies by Sam Raimi. The sequel game, with its open-world gameplay, stands out as a gem in the superhero game genre.

Despite a series of hit and miss licensed games such as Batman Begins and Iron Man, the superhero game genre regained its glory with Batman: Arkham Asylum, released in 2009 by Rocksteady Studios. The Arkham series, especially the subsequent Batman: Arkham City, is widely celebrated for its compelling narrative, immersive gameplay, and expansive open world.

Insomniac Games further elevated the superhero gaming experience with the Spider-Man series, released in 2018 for PlayStation 4. Combined with its sequel, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the franchise stands as one of PlayStation Studios' most successful series, with over 33 million copies sold. The next installment, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, is highly anticipated and set to release for PlayStation 5.

However, not all superhero games succeed, evidenced by Marvel’s Avengers, which led to an estimated loss of 60 million euros for publisher Square Enix. Despite this, the world of superhero games continues to expand, proving that immersing oneself in a virtual superhero world can be an exciting gaming experience.