How Many Hours of Gameplay is Marvel‘s Spider-Man on PS4?

Marvel‘s Spider-Man on PlayStation 4 offers around 17 hours of story content for the average player. Those looking to complete all side missions, collectibles, and DLC can spend over 50 hours web slinging around Manhattan. Let‘s take a deeper look at how long this amazing superhero adventure lasts.

Main Story Length

Focusing solely on core story missions, most players can expect to take around 17-18 hours to finish Spider-Man‘s main campaign. This includes all cutscenes and major battles against classic villains like Kingpin, Electro, Vulture, Rhino, and more.

For comparison, the average PS4 game takes 15-20 hours to beat. Open world games traditionally offer longer playtimes, so Spider-Man is right in line with similar titles.

Completionist Playtime

Players wanting to complete all side content alongside the main story can expect their playtime to jump up to 35-40 hours. This includes finding all 55 Backpacks, taking photos of 50 Landmarks, completing side missions like helping Harry Osborn, and stopping random crimes around the city.

According to data aggregated on HowLongToBeat, dedicated players doing absolutely everything possible can stretch their gameplay out to around 43-50 hours for full 100% completion.

Here‘s a breakdown of how different playstyles affect Spider-Man PS4‘s length:

Playstyle	Hours
Main Story	17-18
Main + Extras	35-40
Completionist	43-50

So while the critical path isn‘t very long, Insomniac packed Spider-Man full of extra content for players who want more Spidey action.

Post-Launch DLC Length

After launch, Spider-Man on PS4 received three paid DLC expansions that added new story missions, crimes, challenges, and suits:

• The Heist (Black Cat): 2-3 hours
• Turf Wars (Hammerhead): 2-3 hours
• Silver Lining (Silver Sable): 2-3 hours

Each DLC chapter offers another 2-3 hours of gameplay focused on wrapping up loose ends from the main game. Together, "The City That Never Sleeps" saga takes place after the core storyline and adds about 7-10 extra hours for those who want more of Insomniac‘s Spider-Man universe.

100% completing the DLC pushes total completion time for Spider-Man PS4 to around 55 hours, giving Spidey fans tons of content to keep web swinging.

Gameplay, Story, and Features

Satisfying Web Swinging

The crown jewel of Spider-Man PS4 is the exceptional web swinging mechanic. Swinging through the concrete jungle of New York City never gets old. Chaining together zips, swings, and tricks while seamlessly transitioning between motions is intuitive and smooth.

Combat and missions stay varied enough to avoid repetition. But most players will happily spend hours just traversing and exploring the open world thanks to the sublime web swinging.

Cinematic Blockbuster Story

Spider-Man features a dramatic, cinematic narrative more akin to a Marvel movie than a typical video game. Top-notch performances from actors like Yuri Lowenthal and Laura Bailey help bring the characters to life.

The story taps into classic Spider-Man lore while crafting an original tale focusing on more personal relationships. The dynamic between Peter Parker and characters like Aunt May, Mary Jane, and Miles Morales is a highlight.

Jam-Packed Open World

Insomniac crammed New York City full of collectibles, side activities, random events, challenges, and sights to see. Unlocking skills and new Spider-Man suits provides plenty of incentives to keep exploring.

From science labs and art galleries to famous landmarks, the world is bursting with detail and personality. Players can easily spend hours just swinging around stopping crimes and taking photos without ever progressing the story.

Polished Combat System

Fighting as Spider-Man feels responsive and impactful thanks to the refined combat mechanics. Dodging and countering enemy attacks before returning devastating finishers makes Spidey look and feel like an experienced superhero.

The open approach to combining moves, gadgets, and environmental objects keeps encounters exciting. Unlocking new skills expands Spidey‘s repertoire of acrobatic attacks resulting in continuously enjoyable combat.

Comparison to Other Superhero Games

The Arkham series from Rocksteady set a high benchmark for open world superhero games. How does Spider-Man on PS4 stack up?

Web swinging gives Spidey‘s traversal a level of freedom and momentum that Batman gliding can‘t match. Exploring the city as Spider-Man never gets old thanks to the satisfying movement.

Combat and stealth feel extremely polished in both games. Gadgets help diversify sneaking and battling enemies. Spider-Man‘s improvisational flair gives him an edge over Batman‘s more methodical approach.

Story and characters are a toss up. The Arkham games feature an exceptional Batman narrative, but Spider-Man‘s personal relationships and acting performances are also stellar. Both series nail the characters.

Open worlds are packed with details and Easter eggs fans will love. Gotham City features some very cool indoor locations, while Marvel‘s New York City offers a lively, bustling metropolis.

Overall, Spider-Man on PS4 can go toe-to-toe with the Batman Arkham series in terms of quality and fun. It proudly carries the torch for open world superhero games.

Development and Technology

Spider-Man PS4 was developed by Insomniac Games over the course of around 4 years. Development reportedly cost between $100-$150 million, on par with blockbuster movies.

The proprietary game engine allowed Insomniac to create an interactive Manhattan with impressive visual fidelity and technical feats like seamless transitions between swinging and combat.

Motion capture technology was used to faithfully replicate performances and give characters realistic movements and facial expressions that enhance the cinematic storytelling.

Developing such an ambitious superhero game was no easy feat. But Insomniac‘s passion for the character and technical prowess allowed them to deliver an authentic Spider-Man experience.

Spin-Offs and Sequel Hype

Spider-Man on PS4 spawned a few spin-off titles on other platforms:

• Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020) – A standalone expansion for PS5 starring Miles Morales that offers about 7-10 hours of gameplay.

• Spider-Man Remastered (2022) – An enhanced remaster for PC with improved graphics, ray-tracing, and DLSS support.

• Spider-Man 2 (2024) – A highly anticipated sequel scheduled for 2024 on PS5 co-starring Venom that continues the story.

Miles Morales provided a smaller scale, but no less heartfelt Spidey adventure. The upcoming Spider-Man 2 promises to be even bigger and better thanks to the power of new hardware like the PS5.

After the masterful first game, my hopes are high that Insomniac can deliver another slam dunk spider adventure with the sequel.

Is Spider-Man PS5 Worth It?

For players who already experienced Spider-Man on PS4, the PS5 remaster offers:

• Improved visuals up to 4K/60fps with ray tracing
• Faster loading times
• DualSense controller haptic feedback
• Bonus Peter Parker face model

The core gameplay and content remains mostly unchanged. So the upgrade is hard to recommend for those who already played the PS4 original.

However, the remastered version is absolutely the definitive way to experience Marvel‘s Spider-Man. The PS5 enhancements make web swinging around Insomniac‘s beautiful Manhattan even more immersive.

If you don‘t mind replaying this amazing adventure with some nice graphical upgrades, Spider-Man Remastered on PS5 is worth considering. But Xbox and PC owners should probably just opt for the excellent PC port instead.

TL;DR Summary

• Average playtime is around 17 hours for the main story and 40 hours completing extras
• DLC expansions add 7-10 more hours of content
• Web swinging, story, combat, and open world are expertly designed
• Stands tall next to the Batman Arkham series as a standard for superhero games
• Took over 4 years and a massive budget to develop
• PS5 remaster improves visuals and performance but doesn‘t add much new content
• Highly anticipated sequel coming 2023 for PS5 and PC

With its exhilarating web swinging, blockbuster storytelling, and refined gameplay, Spider-Man expertly captures the wonderful essence of everyone‘s favorite wall-crawler. Let‘s hope the 2023 sequel can recreate the same magic!