The first reviews for Marvel’s Wolverine are in, and the reception is significantly more mixed than many players expect from Insomniac Games. With the review embargo now lifted, the PS5 exclusive holds a 77 on Metacritic. OpenCritic shows an average score of 81, and about 79 percent of the critics surveyed recommend the game. Those numbers aren’t disastrous, but they trail the scores for *Spider-Man: Miles Morales* and *Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart*. You can find our review here. Opinions vary widely. Some outlets praise Marvel’s Wolverine as a focused, brutal action game with strong characters and a compelling portrayal of Logan, while others criticize its overly simplistic game structure, limited combat variety, and a story that fails to reach its potential. Major publications have awarded scores as low as 6/10, while others sit closer to 8, 9, or even 10/10.
The result, just days before launch, is an unusual picture: Marvel’s Wolverine does not appear to be a bad game, but it is clearly not the near-unanimous critical success many expected from Insomniac’s previous PlayStation titles.
Metacritic starts at 77 points
GamesRadar reports a Metacritic score of 77 points following the lifting of the embargo. This score may still change as additional reviews are factored in. Nevertheless, it’s already clear that Marvel’s Wolverine is significantly below the scores of Insomniac’s most recent major games.
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By comparison, Marvel’s Spider-Man earned an 87 on PlayStation 4, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales scored 85 on PS5, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart reached 88, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 hit 90. For a studio that has consistently scored in the mid-to-high 80s for years, a 77 stands out. https://www.playstationinfo.de/2026/09/10/marvels-wolverine-im-test-brutal-stark-inszeniert-aber-spielerisch-zu-zahm/
GamesRadar notes that this is the lowest Metacritic score for an original Insomniac game since 2016’s Song of the Deep, which launched with 69. That doesn’t mean Wolverine is a critical flop. What stands out is the gap between these numbers and the high expectations for Insomniac. On OpenCritic, the picture is slightly more favorable. There, Marvel’s Wolverine currently stands at 81 points, with roughly 79 percent of reviewed critics recommending the game. Differences in average scores are normal, as the aggregators do not include exactly the same publications.
More important are the recurring strengths and weaknesses highlighted in the reviews. Critics frequently praise the presentation, Logan, and the intensity of the combat. Doubts center primarily on the game’s long-term variety.
Opinions are particularly divided when it comes to the combat system
The combat system is the most debated element. Insomniac designed Wolverine to be far more brutal than its Spider-Man games. Logan fights up close with his adamantium claws, and the combat focuses on weight, aggression, and raw violence. Parries, jump attacks, special abilities, and a Rage system that boosts Logan’s healing and offense round out the combat. Many reviews praise the fights as immediate, fast-paced, and faithful to the character, especially during the first few hours, when the system feels distinct from the studio’s Spider-Man games.
Other outlets are more critical. GamesRadar calls the foundation functional but argues the combat peaks early and adds little depth later. It also says the Rage mechanic is more complicated than its impact justifies.
The Guardian praises individual character and story moments but finds the combat repetitive over time. This is a key difference between the reviews: players who enjoy the direct, bloody melee combat for a long time rate Wolverine much more positively, while those who expect more gameplay progression after several hours grow tired of it more quickly.
The linear structure draws mixed reactions.
Marvel’s Wolverine is deliberately not another big open-world game. Insomniac had already explained before release that Logan’s adventure is more linear. The developers didn’t want to create a second Spider-Man with a different lead, so they chose a structure that better suits Wolverine’s journey across multiple locations.
Several critics welcome the focused campaign and note that the game doesn’t overwhelm players with a massive map or countless side quests. The Verge praises this focus and counts the more straightforward structure among the title’s strengths.
Other reviews, however, point out that linearity does not guarantee good level design. GamesRadar complains that many sections outside the more open Tokyo area feel like simple corridors. The criticism therefore targets the quality of the linear design rather than the absence of an open world.
In contrast, the Tokyo section stands out as a highlight. The game opens up, giving Logan more space to roam and mixing combat with clue-hunting and small discoveries. Because this section works so well, some critics notice even more how linear the other chapters feel.
There is surprisingly little consensus on the story
Opinions also vary widely when it comes to the plot.
Marvel’s Wolverine tells a standalone story set in Insomniac’s Marvel Universe. Logan inhabits a world where the X-Men have not yet emerged, and he serves with Team X. Familiar faces such as Jean Grey, Sabretooth, and Mystique appear, while Bolivar Trask and the hunt for mutants drive the conflict.
Many critics praise Logan’s human side. Reviewers single out Liam McIntyre for his performance. The game portrays Wolverine not only as an aggressive fighting machine but as a damaged character grappling with memories, guilt, and his past. The Guardian calls the character and his relationships among the game’s strongest elements. The Verge also praises the darker interpretation of Wolverine and the focus on Logan. On the other hand, GamesRadar criticizes the story as confusing and, at times, poorly resolved. Other reviews take issue with familiar X-Men tropes and a plot that, despite strong characters, doesn’t always achieve the expected emotional impact.
