Best Open-World Games That Let You Use Superpowers

One allure of open-world video games is the ability to cause nearly endless destruction and chaos across a large map. Of course, this is not always the case with every title in the genre, but most open-world games allow players to destroy everything in sight.

Many open-world games go further, letting players run through the world with superpowers. Some of these games where you have superpowers are based on comic book properties, while others are original superhero stories created from the ground up by the developers. Most recently, Insomniac has released a sequel to one of their best games with Marvel's Spider-Man 2, where players can become Marvel's biggest hero in an amazing open world, proving there's still much more growth for the genre.

Updated on February 3, 2025, by Chris Price: Many open-world games have taken creative spins on super-powered characters. From literal superhero games like Batman: Arkham City to fantastical MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XIV, players can flex many larger-than-life abilities. This list has been updated to highlight a few more notable open-world titles that give players incredible powers.

34 Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Gives the Dragon Ball World an Action RPG Sandbox

Kakarot's Open World Is a Departure From DBZ's Usual 1-Vs-1 Fighting Template

Of all the many Dragon Ball games in existence, few have truly provided the feeling of playing through the full story. Very few have made Dragon Ball's world feel alive. The Legacy of Goku series did, but that's limited to the technical prowess of the Game Boy Advance. Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, however, fully realizes that dream.

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot chronicles the entirety of Dragon Ball Z in an open-world format full of side quests, iconic places to visit, and even new lore. Flying around Dragon Ball's world is a dream come true and one of the best representations of the Dragon Ball franchise yet.

33 South Park Finds Itself In Its Civil War In the Fractured But Whole

The Game Involves the South Park Gang Roleplaying as Their Superhero Alter Egos

This may be a stretch, but the town of South Park is fully open and explorable in South Park: The Fractured But Whole and the premise of the game involves the kids of South Park roleplaying as their superhero alter egos.

The Fractured But Whole is the fantastic RPG follow-up to South Park: The Stick of Truth and sees the kids of South Park divided into rival factions. The player plays as a silent new kid who just arrived in town and can customize their character to fit different fighting archetypes. Unlike its predecessor, fights in The Fractured But Whole take place in a grid environment where movement and location matter similar to Final Fantasy Tactics.

32 Batman: Arkham City Took the Series to the City-Prison's Open World

Arkham City Was One of the Best Games of 2011

Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of the best games of 2009. It was tough to imagine how the trailblazing superhero game would top it. Turns out, bringing Batman out of Arkham Asylum and into the wider Arkham City itself more than sufficed.

Batman: Arkham City carries over much of what made Arkham Asylum good and adds a slew of new bells and whistles that make traversing the iconic city extremely satisfying. Even in the face of its successors like Batman: Arkham Knight, there's still something very special about Arkham City that makes it still the best Batman game to date whether it's the initial wow factor of playing it in 2011 or simply the lack of Batmobile tank combat.

31 BioShock Is Full of Wild Powers to Use

BioShock Is Full of Secrets, Lore, and Terrifying Residents

BioShock was a revolutionary game when it was first released. From the moment players laid eyes on Rapture they knew that they were about to experience a game unlike any other. That very same Rapture is full of secrets, lore, and terrifying residents.

Throughout BioShock, players can collect and use different Plasmids – serums that genetically modify to body, gaining access to a unique superpower. These powers can include basic things like telekinesis or unleashing a jolt of electricity, but also creative powers like sending out a swarm of hornets with Insect Swarm. It's fun to experiment with the many different abilities in BioShock, which help make it an all-time great game.

30 Superman Returns Made Players Feel Invulnerable

Using City Health Instead of Player Health Was Unique for a Superman Title

While Superman Returns delivered on the open-world promise and featured innovative ideas like city health instead of player health, the story felt repetitive and lacking. Many hoped Rocksteady would make a Superman game after the Arkham games, but fans are still waiting. The closest thing they got was news that the Suicide Squad game featured the Man of Steel.

Superman Returns featured combat mechanics that made it stand out, letting players fly across the cityscape of Metropolis for good measure. However, the forgettable boss battles and lack of a captivating story made Superman Returns a likewise forgettable entry in the Man of Steel's long history of video games.

29 Lego Marvel's Avengers Had Playable Versions of the First Two Avengers

The Gameplay is Endlessly Fun and Not Limited to the Avengers Characters

By 2016, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was more real in people's minds than the comics ever were. So when Traveller's Tales launched Lego Marvel's Avengers in 2016, it made sense that the story focused on the MCU. Players explored a world where they could play through the events of the first and second Avengers movies. There were also levels devoted to several other major MCU films, including Captain America movies and Iron Man 3.

However, gameplay wasn't limited to MCU characters. On the contrary, players were given access to hundreds of playable characters, including the Young Avengers and Jane Foster Thor. Though short, traversing the city and smashing villains with major heroes' powers was entertaining.

28 Mass Effect: Andromeda Offers Psychic Powers In The Distant Future

Andromeda's Cast Has Special Biotic Abilities

The popular Mass Effect series needed a brand new direction after the major events of the trilogy. So they went with Mass Effect Andromeda, which sends players to an entirely different galaxy to find a new home for those who left.

The Mass Effect games have always given players some level of power, and this game is no different. While gunplay is the series' main focus, they can also rely on special abilities such as biotic, combat, tech, and more. These powers resemble telekinetic abilities, allowing players to manipulate objects, or send energy blasts to destroy the toughest of foes.

27 Shadow of Mordor's Orc Slaying Powers Are Violently Stylish

Mordor Follows the Backstory of a Nazgul from The Lord of the Rings World

Ever wonder what Middle Earth was like before The Fellowship of the Ring? Shadow of Mordor (and its sequel – Shadow of War) introduces a non-canonical character named Talion to answer this question in a fun, superpower-infused Nazgul Warrior simulator. And no orc is safe from your grasp.

Talion, also called “The Gravewalker,” has the free-flow combat style fighting ability of the Batman Arkham games, the stealth of Assassin’s Creed games – and the powers of the Lord of the Rings antagonists. From teleportation (shadow strike) to controlling the minds of Orcs and even summoning wild beasts to ride, Shadow of Mordor is an incredible imagining of one of the soon-to-be Nazgul, trapped between life and death and resisting Sauron’s hold and trying to do good with his new abilities for as long as he can.

26 Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Pits the Heroes & Villains Against Brainiac

Players Can Control More Than 200 DC Comics Characters

The Lego Batman franchise was one of WB's most successful video game franchises for a time. By the third game, the series decided to expand beyond just the city of Gotham. When Brainiac brings his forces to bear against Earth, the Justice League and the Legion of Doom must team up to save their planet.

With an idea like that, it's not surprising that players were given control over more than just Batman. The players can control over 200 characters in the game, each with a power set similar to the comics. Players can tear both enemies and the different open-world areas down into studs as they play.

25 Infamous: Second Son Grants the Ability to Swap Superpowers Freely

Second Son Lets Players Steal Powers from Characters

In 2014, Sucker Punch revised the formula for inFamous with inFamous: Second Son, a title that left Cole McGrath behind for a new protagonist, Delsin Rowe. After the government's oppressive Department of Unified Protections attacked Delsin's reservation, he and his brother Reggie made their way to Seattle to save people from a horrible fate.

As Delsin Rowe, players had the power of smoke and fire, and they could steal the abilities from other Conduits. Swapping between powers like Neon and Video granted players super-speed and flight respectively, altering the gameplay enough to make every combat encounter with the DUP an experiment in perfecting power usage.