Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is almost here! The legendary franchise returns on July 11 (or 10, depending upon where you are in the world and what platform you’re playing) with everything you loved, only this time expect more skaters, new parks, gnarlier tricks, eardrum shattering music, plus a whole lot more.
While most people will be able to play from midnight local time this coming Friday, July 11, those who bought the digital deluxe edition are able to jump in early from midnight their time on Tuesday, July 8 (although Steam and Battle.net users get a head start on their head start and can play from9pm on July 7).
We thought the long-anticipated remake was great, slapping it with a 8 and writing in the IGN’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 proves yet again the series’ over-the-top skateboarding formula is totally timeless, even if some of the changes to THPS4 miss the mark and the soundtrack has been fumbled.”
Activision is also running a Grind to 100 competition that rewards the fastest player to secure all in-game achievements with a set of real-life bespoke 24-carat gold skateboard trucks worth £100,000.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 global release times — early access for Deluxe Edition:
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
AEST (Sydney):
12.01am
BRT (São Paulo):
12.01am
BST (London):
12.01am
CEST (Berlin):
12.01am
EDT (New York):
12.01am
GST (Dubai):
12.01am
JST (Tokyo):
12.01am
PDT (Los Angeles):
12.01am
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 global release times — standard access, including Xbox Game Pass:
Friday, July 11, 2025
AEST (Sydney):
12.01am
BRT (São Paulo):
12.01am
BST (London):
12.01am
CEST (Berlin):
12.01am
EDT (New York):
12.01am
GST (Dubai):
12.01am
JST (Tokyo):
12.01am
PDT (Los Angeles):
12.01am
Please note: The UBI Connect release date is TBD at this time.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
With anticipation for Fallout Season 2, fans are wondering if Bethesda will capitalize on the smash hit Amazon show in a more significant way this time around.
Fallout Season 1 hit Prime Video in April 2024 and was an instant breakout hit. While the show’s popularity sparked a flood of new players across all Fallout games, Bethesda — and by extension parent company Microsoft — failed to make the most of it with, for example, the release of a new Fallout game.
That mention of “creative liberty” is a reference to the Fallout TV show’s canon status within the Fallout timeline, and the fact it takes place after all the existing Fallout games. While this has meant Fallout lore fans have analyzed the TV show to within an inch of its life, its creators were able to move on from what’s gone before and tell a brand new story. If a new post-Fallout 4 video game had come out at the same time, Bethesda and the TV showrunners would have faced a tricky job ensuring all their Fallout timeline ducks were in a row.
But will Microsoft and Bethesda fail to capitalize on Season 2 of the Fallout show? When it comes to Fallout 76, at least, it sounds like tie-in content is indeed planned.
Speaking to Variety, Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout 76 creative director Jon Rush said the development team is “always focused on the game,” but confirmed the two teams (TV show and video games) do talk to each other about “lining things up with the seasonal releases of the show.”
“I think a distinct trait of the Fallout 76 game is that we’re the furthest back in time,” he said. “And it’s kind of funny, because the show’s the furthest into the future. So there’s a lot of room where we don’t necessarily need to overlap. There are some things that we could overlap the stories, that could exist, but we largely try to keep those pretty simple.
“So the show is very effective storytelling, great storytelling, very Fallout, being made by folks that are big fans of the game and the series, and so are we. The two go together really well. So folks see the show and want more of that same kind of story, and they’re going to come into 76, they’re going to come into Fallout 4, or come into Fallout 3.
“Lining things up with the seasonal releases of the show, it’s stuff that we talk about all the time, and we do have plans for things here and there. I’m not going to go into detail on any of those now, but the two teams do talk to one another.”
So, we don’t know what exactly Bethesda is planning for the launch of Fallout Season 2, but we do know something is in the works for Fallout 76. There are still a lot of unanswered questions. For one, we don’t have a Fallout Season 2 release date yet. Could Bethesda have a new Fallout video game in the works to go alongside the show? There is about as much anticipation for a new Fallout game as there is for Fallout Season 2 — and the speculation to go along with it as remaster and remake rumors swirl.
