Insomniac has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to reply to a fan asking whether Spider-Man, the popular Marvel character, would ever make its way to Xbox.
The answer probably is not what Xbox fans were hoping for. However, history paints a more complicated picture. Platform strategies change. Public statements age. And with the next generation of Xbox approaching, this entire debate may end up being moot anyway.
So, let’s break down exactly what Insomniac said, whether that stance can be taken at face value, and why Spider-Man arriving on Xbox one day might not be as impossible as it sounds.
What insomniac actually said
Seemingly out of nowhere, Insomniac chose to crush the hopes of many Xbox fans, myself included.
Replying to a fan on X who asked whether Spider-Man would make the leap to Xbox, as it eventually did to PC, the studio kept things brief. It simply responded, “Not likely.”
Spider-Man will VERY LIKELY be on Xbox starting 2027 and beyond. https://t.co/MbBaVRQimX pic.twitter.com/mU1xoCkOeAFebruary 15, 2026
That might sound definitive, but history suggests we should be careful about taking platform statements at face value.
Back in 2017, Insomniac made a very similar claim, stating that Spider-Man would never appear on Xbox or PC. We all know how that turned out. The entire trilogy is now playable on PC via Steam.
And it is not the first time fans have been told an Xbox port was unlikely, only for things to change later.
Helldivers 2 faced similar questions about a potential Xbox release. Arrowhead, the game’s developer, suggested that Phil Spencer, Executive Vice President of Gaming at Microsoft, and Sony would need to “duke it out,” implying it was improbable.
Less than a year later, the game arrived on Xbox, with Sony itself ultimately pushing the port to happen.
Why it doesn’t ultimately matter
Whether Sony decides to port Spider-Man to Xbox directly is one conversation. What matters more is what next generation hardware could realistically enable.
The next generation of Xbox is reported to be built far closer to a full Windows PC, according to reporting by our own Jez Corden. If that proves accurate, what Xbox defines as a console could fundamentally shift.
That change would potentially open the door to third-party storefronts. Epic Games has already commented on plans to bring its storefront to Xbox, while Steam has not publicly confirmed any similar move, however, given the nature of PC, installing Steam wouldbe possible.
If a Windows-based Xbox PC does materialize, access to PC storefronts could fundamentally change how we define “exclusive.”
Right now, PlayStation titles available on Steam include:
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Horizon Forbidden West
- God of War
- God of War Ragnarök
- Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- The Last of Us Part I
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
- Days Gone
- Returnal
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure
- Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut
- Until Dawn
- Detroit: Become Human
- Heavy Rain
- Beyond: Two Souls
Wolverine, Ghost of Yotei, and any other PlayStation “exclusives” that eventually make their way to PC would also be available on the next-gen Xbox this way.
For older titles like Spider-Man, the equation is slightly different. If Sony was encouraged by Helldivers 2’s performance on Xbox, it could view legacy releases as an opportunity to further capitalize on the Xbox ecosystem, much like it did with Helldivers 2.
It is also worth remembering that Marathon, an upcoming PlayStation title, is already set to launch day and date on Xbox, a platform that consistently shows strong engagement for shooters.
Do you think Spider-Man will ever officially land on Xbox, or will next-generation hardware make the question irrelevant? Let us know in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:
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