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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →If you mean the first published superhero videogame, start with Superman for the Atari 2600, released initially in December 1978 and produced more widely in January 1979. The often-mentioned “1940 Superman game” date does not match the authoritative record: Guinness World Records identifies Atari’s game as the first published superhero videogame.
After that historical baseline, play Spider-Man (Atari 2600) for another compact console experiment, Superman: The Game on Commodore 64/128 for a stranger versus interpretation, Batman (1989) for platform action, and the 1990s X-Men arcade game for large-scale cooperative combat. The right order depends on whether you value historical importance, solo challenge, movie-style action, or multiplayer.
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First, correct the date: the Atari 2600 game is the useful starting point
The phrase “1940 Superman game” is historically ambiguous. The authoritative records cited for this subject do not identify a 1940 videogame as the first superhero release. Guinness World Records records Atari’s Superman as initially released in December 1978, followed by wider full production in January 1979. It also credits John Dunn’s design and describes the game as the first published superhero to feature in a videogame.
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That correction matters because every recommendation below follows the technology and design ideas that came after Atari’s experiment. A 1978/79 Atari 2600 cartridge is not trying to deliver a scrolling cinematic adventure. It treats Superman as a movement, navigation and objective problem: find what must be repaired or rescued, avoid a specific hazard, and return to the right destination.
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Dunn explained his motivation in the quotation recorded by Guinness World Records: “Superman was my favourite comic-book hero from childhood so I thought doing a game based on this character would be cool.” The result is historically important precisely because it translates a comic-book identity into rules rather than merely displaying a licensed character.
1. Superman (Atari 2600, 1978/1979): play the milestone before anything else
What you actually do
Guinness describes Superman racing to capture Lex Luthor and return to the Daily Planet. The Superman Homepage catalogue adds the other central objectives: rebuild a bridge, rescue Lois Lane and capture Lex Luthor. Those tasks turn the cartridge into an early action-adventure rather than a simple score-attack game.
The game uses an open map spread across multiple screens. You move through that space, change disguise when needed, deal with kryptonite as a hazard and complete rescue or repair objectives. The map-and-mission structure is the important idea to notice: progress comes from understanding where objectives are and how they relate, not from defeating a long sequence of enemies.
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- Historical importance: It is the Atari milestone identified by Guinness World Records as the first published superhero videogame.
- Mission design: Bridge repair, Lois Lane’s rescue and Lex Luthor’s capture give the game several objective types.
- Power representation: Superman’s disguise change, map mobility and vulnerability to kryptonite become mechanics.
- Compact challenge: Primitive presentation leaves you to infer routes and priorities from the play field.
Its controls and presentation feel primitive by later standards, but that is part of the historical lesson. You can see an early designer deciding which pieces of a superhero fantasy can fit into an Atari 2600 rule set.
Who should start here
Choose this first if you care about videogame history, early licensed design or short sessions built around navigation. Do not begin here expecting the responsive combat, animation or cinematic staging associated with later superhero games. The reward is seeing the template before later games specialized it.
How to play the Atari 2600 Superman game today
Original cartridge route
For a physical search, use the query “Atari 2600 Superman game cartridge.” Listings may be original cartridges, reproductions, manuals or bundles, so identify exactly what is included before buying. Check that the cartridge is compatible with Atari 2600 hardware and inspect the condition of both the label and connector. A listing that includes a manual is not necessarily an original complete package, and a reproduction should be described as such.
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Hardware checklist
- Confirm that your console accepts Atari 2600 cartridges rather than a different Atari format.
- Ask whether the item is an original cartridge or a reproduction.
- Check photographs for label wear, corrosion or damaged plastic.
- Verify that any included manual belongs to the game and is not simply a generic bundle insert.
- If you do not own an original console, look for Atari 2600-compatible retro hardware and confirm cartridge support before purchase.
Emulation is another practical way to study the game, provided you use software and game images obtained in accordance with the laws and terms that apply where you live. Whichever method you choose, the objective is to experience the map and mission structure directly; videos do not make the route-finding problem as clear as playing it.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2. Spider-Man (Atari 2600, 1982): the natural same-platform follow-up
A focused climbing challenge
ABC’s retrospective describes Spider-Man as a game in which Spider-Man climbs a skyscraper while the Green Goblin tries to knock him down. That premise gives you a clean contrast with Superman: instead of an open map with several rescue and repair objectives, the central problem is vertical movement under pressure.