“For other Fallout games in the future, you know, obviously I can’t talk about those right now, but I would say, sort of rushing through them, or we kind of need to get stuff out that is different than the work we’re doing in 76… we don’t feel like we need to rush any of that,” he said. “The Fallout TV show fills a certain niche in terms of the franchise and storytelling.”
Of course, a brand new Fallout game is coming down the pipe, with Howard confirming Fallout 5 is in the long-term plan, potentially after The Elder Scrolls 6 comes out. As for Fallout Season 2, it’s off to New Vegas, the setting of Obsidian’s much-loved Fallout: New Vegas.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
OG developer Studio Wildcard immediately distanced itself from the discussion, clarifying on social media that Ark: Aquatica was not being developed by its team. It also revealed Ark: Lost Colony, a new expansion for Ark: Survival Ascended that will lead into the sequel, although since missing its previously planned late 2024 release window, the future of Ark 2 remains unclear.
ARK: Aquatica introduces the first submerged ARK with above-water islands, “challenging players with new survival mechanics, extreme environmental hazards, a huge explorable map area, and unique gameplay elements”.
The underwater biome adds 21 new tameable creatures, 74 new Engrams — including seven tek Engrams — and underwater survival thanks to features like air pockets and propulsion vehicles.
“I am 200% sure that this update was created to kill all existing mods and plugins,” added another YouTube commenter.
ARK: Aquatic is in development by Studio Sirens to “commemorate the 10-year anniversary of ARK: Survival Evolved” and will be available exclusively on PC. A price has yet to be confirmed.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Nintendo will discontinue its Switch Game Vouchers scheme, which currently allows Nintendo Switch Online subscribers to buy Switch 1 games at a discount.
Detailing its plans in a lengthy FAQ page published today, the company said Switch Game Vouchers would be ditched as of January 30, 2026 — meaning fans still have six months should they still wish to buy more.
Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers were first introduced in 2019, and offer a flat purchase price for two Nintendo Switch games bought within a 12-month period. In the UK, this price is set at £84, meaning you pay an average of £42 for a game.
This typically represents an £8 saving per game from the standard £50 Switch game RRP — and an even greater saving on the select games that Nintendo prices at £60: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
And while Nintendo has not extended the scheme to Switch 2 games, fans have realised they can still use vouchers to buy the original, Switch 1 versions of games with paid Switch 2 upgrades, such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild, offering a cheaper method of obtaining those too.
For example, Switch 2 owners can currently buy a pair of Switch Game Vouchers and redeem them to play cross-generational games such as Metroid Prime: Beyond, or the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which is due for launch in October. Z-A is priced at the usual £50 for Switch 1, or £60 for its Switch 2 Edition. Buy it using a Game Voucher, and you can still get the £8 saving for Z-A’s Switch 1 edition, before simply paying the £10 upgrade fee to access the Switch 2 Edition.
As ever, Switch Game Vouchers must be redeemed within 12 months after purchase, though Nintendo has said that additional Switch titles will continue to be added to the Game Voucher catalogue throughout 2026.
Japanese developer Cygames published a list of rules for fans wanting to visit the real-life horses behind the characters in its anime racehorse-girl management game Umamusume: Pretty Derby, which got a long-awaited global release this June.
Yes, anime racehorse-girl management game, you heard that right. In the world of Umamusume: Pretty Derby, racehorses are reborn as cute anime girls, complete with equine ears and tails. The franchise started off in 2018 as an anime, followed by a Japan-only release of the mobile game in 2021. In the game, players can talk to, train and manage horse-girls like Special Week and Mejiro McQueen, sharing in their triumphs and losses. As a result, the Umamusume franchise has inspired a cult following, and apparently many fans have become interested in the real-life Japanese racehorses behind their favorite characters.
However, in their enthusiasm, it seems that some fans may have caused distress to their favorites and their owners in real life. As previously reported by Dexerto, Cygames shared guidelines for those who want to visit real-life racehorses in Japan, reminding people that you can’t just rock up to a ranch and that horses are easily startled by loud noises and camera flashes.
