Almost everyone has imagined what it would be like to be a superhero. While we often experience this through comics, movies, and cartoons, video games offer the most immersive way to fulfill that fantasy. You can not only play as established heroes like Batman or Spider-Man, but some games even allow you to design a completely original superhero, choosing their costume, shaping their personality, and influencing their adventures. It’s not just about playing as a hero—you become the hero.
While the idea is popular, surprisingly few games allow you to create and play as your own original superhero. Most games focus on characters from existing franchises like Marvel or DC. Though it’s fun to play as those well-known heroes, there’s something unique about building a hero from scratch. So, let’s take a look at the games that let you do exactly that.
I debated whether to rank these games by how good their character customization is, or by their overall quality. In the end, I decided to focus on overall quality. But I also added a separate section at the end that ranks the games based only on how well they let you create superheroes.
8. Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich
A Cult Classic Game With A Power-Focused Superhero Creator
Even though they’re a bit old-fashioned now, the Freedom Force games offer a fantastic look back at classic gaming and comic books. They’re old-school real-time strategy games where you focus on managing a team and improving their abilities. But more than that, they’re packed with loving references to Silver Age Marvel comics. If you enjoy that era of comics, you’ll really appreciate all the nods to it, and you’ll also find the games have pretty good stories.
I really enjoyed the first game, but the sequel, Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich, is a step up! What I loved most was the awesome team of original superheroes you unlock as you play. They each have their own cool personalities and powers that feel like a fun wink to classic comic book characters – honestly, there’s no real need to make your own heroes. But if you’re feeling creative, you totally can! The customization isn’t super focused on looks, but you can build a totally unique fighter by tweaking the pre-made heroes, mostly by changing their stats and powers. And there are so many powers to choose from – it’s really expansive!
7. Champions Online
An Extensive Superhero Customizer In A Solid MMO
MMOs are a great fit for creating unique characters, and even though the genre isn’t as popular as it once was, Champions Online is still active. You can join the game through its official website. What really stands out is the character creator – it lets you build truly original heroes based on their abilities, not traditional classes. While the number of skills isn’t huge, you can customize most of them to make them your own. Plus, no superhero is complete without a great costume, and Champions Online offers incredible options. You can design characters that look like they jumped straight out of a comic book, or go for a completely unusual style you wouldn’t typically see in Marvel or DC stories.
I spent a lot of time discussing customization because it’s what Champions Online does best. While the combat, quests, and world are okay, they aren’t particularly impressive, and the game definitely shows its age with a weak story and uninspired environments. I still think it’s worth playing, but you’ll probably only enjoy it if you’re a fan of both superheroes and massively multiplayer online games.
6. Lego DC Super-Villains
Create Your Own DC Villain (Who Mostly Acts As A Hero)
I’m a huge fan of Lego games, and they always have tons of characters to unlock, so you never really need to create your own. But Lego DC Super-Villains did something different! They not only let you design your own character, but the whole story revolves around you as a brand new villain. I was really surprised by how much you can customize – you get to pick and choose Lego pieces to build exactly the DC bad guy you want. Your powers change as the story goes on, but you even get to choose which abilities you want your villain to have, which is pretty cool!
You can play Lego DC Super-Villains with a friend, and both players can create their own unique characters. However, only one custom villain can be used while playing the main story – the other is available in Free Play mode.
Okay, so Lego DC Super-Villains is pretty much what you’d expect from a Lego game – it definitely feels like it’s built on the same stuff as Lego Batman. It’s easy to pick up and play, and honestly, the fighting and puzzles are genuinely fun. What’s cool is you actually play as the villains this time, since the Justice League is gone, and the story is surprisingly good for a Lego game. It’s not super deep gameplay-wise, but being able to create and play as your own custom villain really adds something special, and it makes the whole experience worthwhile.
