It’s been a year of non-stop blockbuster video game releases, but looking ahead to the end of 2023, Sony is aiming to close the year out in style with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. This time, developer Insomniac Games is doubling up on its wall-crawling heroes, as it throws both Peter Parker and Miles Morales into an adventure that pits them against Kraven the Hunter, the Lizard, and the lethal Venom. Thanks to a new extended gameplay showcase from this May’s PlayStation event, we’ve gotten our best look yet at a game that looks dark in tone but exciting to play.

You can find out more below of the game’s estimated release date, villains, and how the gameplay is evolving.

Release date

It’s official, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch for PS5 on October 20. Announced during Summer Game Fest, creative director Bryan Intihar added that he’s « very confident » that Insomniac will hit that date. Intihar also showed off concept art of the game, with one image showing Miles and Peter battling Venom. As for who’s wearing the symbiote, don’t expect Eddie Brock to be the alter-ego of this incarnation of the Spider-Man villain. Intohar said that the studio wanted to tell an original story that will subvert expectations.

Spider-Man 2 has also officially gone gold, so for now, it’s on track to release near the end of October.

Platforms

Marvel’s Spider-Man was originally released on PS4 and later on PS5 in an upgraded version–Miles Morales landed on both PS5 and PS4 at the same time–but for the sequel, last-gen is being left behind. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be exclusive to PlayStation 5, and there’s no word yet on a PC port for the game. Marvel’s Spider-Man was first released on PC via Steam in August 2022, while Miles Morales arrived later that year in November.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Reviews are now live for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and so far, critics are praising the sequel for delivering an emotionally charged story, refined action, and colorful visuals that make the game look like a graphical showcase of PS5 power.

« There’s quite a bit of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that can be summed up as ‘more of the same.’ Granted, that’s a good thing–both the original game and the Miles Morales-focused follow-up feature fantastic reimaginings of their respective Spider-Men, exhilarating web-swinging, and superb combat mechanics, » Jordan Ramée wrote in GameSpot’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 review.

How big is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2?

If you have any video trophies and unplayed games taking up space on the PS5 SSD, you’ll want to make some space as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 requires 98GB of storage capacity.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 preorder bonuses

Preorders for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 live, and multiple editions of the game are available. There’ll be a standard edition that includes early spider-costume unlocks and skill points, a deluxe edition that includes more Spidey suits and bonus items for the photo mode, and the collector’s edition comes with a 19-inch statue featuring Peter and Miles taking on Venom.

Or as Sony’s marketing team put it, you can « treat yourself » to 19 inches of Venom. They knew what they were tweeting. For more details, you can check out our Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 preorder hub.

Is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 a co-op game?

The only thing better than one Spider-Man is two Spider-Men, and with the reveal trailer hinting at some sort of tag-team action, fans have begun speculating that the sequel will have some form of co-op functionality. For its part, Insomniac has so far only referred to Spider-Man 2 as a single-player game. « We’re so thrilled to continue the journey of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales in their most epic single-player adventure yet, » Insomniac’s Ryan Schneider said in a PS Blog post last year.

In an update after the May PlayStation Showcase, Insomniac Games confirmed that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is purely a single-player game and doesn’t feature any co-op. What the game does have is an option to switch between Miles and Peter. Whenever you’re free-roaming through New York, you can « freely switch between them with a simple button press. »

As for the main story, those moments where you change between Spider-Men will happen at select moments during the narrative. « When you’re playing the main story, we control when you switch between Pete and Miles… it’s done in service to the story when we’re making those switches, for sure. » Creative director Bryan Intihar explained that whenever you switch between the two, they are pre-determined « based on what we want to do for how the story plays out. »

How has the gameplay changed?

Peter Parker and Miles Morales may share the proportionate speed, strength, and agility of a spider, but that’s where their respective powers drastically diverge. Marvel’s Spider-Man laid the foundation for acrobatic combat and web-slinging, but while Parker has an arsenal of gadgets to draw from, Morales distinguished himself with bio-electric powers.

One of the new changes discussed by Insomniac was the reveal of three separate skill trees in the game, one each for Peter and Miles and a third that’s shared by both of them. Game director Ryan Smith says that this was designed to create « a sense of familiarity » between the characters while also giving them unique abilities. Miles still has signature bio-electric abilities that allow him to pack a powerful punch or activate optical camouflage, but in comparison, Peter is far more brutal with his new symbiote-enhanced skillset.

With the symbiote bonded to him, Peter gains new and unique offensive abilities that combine his newfound aggression with slimy tentacles and painful takedowns. « The Symbiote punch is gonna really impact a single target [and] stick them to walls, whereas the Symbiote strike launches a bunch of enemies up in the air. And so that’s something that lets you shift gears in Spider-Man combat, » Smith said to IGN. It’s something we didn’t have before that we could bring with the Symbiote.