The 9-point guideline was created by the Racehorse’s Hometown Information Center. The first two points urge would-be visitors to check with the center for tour availability and to confirm tour times before visiting. The rules also remind visitors to follow the instructions of ranch staff at all times, to refrain from smoking on-site, and not to enter stables or pastures without permission. The rest of the rules are centered on the horses’ wellbeing — don’t make loud noises and refrain from touching, feeding or taking flash photography of the horses.
Developer Cygames has been fostering strong connections to the Japanese horse racing world — it often shows up alongside and provides support for racehorse-related exhibits at events in Japan, and has donated to the Retired Racehorse Association of Japan (source: Automaton). As part of promotions for the mobile game’s global, English-language release, Cygames looked stateside, partnering with the Kentucky Derby back in May and setting up a booth where people could play the demo of Umamusume Pretty Derby.
If you are interested in seeing what all the fuss is about, Umamusume: Pretty Derby is available now in English via Steam, Google Play, and the Apple App store. All three seasons of the anime are currently on Crunchyroll.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Subnautica 2 is officially delayed to 2026, publisher Krafton has confirmed to IGN. The news follows a report that claimed the delay may cost the development team a $250 million bonus.
Krafton, the Korean company behind smash hit battle royale PUBG, acquired the $500 million-valued Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds in October 2021. At the time, Krafton insisted Unknown Worlds would continue to operate as an independent outfit. Following its announcement, the hotly anticipated Subnautica 2 was set for an early access release later in 2025.
Cleveland subsequently revealed on Reddit that while he and his colleagues believed Subnautica 2 was “ready for early release… that decision is in Krafton’s hands.” Krafton issued a community update of its own, suggesting a delay was incoming.
Then, earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Subnautica 2 was delayed to 2026 — just months before it was due to pay a $250 million bonus to the development team. Bloomberg added that the delay was “against the wishes of the studio’s former leadership,” and that the $250 million bonus would have kicked in if Unknown Worlds hit certain revenue targets by the end of 2025. Without Subnautica 2 coming out this year, hitting those revenue targets is unlikely, and the bonus won’t be paid out.
Per Bloomberg:
Unknown Worlds’ leadership planned to share the additional money with all of the studio’s employees, which number around 100. Staff who were at the company at the time of the acquisition were told they were eligible for bonuses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to seven figures, the people said.
Now, Krafton has made Subnautica 2’s delay to 2026 official, but in a statement to IGN, it insisted the decision had nothing to do with “any contractual or financial considerations.” Instead, Krafton claimed, the delay was about responding to feedback from playtests, and delay talks were already under discussion before Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill were outed.
Here’s Krafton’s statement in full:
During playtests for Subnautica 2, we received valuable feedback from our community that reinforced our confidence in the game’s direction. At the same time, the feedback highlighted a few areas that could benefit from further refinement before release.
As community voices play a central role in how we shape our games, we’ve made the decision to give the development team more time to implement that feedback and deliver a more complete experience. As a result, Subnautica 2’s Early Access launch has been rescheduled for 2026.
This decision was based solely on our commitment to quality and to delivering the best possible experience for players. It was not influenced by any contractual or financial considerations. Additionally, the decision had already been under discussion prior to recent leadership changes at the studio.
For fans, the wait for Subnautica 2 goes on.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Both LEGO aficionados and Nintendo fans should check out this new deal that just popped up at Walmart. The imposing LEGO Super Mario The Mighty Bowser 71411 set is currently on sale for $219. As of this moment, this deal is exclusive to Walmart and doesn’t seem to be an official part of Prime Day (it’s still $270 on Amazon). The Mighty Bowser has been in production since October of 2022, so this set is expected to be retired within the next year.
20% Off the LEGO Super Mario The Mighty Bowser 71411
The Mighty Bowswer is still the largest LEGO x Nintendocollaboration with a total of 2,807 brick pieces. The finished build measures 16 inches wide and 12.5 inches tall. Kevin Wong built this actual set and loved it. It’s both scary and adorable at the same time. It treats adult LEGO builders to a challenging build with advanced techniques and yet it is also durable enough to be interacted with, without fear of limbs falling apart. It brings out the best of both LEGO and Nintendo. Kevin wrote that “It is as perfect a merging as one could have hoped for. Ideally, this would be the first in a series of ‘third path’ sets that will recreate the gameplay and characters from our childhoods. And not just for Mario either. What about Zelda? Or Metroid? Or Pokemon? The possibilities are endless.”
