Who hasn't dreamed of being a superhero? Although millions have lived vicariously through comic books, movies, and animated shows, video games are the absolute best option for this specific wish-fulfillment. Not only can you step into Batman's cowl or Spider-Man's (many) suits, but some games even let you create your own superhero. You get to pick their outfits, occasionally decide their personalities, and direct their stories (to an extent). You don't play as a hero – you are the hero.
Considering this concept's appeal, not all that many games let you play as your own caped crusader, as most projects prefer to hitch their wagon to established properties. As exciting as embodying an established Marvel or DC character is, there is just something a bit special about custom superheroes. Therefore, let's highlight the games that let you do just that.
I went back and forth on whether to rank these games based on their character customizer or their overall quality. Ultimately, I opted to mainly focus on overall quality. However, at the end of the article, I included a section that ranks the games solely on their superhero creator.
8 Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich
A Cult Classic Game With A Power-Focused Superhero Creator
Freedom Force Vs. The 3rd Reich
- Released
- March 8, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Irrational Games
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Strategy
- Platform(s)
- PC
Although obviously dated nowadays, the Freedom Force games are great time capsules in a couple of ways. Firstly, they are old-school real-time strategy games that emphasize team management and basic RPG elements like powers and stat boosts. Secondly, and more importantly, they are love letters to Silver Age comic books, particularly Marvel. If you are remotely into that era, you will adore the avalanche of references in both games, while also going through storylines that are fairly decent in their own right.
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The first game is decent, but the sequel is better. Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich comes with an impressive roster of original superheroes, which you gradually unlock throughout the campaign. They have reasonably strong personalities and unique powers that are often nods to comic heroes, and there is really no need to create custom superheroes. However, if you want to go down that route, you can easily do so. Although somewhat lacking in cosmetic choices, Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich lets you use one of the pre-built heroes as a base to create an original Freedom Force fighter, with the customization primarily revolving around stats and powers. The latter is expansive, too.
7 Champions Online
An Extensive Superhero Customizer In A Solid MMO
Champions Online
- Released
- September 1, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Cryptic Studios
- Genre(s)
- Superhero, MMO
- Platform(s)
- PC
We are going to have a few MMOs, as the genre is tailor-made for custom characters. While its best days might be behind it, Champions Online is still going strong to an extent, and you can still jump on board through the official site. The game has a genuinely fantastic character creator that gives players all the tools to birth truly original heroes that are based on their powerset rather than established classes. While you don't have an absurd number of skills, you can tweak most of them, giving them a personal touch. Also, a superhero is nothing without a costume, and Champions Online does not hold back in this area. You can create characters that seem like they are ripped right from comic books, or you can go with an absurdist aesthetic that would never feature in a mainstream Marvel or DC story.
OK, there is a reason I spent so much time on the customization options: they are Champions Online's strongest feature. Be it the combat, quest design, or world layout, everything else is mostly decent but unspectacular, and the game's age really shines through in its weak storytelling and bland environments. Just to be clear, I still recommend playing Champions Online, but you need to be a fan of both superheroes and MMOs to get anything out of it.
6 Lego DC Super-Villains
Create Your Own DC Villain (Who Mostly Acts As A Hero)
LEGO DC Super-Villains
- Released
- October 16, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Traveller's Tales
- Genre(s)
- 3D Platformer, Action
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Lego's licensed games are so packed with unlockable characters that a custom protagonist is unnecessary. Lego DC Super-Villains is not an exception by any means, and its roster is well over 100 and features pretty much all of DC's greatest villains. Nevertheless, Traveller's Tales decided to try something new and not only feature a character creator, but also frame the narrative around them. The customization options are surprisingly deep, too, as you can mix-and-match Lego parts to create your own DC baddie. Your villain's powerset is plot-based, although you have some control since you can reassign abilities.
Lego DC Super-Villains has co-op, and the second player can create a character as well. However, they are only selectable in Free Play, as the story only allows for one custom villain.
Lego DC Super-Villains is, for better or worse, just another one of these games, and it builds directly on Lego Batman's foundation. The gameplay is straightforward and accessible, but both the combat and puzzles are fun enough. The game sees the villains step up as Earth's heroes after the Justice League's disappearance, and it is one of the better stories in the franchise. Lego DC Super-Villains succeeds by pairing a safe but competent game with a custom character that actually matters, even if both aspects lack mechanical depth.
5 DC Universe Online
The Best DC Game For Creating A Custom Superhero
DC Universe Online
- Released
- January 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Dimensional Ink Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation (Original), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
As solid as Lego DC Super-Villains' creator is, ultimately, you feel like you are constructing a Lego character rather than a DC villain. Fortunately, that is not an issue with DC Universe Online, which gives you extensive options to build the hero or villain of your dreams. You get to pick their powersets, weapons, movement, and gear, all of which combine to create a custom character who feels like a truly original creation. That said, you don't have extensive power customization, so your hero/villain will still resemble a few other creations in terms of their basic abilities. Luckily, not all that many people are still playing DC Universe Online, so you are unlikely to run into your clones.