Intihar described the symbiote as pure power, strength, and aggression, and gives Peter finishers that are « borderline brutal. »

In another interview, Intihar described how players will become « acrobatic improvisers » as they weave between their powers and gadgets in fights.

« We’ve always thought of our Spider-Heroes as ‘acrobatic improvisers,’ and in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we wanted to equip them with new ways to do so during combat, » Intihar said. « This includes Pete’s Spider-Arms and Symbiote powers, while Miles now brings two forms of bioelectric Venom to every fight. And when you start combining these abilities with all-new Spider-Gadgets like the Web Grabber, it can lead to some exciting combos. »

On the accessibility side, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 builds on Insomnaic’s work to make its games more accessible and approachable. One interesting feature will allow for gameplay to be slowed down in increments of 30%, 50%, and 70%, and regular speed can be resumed at any time.

« As the follow-up to the critically acclaimed and beloved Marvel’s Spider-Man and its Miles Morales-focused pseudo-sequel, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2–a full numbered sequel–looks to be taking everything developer Insomniac created for those two games and bringing it all together in a new experience that also layers on some new ideas atop the strong foundation, » Tamoor Hussain wrote in GameSpot’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 preview.

Will Venom appear?

One of Spider-Man’s most enduring villains, Venom, was first teased in the end credits for Marvel’s Spider-Man, and he made a sinister appearance in the reveal trailer for the sequel. This incarnation of Spider-Man’s dark reflection is voiced by none other than the Candyman himself, Tony Todd, and the symbiote appears to have more earthbound origins when compared to its comic book source material. We’ve also got a few theories as to who Venom really is in this sequel.

Screens

Which other supervillains can we expect to see?

2018’s Spider-Man game had a new incarnation of the Sinister Six to trade blows with, but so far, only Venom has been confirmed for the Spider-Man 2. While Insomniac has yet to confirm other villains, the reveal trailer suggested that Kraven the Hunter will be turning New York City into his personal hunting ground, and Spider-Man has no shortage of iconic villains who could make an appearance. Electro, Mister Negative, Vulture, Scorpion, Doc Ock, and Rhino menaced the webhead in the first game, while Miles Morales’ primary antagonist was the Tinkerer.

With Norman Osborn playing a crucial role in the first game, could the Green Goblin be far behind? Only Insomniac knows, but for now, the studio is keeping that info locked up.

In the new PlayStation Showcase trailer, Kraven’s appearance in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was confirmed. A classic foe who boasts superhuman senses and hunting skills, Kraven departs for the urban jungle of New York to hunt the Spider-Men. He won’t be alone, as this incarnation of the hunter is backed up by an army of followers who are well-armed and ready to pursue the ultimate quarry. Another surprise from that new trailer was the reveal of Dr. Curt Conners aka the Lizard, who has transformed into his bestial alter-ego.

Unlike the more sophisticated version that has appeared in current comic books and in several animated TV series, this version of the Lizard appears to be on a rampage, violent, and doesn’t have time to don a tattered lab coat.

How big is the Spider-Man 2 map?

Players could explore Manhattan in Marvel’s Spider-Man and Miles Morales, and in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, more sections of New York will be accessible. Speaking to The Washington Post, Intihar said that the map will be around twice the size of Spider-Man 1’s and includes the Queens and Brooklyn neighborhoods. « In terms of the size of the city, it’s double the size compared to Spider-Man 1, » Intihar said. « When you play in Queens, there’s much more of a neighborhood feel, smaller buildings, which is why the web wings work so well traversing in that area, where you can swing low to the ground if you want to, or you can fly through. »

« Since these two areas are somewhat smaller and residential, I think you’ll find them different from Manhattan. We’ve prepared some unexpected situations we haven’t done before, like a battle on the river between two of the cities. »

According to the new overview from the September State of Play, the Manhattan map has almost doubled in size and now includes the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. The new web wings gameplay mechanic allows you to quickly glide through the city in addition to the souped-up web-swinging. While you’re touring New York, you can stop by at some of the new Spider-Man-centric locations like Peter Parker’s old high school Midtown High and Miles’ current educational home Brooklyn Visions Academy.

How many unlockable Spider-Man costumes will there be?

Unlocking new costumes in Spider-Man and Miles Morales was a highlight of those games, with each title having dozens of outfits to add to the Spider-wardrobe. Again, Insomniac hasn’t outright confirmed that unlockable costumes will feature in Spider-Man 2, but Schneider did tease that the reveal trailer is « merely just a glimpse at what’s in store in terms of the new abilities our heroes will acquire, suits they will wear, and the villains that will try to hunt them down. »

Interestingly, the base costumes that Peter and Miles wear have been adjusted ever so slightly, and these sport more refined and brighter colors. So they’re technically new costumes.