More LEGO Sets on Sale for Prime Day
Mighty Bowser isn’t the only set currently on sale for Amazon Prime Day. Check out these other adult-themed sets from Walmart, Amazon, and even the LEGO Shop, including the Milk Way Galaxy, the LEGO Technic BMW M 1000 RR Motorcycle or the LEGO Icons Land Rover Classic Defender 90, which is expected to be retired later this year.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Prime Day is still going on until this Friday, July 11, and there are countless great deals available in a wide variety of categories. There happens to be a significant amount of Legend of Zelda-related items in these sales, so I’ve gathered some of the best and put together a little Prime Day gift guide for that Zelda fan in your life. Amazon has everything from games, books, and apparel on sale, so Hyrule is your oyster.
Some of the Best Legend of Zelda Gifts to Grab During Prime Day
Legend of Zelda Video Games
Of course, the Legend of Zelda video games are the bread and butter, and we wouldn’t have any of these other snazzy gifts without them. While the discounts on these aren’t as steep as I’d like, it’s never a bad time to experience Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom for the first time. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the highest discounted of the bunch at 15% off, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy the classic top-down 2D style like I do.
Part of Prime Day is a buy 2, get 1 free promotion on dozens of physical media. A handful of Zelda books are included in this at a discount, so if you’ve had your eye on these, you can bundle and save for some great coffee table books. Of note, while the Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia is sitting at 55% off, it isn’t included in the buy 2, get 1 free sale like Hyrule Historia and Art & Artifacts.
Then you have the Legend of Zelda manga series, covering the stories from most of the games like Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time. Another odd selection of these is included in buy 2, get 1 free, but the box sets of the entire library of Zelda manga is still discounted for Prime Day. Check them out below.
Legend of Zelda Manga Box Sets
Buy 2 Legend of Zelda Books, Get 1 Free
The Legend of Zelda Animated Series
You’re likely familiar with the “well excuuuuuuse me, Princess” meme at this point. It originated in the incredibly cheesy and campy animated series from the 80’s. Luckily for us, the complete series on DVD is on sale during Prime Day and qualifies for the buy 2, get 1 free promotion. You can save an additional 10% off the already discounted 43% with the attached coupon.
The Legend of Zelda Apparel
We all love a good graphic tee, and the Legend of Zelda selection is pretty good. There are countless styles, sizes, and colors available and discounted for Prime Day, but here are some of my favorites. The Retro Kanji Link Portrait is an awesome recreation of the classic Link design and goes with any style. These are all 30% off, so if you’ve been looking to upgrade your wardrobe with awesome nerdy shirts Prime Day has you covered.
Other Great The Legend of Zelda Gifts
There are countless cool gifts to pick from, it really was hard to narrow down this list without making it too extensive. Below are some more of my favorite things I’d actually get for my home office, light the heart container light and the Majora’s Mask LED neon sign. The ceramic ocarina actually works and comes with a song book with music from the games, as well as an easy explainer for how to play it. These are going for between 20% to 42% off for certain items and make great additions to bookshelves, desks, what have you.
Elden Ring Nightreign has already rolled out three of its enhanced bosses, dubbed Everdark Sovereigns, since launch. And before the next ones arrive in the Lands Between, developer FromSoftware is bringing the original three back for some limited-time rematches.
The Everdark Sovereign versions of Gaping Jaw, Sentient Pest, and Darkdrift Knight will all be coming back in pairs over the next three weeks, starting tomorrow on July 10. Don’t worry, you won’t have to fight them both at the same time; this just seems like a way for players who missed the original runs of the monstrously enhanced Nightlords to get a second shot at them.
Per FromSoftware’s schedule, the Gaping Jaw and Darkdrift Knight will be the first duo up. Here’s the full schedule:
July 10 – 17: Gaping Jaw, Darkdrift Knight
July 17 – 24: Sentient Pest, Darkdrift Knight
July 24 – 31: Gaping Jaw, Sentient Pest
Now, for those who have dropped off a bit or need a reason to come back to Elden Ring Nightreign, you’ll have some big, bad bosses to tackle.