As a result, there is no clear consensus on the story either. Some reviewers see it as a key element, while others view it as one reason why Wolverine falls short of Insomniac’s best games.
Technically, Insomniac remains at a high level
The presentation is less controversial. Even early builds earned praise for their detailed character models, animations, and fight staging. Insomniac worked hard to make each hit feel physically impactful and to present Logan’s abilities through more than flashy effects.
Wolverine deliberately aims for a higher age rating than the Spider-Man games. Blood and visible injuries are part of the concept and a central component of this version of the character. VGC played the game for about two hours in August and highlighted how tightly Insomniac intertwines movement, the healing factor, and Rage. Wolverine feels heavier and more physical to control than Spider-Man, yet he never feels slow. Early reviews confirm that the game is technically polished. The most common criticisms center on structure, variety, and the long-term evolution of the combat system.
Several major outlets gave the game a 6/10.
Some notably lower individual scores are drawing particular attention. IGN and GameSpot each gave Marvel’s Wolverine a 6/10. Other reviews also fall in the 6–7 range. At the same time, many critics awarded 8 or 9 points, with a few granting perfect scores.
This spread explains why the Metascore debate is so heated. Reviewers sometimes rate the same elements in opposite ways. Depending on the critic, the combat system is either a highlight or too monotonous, and the story and linear structure face similar mixed judgments.
For players, this disagreement can be helpful. Those seeking a compact, brutal action game may gravitate toward the positive reviews, while players expecting an experience as expansive as Spider-Man may weigh the criticisms more heavily.
For Insomniac, comparisons with Spider-Man are inevitable.
Comparisons to Insomniac’s earlier work are inevitable. Marvel’s Spider-Man launched in 2018 as one of the PS4’s most important PlayStation titles and earned an 87. Miles Morales followed with an 85, while Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart reached 88 in 2021. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 hit 90 in 2023. Wolverine’s current 77 sits 10 to 13 points below those titles.
Average scores can’t capture every player’s taste or expectations.
Nevertheless, the trend is noteworthy because Insomniac has built an unusually consistent reputation over the years. A major new release from the studio was almost automatically expected to score in the mid- to high-80s. Wolverine has so far failed to meet that benchmark.
For Sony, Wolverine is an important PS5 title
The reaction to Wolverine also matters for PlayStation. Sony is positioning the game as one of its most important first-party titles of the year. It is a PS5 exclusive and is being heavily marketed as part of the first-party lineup. The PlayStation Store lists the Standard Edition in Germany for €79.99.
A Metascore of 77 does not automatically signal a commercial problem. Marvel, Wolverine, and Insomniac enjoy enormous brand recognition, and even before its release, the game ranked highly in several PlayStation Store charts. However, critical reviews can still affect how many players who didn’t pre-order will buy the game at full price right away. An unusually packed September release schedule, with several major single-player titles, only adds to the scrutiny. GamesRadar links the comparatively low score to the broader health of Sony’s first-party lineup. However, this remains editorial analysis, not proof that *Wolverine* is already considered a commercial or strategic failure for PlayStation. It’s too early to make that call before launch.
The Metascore is not yet final
The current score is not final. The review embargo lifted on September 10, so international reviews may still appear and shift both Metacritic and OpenCritic averages.
Player ratings are meaningless at this point because Marvel’s Wolverine does not launch on PlayStation 5 until September 15, 2026. A reliable community assessment will have to wait until after release.
Another key factor for the game’s long-term reception will be whether the criticisms frequently mentioned in reviews are also noticed by casual players. Personal preferences can have a significant impact on ratings, particularly when it comes to combat systems, linearity, and playtime.
Wolverine Is More of a Surprise Than a Flop
Early reviews should neither be dismissed nor exaggerated. Marvel’s Wolverine currently sits at 77 on Metacritic, well below Insomniac’s recent PlayStation hits. However, an OpenCritic average of about 81 and several positive reviews indicate that the game is not being panned across the board. Insomniac appears to have crafted a technically ambitious, stylized Wolverine title whose deliberate linearity does not appeal to every critic.
The most common complaints are limited variety, an overly scripted structure, and a combat system that some critics say reveals its core ideas too early. On the plus side, Logan’s portrayal, brutal presentation, technical polish, and—for many reviewers—a satisfying melee system earn praise.
A few days before launch, one thing is clear: based on the early reviews, Marvel’s Wolverine is not the near-certain critical hit some predicted after Spider-Man 2. Whether players agree will emerge starting September 15. Share your thoughts in the comments.