The Atari 2600 hardware remains the common point, so the visual language is compact and abstract. The difference is structural. Superman asks you to navigate a mission space; Spider-Man asks you to maintain a climb while an opponent disrupts your position.
Why play it second
- Immediate comparison: You can feel how the same console produces a different superhero challenge.
- Clear antagonist pressure: The Green Goblin’s attempt to knock you down gives the climb a simple, readable threat.
- Short-session appeal: The single central action is easy to understand without a long manual or story setup.
Play Spider-Man immediately after Superman if you want to study how licensed games moved from map objectives toward a concentrated action loop. It is also the better choice when you want a direct, repeatable challenge rather than an exploratory one.
3. Superman: The Game (Commodore 64/128, 1985): the historical oddity
Two playable sides
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History records Superman: The Game as a 1985 release intended for Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 computers. First Star Software made it, and the defining twist is that players can compete as Superman or Darkseid.
This is not simply a more powerful version of the Atari cartridge. The computer platform and versus premise produce a different interpretation of the license. Rather than treating Superman as a lone hero completing a route of rescues, the game frames the character conflict as a contest between opposing sides.
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Why choose it
- Computer-history value: It shows a mid-1980s home-computer approach to a superhero license.
- Role reversal: Darkseid is playable, giving the antagonist an active place in the rules.
- Curiosity factor: Its historical interest comes from the alternate interpretation, not from matching later action-game polish.
Choose this after the Atari games if you enjoy unusual adaptations, computer platforms or versus scenarios. It is a poor substitute if your priority is a conventional solo Superman adventure, because the Smithsonian description specifically emphasizes competition as Superman or Darkseid.
4. Batman (1989 movie tie-in): the bridge to platform action
What changes from the Atari experiments
ABC’s retrospective describes the Batman game tied to Tim Burton’s 1989 film as platform-jumping action in which Batman throws batarangs against the Joker. The character’s tools are therefore expressed through movement and an attack, rather than Superman’s navigation and rescue objectives or Spider-Man’s climb.
The movie connection also marks a shift in how superhero games could borrow a recognizable visual identity. Batman’s platform jumps and batarangs give you an immediately legible action loop: move through platforms, use the signature projectile and confront the Joker.
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Pick this one when you want the most conventional action structure in the recommended sequence. It is the natural bridge between early cartridge experiments and later licensed games that organize play around platform movement, attacks and a film-based villain.
Do not select it because you expect a definitive Batman simulation. The cited description establishes platform jumping, batarang throwing and the Joker as the core comparison points; it does not establish a review score, sales result or broader performance ranking.
5. X-Men arcade game (1990s): choose this for cooperative scale
Why multiplayer defines the choice
ABC notes that the 1990s X-Men arcade brawler could support up to six players. That capacity is the clearest reason to choose it: the game’s defining feature in this sequence is not a solo map, a vertical climb or a one-on-one scenario, but the ability to bring a large group into the same fight.
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As an arcade brawler, it represents another major direction for superhero design. The Atari games compress a hero into a small home-console ruleset. The Commodore game frames a contest between two sides. Batman emphasizes platform action. X-Men turns superhero play into a shared arcade event whose appeal increases when several people coordinate at once.
When to put it first instead
If you are organizing a gathering, start with X-Men rather than following the historical order. Up to six-player support makes it the practical choice for cooperative play. If you are playing alone and want to understand the lineage of superhero mechanics, keep it fifth so the contrast with the earlier solo-focused experiments is visible.
Side-by-side comparison
| Game | Platform and year | Core structure | How powers or identity appear | Play format described in the cited record | Best reason to choose it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superman | Atari 2600; initial release December 1978, wider production January 1979 | Open map and multiple mission objectives | Disguise change, kryptonite hazard, rescue and repair tasks | Individual hero mission | Historical first and early action-adventure design |
| Spider-Man | Atari 2600; 1982 | Climb a skyscraper while resisting a knockdown threat | Spider-Man’s climbing identity; Green Goblin as active opposition | Individual climbing challenge | Direct same-console follow-up with a focused action loop |
| Superman: The Game | Commodore 64/128; 1985 | Competitive scenario | Superman and Darkseid are opposing playable sides | Compete as Superman or Darkseid | Computer-history curiosity and role reversal |
| Batman (1989 movie tie-in) | Platform not stated in the cited ABC description; 1989 tie-in | Platform jumping and projectile attacks | Batarangs and the Joker | Not stated in the cited description | Movie-era platform action |
| X-Men arcade game | Arcade; 1990s | Cooperative brawler | Team-based superhero combat | Up to six players, according to ABC | Large-group cooperative play |
Which game should you play first?