Players who have been locked-in since launch, though, might be disappointed to see FromSoftware re-running the old Everdark bosses already. If so, don’t fret. The studio confirmed that Everdark Sovereign versions of Tricephalos, Augur, Equilibrious Beast, and Fissure in the Fog are still in the works, and the timing of their arrival will be announced at a later date. I don’t know what’s in store, but I like this one reply suggesting Tricephalos will continuously split into even more dogs, like some kind of dog-hydra.
There’s still DLC expected somewhere down the road for Elden Ring Nightreign, but considering we’re only a few months removed from its launch, I think we’re seeing a reasonable cadence of new content and recurring shots at timed events. Duos and crossplay would still be nice, but otherwise, there’s still much to do and see in the Lands Between.
Like UFOs, ball lightning and bigfoot, one of the great mysteries of our time is that Superman is apparently Kryptonite to good videogames. There’s yet to be a truly great Kal-El game in the vein of Batman: Arkham Asylum or Spider-Man, but as you can see from the list below, many have tried.
The latest developer to try is Epic Games, as the Man of Steel has landed as part of Fortnite X Superman, the latest crossover event for one of the world’s biggest games. But what does his inclusion in Fortnite involve? Our list takes a look at that, as well as taking you through a history of Superman in pixels. Discover where you can find Superman as a hero, a playable guest character or just a cheeky Easter Egg in the words below.
Official Superman Games
These are “true” and “proper” Superman games, experiences where you embody the Man of Steel himself.
Superman (1978)
This Atari 2600 release marks Superman’s debut to gamers, all four kilobytes of him. It might not seem much to look at today, but won positive reviews for its action and graphics back in ye olde 1970s. In the role of Superman, players have to rebuild a bridge at the Metropolis waterfront damaged by Lex Luthor, capture your evil nemesis, and return to the Daily Planet as quickly as possible. Complicating things are the fact that Lois Lane has been kidnapped, Luthor has released Krytonite satellites that can deactivate your powers, and there are henchmen waiting to take you down. Using your powers, you can see beyond the area you’re in with X-ray vision and then fly in to grab and drop Lex and his goons into jail. Just remember to use phone booths to change back into your Clark Kent clothes before stopping by the Daily Planet.
Superman (1987)
Jump forward almost a decade and our favorite alien adoptee found his way to the NES, and got a cute 8-bit makeover in the process. For this outing Superman gets a bunch of abilities including super hearing, x-ray vision, heat vision, super spin, and not one but two types of super breath. He needs them to take on not just Lex Luthor but also Kryptonian bad guys Ursa, Non and General Zod.
Superman (1988)
A year later, Superman leveled up for the Taito arcade game. Notable for having its own original villain Emperor Zaas, this time around Kal-El also got to use his fists, his feet and a Sonic Blast ability. A mix of sidescroller, action adventure and fighting game, it had a mixed reception, but snapping up one of these arcade machines today will set you back around $4,000.
Superman: The Man of Steel (1989)
Released in 1989 on both the ZX Spectrum and Amiga, Superman: The Man of Steel was split into flying levels, a side scrolling beat ‘em up, and a vertical scrolling battle in battle in space. The story that linked those levels was told with cute comic book page panels.
The Death and Return of Superman
In 1994, a pre-Warcraft Blizzard Entertainment released The Death and Return of Superman, a beat ‘em up featuring five playable flavors of the Man of Steel; the vanilla original, Superboy, Steel, Cyborg Superman, the Eradicator. Doomsday is the opening act’s big bad, and bio-genetically engineered monster Clawster also makes an appearance. The action was focused on melee combat and airborne projectile attacks. Fun fact: one of the game’s artists and producers, Samwise Didier – who just retired in 2023 – was later responsible for the addition of the Pandaren race to World of Warcraft in 2010.