5. DC Universe Online
The Best DC Game For Creating A Custom Superhero
I really like the team behind Lego DC Super-Villains, but when I play, it feels more like I’m building a Lego figure than actually being a DC villain. Luckily, DC Universe Online gets it right! I can create the hero or villain I’ve always imagined, totally customizing their powers, weapons, how they move, and what they wear. It really feels like my own unique character. Now, you can’t tweak every little thing about their powers, so they might share some basic abilities with other players’ characters. But honestly, the player base isn’t huge anymore, so I haven’t run into anyone who’s a complete copy of my creation yet!
Similar to games like Champions Online, DC Universe Online feels like a classic MMO – it has many of the familiar features of older games. While the gameplay can become repetitive, the combat is fun, and raids offer a nice change of pace. Despite having the potential to create epic stories with its DC Comics license, the game doesn’t try anything particularly ambitious and doesn’t focus heavily on storytelling.
4. City of Heroes
The Best Superhero MMO With A Stellar Character Creator
The character creation in City of Heroes is exceptional, not just for superhero games, but compared to many other online games known for their customization options. What sets it apart is how seamlessly character design, powers, leveling up, and the game world all work together to create a truly immersive superhero experience. The developers really understood what players wanted from a superhero fantasy and built an incredibly detailed costume creator – many consider it the best ever made. You have almost limitless freedom to design your hero exactly how you envision them.
Even with typical MMO drawbacks, City of Heroes boasts a consistently themed and well-developed world, and its character progression allows for a lot of different playstyles. The game features two main story paths – one for heroes and one for villains – along with smaller stories focusing on individual characters or enriching the game’s setting. While the storytelling isn’t overly complex, the writing effectively makes you feel like a central figure, even in a world full of powerful characters.
Although the original City of Heroes game shut down in 2012, fans can still enjoy it thanks to two projects: City of Heroes Homecoming Server and City of Heroes Rebirth. Homecoming lets you play the classic game as it was, while Rebirth is a new game inspired by the original.
3. Marvel’s Midnight Suns
A Polished Tactical RPG That Is Frequently Marvelous
When it comes to games where you design your own hero, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is likely the highest quality option available. However, its strategic gameplay isn’t for everyone, and you really need to enjoy that style of combat to get invested. While you can customize their powers, the game’s custom hero, ‘The Hunter,’ feels a bit bland and doesn’t quite fit in with the famous Marvel characters. They often feel more like a minor character than a hero you truly created yourself.
If you enjoy the way the battles play and the character interactions, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a really fun game that successfully combines strategic thinking, a sense of being a powerful hero, and a good story. The turn-based combat uses a card system where the actions your heroes can take depend on the cards they draw. It might feel a little different at first, but the combat is surprisingly deep and very enjoyable. Plus, the story is solid, and you even get to spend time with Wolverine!
2. Saints Row 4
The Best Open-World Game That Lets You Create A Custom Superhero
While you technically play as the President of the United States in Saints Row 4, you quickly gain superhero-like powers. The game is wonderfully over-the-top and intentionally silly, prioritizing fun over realism. You’ll have the strength of Superman and the speed of the Flash, and surprisingly, your fists are often more effective than the weapons you collect. Even though this game is where the Saints Row series went completely wild, it’s still incredibly enjoyable to play.
As you’d expect from a Saints Row game, the character customization is excellent, offering tons of ways to change your character’s appearance. However, you’re not creating a typical superhero. The game doesn’t treat your character as a superhero – their powers are what give them that label, not their personality or how they look. Also, you can’t choose what those powers do.
1. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
The Best Game That Lets You Create A “Superhero”
In South Park: The Fractured But Whole, you join the kids’ imaginative adventures, and it’s a blast! The game follows up on The Stick of Truth, putting you in the role of the new kid caught up in the chaos of South Park—this time, a superhero feud. While it playfully references the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the game still delivers a solid story that perfectly captures the spirit of South Park, though it might not be as deeply insightful as the show’s strongest installments.
While not overly extensive, the character customization focuses on the details that really matter – how your hero looks, their name, and their abilities. These choices aren’t just cosmetic; the game world and other characters react to them, making you feel truly connected to your protagonist. The combat is turn-based, simple to learn, but offers surprising strategic depth, and you’ll find the same is true for how you develop your character’s skills.
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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2026-01-15 00:06