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Like Champions Online, DC Universe Online comes with all the trappings of old-school MMOs that have been running on fumes for years. The gameplay loop is repetitive but enjoyable due to the fun combat, and raids break up the monotony. Despite the potential of a DC-licensed MMO to tell large-scale tales, this game does not attempt anything that ambitious or even really tell much of a story.
4 City of Heroes
The Best Superhero MMO With A Stellar Character Creator
City of Heroes
- Released
- April 28, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Cryptic Studios, Paragon Studios, Homecoming Servers
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
- Platform(s)
- PC
Simply put, City of Heroes' character creator is brilliant, and I'm not just talking within the context of superhero games. It compares favorably to other MMOs, a genre known for using customization systems as major selling points. Unlike its competitors, City of Heroes integrates character creation, powers, progression, and world design into a single, coherent superhero experience. The developers clearly understood how to cater to this power fantasy, and they went out of their way to craft a costume creator that might just be the greatest of all time. Seriously, you can stitch nearly anything your mind can imagine.
MMO limitations aside, City of Heroes has a well-defined world that is tonally consistent, and the progression systems are strong and promote build diversity. The game tells two major storylines that are dependent on whether you created a hero or villain, but there are also minor arcs that explore individual characters or add flavor to the world. The storytelling is fairly rudimentary, but the writing manages to make you feel like the star despite existing in a universe packed with similar characters.
City of Heroes closed down in 2012, but it lives on through two means: City of Heroes Homecoming Server and City of Heroes Rebirth. The former is the best option if you want to play the original game, while the latter is something of a spiritual successor.
3 Marvel's Midnight Suns
A Polished Tactical RPG That Is Frequently Marvelous
Marvel's Midnight Suns
- Released
- December 2, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Honestly, Marvel's Midnight Suns is probably the best game that lets you create a hero, at least if we are talking solely about overall quality. However, its genre makes it relatively inaccessible compared to other titles, and you need to love tactical combat to stick around for longer than a few hours. The custom superhero is also not great, as "The Hunter" is largely devoid of personality and, at times, seems out of place next to the established Marvel icons. You have control over their abilities to an extent, but the character feels more like a D-list hero rather than your own creation.
As long as the combat and relationship mechanics click with you, Marvel's Midnight Suns is an absolute delight that balances strategy, power fantasy, and storytelling reasonably well. The turn-based battle system is built around decks, with a hero's actions dependent on which cards they pull. Although it might seem strange at first, the combat has a lot of depth and is a blast. The story isn't bad either, and you get to hang out with Wolverine.
2 Saints Row 4
The Best Open-World Game That Lets You Create A Custom Superhero
Saints Row 4
- Released
- August 20, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
Technically, you create the President of the United States of America rather than a superhero, but they eventually become the latter. Saints Row 4 is unapologetically absurd and relentlessly dumb, in the best possible way. Gone is any semblance of realism in favor of a digital playground that lets you punch like Superman and run like the Flash, while carrying an arsenal of weapons that are mostly weaker than your fists. Even if it marked the point when Saints Row completely jumped the shark, that does not diminish how incredibly satisfying this entry is to play.
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This should go without saying for a Saints Row game, but the character creator is outstanding, particularly in terms of appearance options. Now, it should be said that you don't really create a superhero in the traditional sense, and the protagonist is not referenced as such in the game. That classification comes primarily from their powers rather than their personality, role, or aesthetic, and you have no control over their moveset either.
1 South Park: The Fractured But Whole
The Best Game That Lets You Create A "Superhero"
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
- Released
- October 17, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft San Francisco
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
South Park: The Fractured But Whole's heroes might be playing make-believe, but their journey is still super. Building on some of the ideas of The Stick of Truth, the sequel once again casts you as a new kid who gets dragged into the town's insanity, this time taking the form of a superhero civil war. While poking fun at stuff like the MCU, the game does not get bogged down in references and still tells a pretty good story that 100% fits the South Park brand, even if it is not quite as thought-provoking as the show's best episodes.
Although fairly limited, the character customization gives you almost exclusive options that matter, be it your base appearance, superhero identity, or class selection. This scope allows your choices to be referenced directly by the world and characters, making the protagonist feel way more like your "hero." The turn-based combat is easy to grasp but has quite a bit of depth, and the same can be said for your build options.
Which Games Have The Best Custom Superhero Creator?
- City of Heroes
- Champions Online
- DC Universe Online
- Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich
- South Park: The Fractured but Whole
- Saints Row 4
- Marvel's Midnight Suns
- Lego DC Super-Villains
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Some RPGs let players go crazy with their customization options. These are by far the most impressive.