Marvel's Wolverine Lands at 77 on Metacritic — Sony's Lowest-Rated PS5 First-Party Game

Overview

Marvel's Wolverine launches exclusively on PlayStation 5 on September 15, 2026. The review embargo lifted September 10, and the aggregate score now sits at 77 on Metacritic across 106 reviews — making it the lowest-scored PlayStation Studios game of the PS5 generation.

That is not a disaster number in isolation. But for Insomniac Games — the studio that posted 87, 85, and 90 with its three Spider-Man entries — 77 is a notable step down, and it arrives on a $70 title with high brand expectations.

How Wolverine's Score Compares

Insomniac's Marvel titles on PS5

The score also places it below Sackboy: A Big Adventure (79) among PlayStation Studios PS5 releases, making it the lowest first-party score of the current generation by that studio comparison.

What Critics Are Saying

The high marks: combat

Game Informer awarded 8.5 out of 10, one of the more positive scores among major publications. Critic Matt Miller wrote:

“

"The high speed, brutal slashing, and unstoppable force of Wolverine are captured better than any film or game to come before, and that alone could be reason enough to embark on this adventure with him."

— Matt Miller, Game Informer (September 10, 2026)

“

"Insomniac's latest action opus is beautiful to look at and listen to, and it plays like a dream. Whether you're a fan of the wily mutant lead or you simply gravitate to taut, tightly animated combat like what you'd find in God of War or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Wolverine is an intense and unrelenting ride."

— Matt Miller, Game Informer (September 10, 2026)

“

"Marvel's Wolverine doesn't wear out its welcome. The linear adventure hits its conclusion before you might tire of the ferocious melees."

— Matt Miller, Game Informer (September 10, 2026)

The critical consensus: competent but dated

According to Tbreak's review roundup, major outlets including Eurogamer, VGC, IGN, GameSpot, and GamesRadar landed in the roughly 6-out-of-10 range. Giant Bomb awarded 5 out of 10. Kotaku described the game as "refreshingly straightforward…mostly," while VGC's review praised the narrative but called the gameplay uninspired.

Smaller international publications pushed the aggregate higher with several 9/10 and 10/10 scores, which explains why the Metacritic average lands at 77 despite the gap from larger outlets.

Score Breakdown by Source

Individual scores for major outlets are based on ranges reported by Tbreak and Kotaku. Verify exact scores with each publication.

What Separates It From Spider-Man

The broad theme from critics is clear: the combat delivers; everything around it does not keep up.

Marvel's Wolverine is a linear, corridor-driven action game. There is no open world. There is no web-swinging across a city, no side mission sprawl, no collectible-dense map to explore. The design reflects who Logan is — brutally direct — but it also means the game has less structural variety than the Spider-Man titles players have come to expect from Insomniac.

Is the 77 a Fair Score?

Several dynamics are compressing Wolverine's score in ways worth unpacking.

Insomniac set a very high bar. A 77 from the studio that made Spider-Man 2 (90) will feel like a miss even if the game is objectively solid. Perception shapes expectations.

Score clustering from major outlets. The concentration of 6/10 scores from large western publications suggests reviewers found the game technically accomplished but lacking the creative ambition expected of a $70 PlayStation Studios release.

The $70 price point matters. A 77-scoring game at $40 would attract far less controversy. At launch price for a PS5 exclusive, critics are asking whether this is essential. Most are saying no, not at full price.

It is not a broken game. No reviewer is describing widespread bugs, performance failures, or empty content. The criticism is structural — a linear action game that plays it safe next to the studio's ambition on Spider-Man.

Community Reaction

The release comes with measured expectations. Wolverine fans who wanted a character-specific, combat-focused story — closer to God of War than Spider-Man — appear to be the most satisfied segment of the audience based on early social media response. Those who expected an open-world superhero game matching Spider-Man 2's scope have been explicitly disappointed.

VGC's review praised the narrative but called the gameplay uninspired. Kotaku's framing of "refreshingly straightforward" signals a game that does a limited set of things well, rather than one that attempts and achieves a lot.

Buying Guide

Marvel's Wolverine launches September 15, 2026, exclusively on PS5. More details at PlayStation.com.

Sources

• ▶Marvel's Wolverine reviews: PS5 game scores 77 on Metacritic — Tbreak, September 12, 2026
• ▶Relentless Momentum (review) — Game Informer, September 10, 2026
• ▶Marvel's Wolverine official page — PlayStation