If historical importance is your priority
Play Superman first, then Spider-Man. The pair lets you compare an open mission map with a focused climb while staying on the Atari 2600. Add the Commodore title to see how the Superman license changed when the design became a competitive computer scenario.
If you want the most immediately recognizable action
Start with Batman. Platform jumps, batarangs and the Joker communicate the objective quickly, making it easier to approach than Superman’s map and mission logic.
If you are playing with a group
Choose the X-Men arcade game. Its support for up to six players is the only recommendation here built around that scale of shared play.
If you want an unusual interpretation
Choose Superman: The Game on Commodore 64/128. Playing as either Superman or Darkseid makes it the outlier in the sequence and the strongest pick for readers interested in how different platforms reinterpret the same comic-book conflict.
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A practical play order for a short retro marathon
- Begin with Superman (Atari 2600). Learn the open map, locate the mission objectives and experience the cartridge Guinness identifies as the first published superhero videogame.
- Switch to Spider-Man (Atari 2600). Compare Superman’s navigation with a skyscraper climb threatened by the Green Goblin.
- Play Superman: The Game (Commodore 64/128). Look for the design change created by a Superman-versus-Darkseid scenario.
- Move to Batman (1989 movie tie-in). Focus on how platform movement and batarangs create a more conventional action pattern.
- Finish with the X-Men arcade game. Add friends and use its up-to-six-player support to end with cooperative brawler play.
This order is historical rather than a claim that one game has a better score, larger audience or stronger commercial performance. No reliable comparative sales, review-score, audience-size or performance statistic is established for these recommendations, so the useful comparison is the kind of play each one offers.
What the sequence shows about retro superhero design
From objectives to signature actions
Superman makes the hero recognizable through objectives and hazards: rescue Lois Lane, rebuild a bridge, capture Lex Luthor, return to the Daily Planet and avoid kryptonite. Spider-Man reduces the concept to a signature action—climbing—then adds a villain who can knock the hero down. Batman pairs platform movement with the batarang. Each step chooses a different part of the character fantasy to make playable.
From solo experiments to social play
The Atari cartridges are compact individual challenges. The Commodore title introduces a competitive Superman-versus-Darkseid setup. The arcade X-Men game expands the idea again, making up to six-player cooperation its defining scale. The progression is not simply “better graphics”; it is a change in who the rules expect to be in the room.
Why limitations are useful to notice
Early hardware forces designers to prioritize. The Atari Superman game spends its limited vocabulary on a map, missions, disguise and kryptonite. Spider-Man spends it on vertical risk. Batman spends it on platform routes and a projectile. Looking at those trade-offs explains why retro superhero games can feel inventive even when their presentation is minimal.
Common questions before you start
Is there really a 1940 Superman videogame?
The authoritative record cited here does not support 1940 as the date of the first published superhero videogame. Guinness World Records places Atari’s Superman at an initial December 1978 release, with wider production in January 1979. Treat “1940” as a date discrepancy, then use the Atari game as the historical baseline.
Do I need an Atari 2600?
No. You can use original Atari 2600 hardware and a compatible cartridge, a compatible modern retro unit that accepts the cartridge format, or lawful emulation where available. For physical listings, confirm compatibility and whether you are receiving an original cartridge, a reproduction, a manual or a bundle.
Which game is the best old Spider-Man, Batman or X-Men choice?
For Spider-Man, choose the 1982 Atari 2600 game if you want a focused climb against the Green Goblin. For Batman, choose the 1989 movie tie-in if you want platform jumping and batarang attacks against the Joker. For X-Men, choose the 1990s arcade brawler when cooperative play—and specifically support for up to six players—is the deciding factor.
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Are these games interchangeable?
No. The Atari titles are compact map or action experiments, the Commodore game is a competitive scenario, Batman is platform action and X-Men is cooperative arcade combat. Select by the structure you want to play rather than by the shared superhero branding.
Bottom line
Play Atari’s Superman first for its status as the earliest published superhero videogame identified by Guinness World Records. Follow it with Atari’s Spider-Man, the Commodore 64/128 Superman: The Game, the 1989 Batman tie-in and the six-player-capable X-Men arcade brawler. Together they show five distinct answers to the same design question: how can a videogame make a comic-book hero’s identity playable?
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