Superman 64
Also known as Superman: The New Superman Adventure, this Nintendo 64 Supes game is infamous among retro gamers for its terrible execution. Created as a spin off from Superman: The Animated Series, it was the first time our blue boy scout has appeared in a 3D game, though he probably should have skipped the opportunity. It was called out for visual flaws like its Kryptonite fog (which crudely disguised a very short draw distance), terrible controls and a bizarre race mode. IGN reviewed it in 1999, and we weren’t fans. “With horrible control, unforgivable framerates and more bugs than can be counted, [developer] Titus should be absolutely ashamed of this awful game, and the company should be doubly ashamed for pissing all over such a beloved license,” said our reviewer. “Do not buy this piece of garbage.”
Superman: Shadow of Apokolips
Luckily Superman 64 wasn’t the end of the road for Kal-El’s adventures in video games, and the PlayStation 2/GameCube third person action game Shadow of Apokolips was better received than its predecessor. Its story saw Lex Luthor team up with Darkseid and the Intergang crime syndicate, and featured voice acting from Malcolm McDowell, Michael York and Lori Petty. “It’s a thrill to finally play a Superman game that’s handled with this much care and keen observation, with regard to control and special abilities,” said our reviewer, before branding it a “a slightly better-than-decent action game.”
Superman: The Man of Steel
Based on the events of Superman: Y2K and featuring Brainiac 13, Xbox’s alternative to Shadow of Apokalips, released in the same year, was another disappointment for Superman fans. “Superman: The Man of Steel is, at the very best, a weekend rental. It’ll take about 10 hours to complete, mainly because it’s so impossible to beat the missions thanks to the controls,” wrote IGN’s reviewer. “Someday someone is going to get Superman right and make a killer game. But not today.”
Superman Returns
2006 was the last time Superman got to star in his very own game, but unfortunately it was a game where the final boss was a tornado, rather than an exciting supervillain. Very loosely based on the Bryan Singer movie, star Brandon Routh actually leant his voice to the game, although he “sounds about as interested in saving Metropolis as he is in deciding on a ripe melon at the market,” according to the IGN review. “Punching out bad guys becomes about as fun as taking out the garbage, and the “epic” battle between Superman and the forces of evil is as simple and dull as a day of chores.”
Super Playable Characters
These games are not about Superman, but they do feature Superman… and you can play as him, too.
Justice League Task Force
It’s 1995. You’ve fired up your SNES, eaten your Honey Frosted Wheaties and your best friend is coming over to play your new fighting game. Justice League Task Force, developed by Blizzard Entertainment (wow, these guys sure loved DC before they got into orcs and elves) featured Superman alongside characters like The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow battling mechanical clones of the DC heroes. Despite rocky reviews, the Justice League fighting series would get another three games, and Superman is a playable fighter in them all.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
In a world where Leatherface is a guest character in the Mortal Kombat series, a mash up between MK and a comic book universe looks positively tame. This 2008 crossing of the streams is the result of not just a canny guy in the licensing department at DC, but because Raiden and Superman accidentally create big bad Dark Kahn, who threatens both their universes. Superman has moves like Soaring Knockout, Ice Breath, and the Heroic Brutality finishers where he hammers his opponent into the ground like a rusty nail, or freezes them before shattering their bodies to pieces.
Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes
Superman gets a mention in the first Lego Batman game, but in Lego Batman 2, Lego Batman 3 and Lego DC Super-Villains he’s a playable character. You get most brawn for your buck in the second Lego Batman game, where he’s a big part of the story (and comes complete with his signature theme tune, taken from the classic Christopher Reeves films). He rescues the Dark Knight and Robin, takes on a large Joker robot, and helps his Bat Buddy defend Wayne Tower.
Injustice: Gods Among Us
Superman appears on the roster of NetherRealm’s fighting game, Injustice, but as it’s set in Earth-49 he’s the spicy bad version, driven mad by the death of Lois Lane, and so gets to be a villain. He brings all the tricks you’d expect to the 1v1 matches; heat vision, Ground Tremor, and freezing Super Breath. His Super Move – the Kryptonian Smash – is brutal, he literally punches his opponent into space before punching them back down to Earth.
Injustice 2
And Super(bad)man came back for the sequel, with a new Final Flight Super Move that again sees him punching his opponent upwards, this time giving them a few wallops in the sky before slamming them into the ground. You can also add Meteor Drop to that too, where you introduce your opponent to the wonders of geology at close quarters.
Lego Dimensions
The 2015 game that used a Skylanders-style mix of real world figures and in-game content added the “Superman starring DC Comics fun pack” in 2016. By grabbing the Superman minifigure, players could get access to his Hoverpod and the DC Comics World in-game, opening up the glittering city of Metropolis. Admittedly, it’s a version of Metropolis that The Lord of the Rings villain Sauron has installed one of his creepy sky eyes into, but that’s about on par with the many other evils the city has had to contend with over the years.
MultiVersus
Warner Bros. free to play fighting game MultiVersus was shut down just this year, but while it lived it was a fever dream where an eclectic mix of WB franchise characters faced off in platform-based, Super Smash-like combat. Superman was there along with his DC compadres Black Adam and Wonder Woman, but then so was Velma from Scooby-Doo, Gizmo from Gremlins, Arya Stark from Game of Thrones, Jake The Dog from Adventure Time, and Looney Tunes pin-up Lola Bunny. Oh, and you could dress them in skins, so Ugly Sweater Superman was a real thing that existed in the world for a short, beautiful time.
Honorable Mentions
This category is for the games where there’s the barest whiff of Superman spandex. Little details hidden in the game world, special skins, or if you’re lucky, an evil cameo.
Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure
This super cute 2013 spin off has you help Superman with a Lex Luthor problem and lets you summon him to help you in other battles, too. Using the right words you can call on a bunch of different Kal-El variants, from Cyborg Superman to Kingdom Come Superman, and you can even borrow a Superman costume to grant main character Maxwell heat vision and ice breath attacks.
DC Universe Online
The DC Comics MMO lets players create their own personalized brand of superhero (or supervillain) but Superman makes an appearance as a mentor for new superhero players, taking them through tutorial missions. He can also be found in the in-game Metropolis and appears as an ally to support players with his skillset. If you choose to be a villain you’ll need to battle him as you level up. You can also try out a Superman avatar in the game’s PvP mode, Legends.
Batman Arkham Knight
While you won’t catch a glimpse of the hench hero in Rocksteady’s fantastic Batman Arkham series, there are multiple references to him in the third game’s world. There are posters for flights to Metropolis, a few LexCorp buildings dotted around Gotham City, and the NPC thugs seem to enjoy gossiping about Superman on the regular. They call him “that freak from Metropolis,” and “the other guy in the cape” and speculate on his alter ego. “”Next thing you know, someone’s gonna tell me Superman’s really a janitor. Or no, a journalist.” Oh, if they only knew.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
Evil Superman makes a dramatic entrance in Rocksteady’s ill-fated 2024 follow up for the Arkham series, appearing just in time to grab a nuke, laugh maniacally, and take on the Suicide Squad in a boss fight. He delivers some pretty weak sauce villain banter until you can bring him down to Earth with Gold Kryptonite assisted violence. The poor guy doesn’t even get to play the top boss in the game; that role is taken in the finale by one of many Brianiacs.
LittleBigPlanet 2
A tiny Sackboy Superman skin and outfit based on the iconic hero, complete with adorable Superman forehead curl? Perfect. No notes.
Minecraft
To celebrate the release of the new James Gunn Superman movie, Minecraft has added a bunch of free Superman skins, featuring Lois Lane, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific and of course, the old red cape and shiny suit. Previously, players could add some super to their world with the Superheroes Unlimited mod, which was first released in 2012.
Fortnite
The new Fortnite X Superman event, launched to coincide with the new James Gunn movie, adds a Kal-El themed battle pass that culminates in a skin based on David Corenswet’s version of the iconic superhero. There’s also an in-game item that will unlock Supes’ heroic abilities, allowing you to wipe the floor in a battle royale match. While this is the most prominent use of Superman in Fortnite to date, it’s not actually his first appearance: back in 2021, Chapter 2, Season 7 featured a Superman skin that had two styles; one featuring the suit and cape, and another that transformed you into the more civilian-looking Clark Kent, complete with glasses.
Rachel Weber is the Senior Editorial Director of Games at IGN and an elder millennial. She’s been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, and French Bulldogs. Those extra wrinkles on her face are thanks to going time blind and staying up too late finishing every sidequest in RPGs like Fallout and Witcher 3.
