It should come as no surprise that The Incredible Hulk has a fair share of video game adaptations. His relentless "smash everything" style naturally lends itself toward beat 'em up and fighting games. Yet it may surprise fans to know that while The Incredible Hulk entered the video game world way back in 1984, he hasn't been the main focus of a video game title in well over a decade.
With the debut episode of She-Hulk on Disney+, interest in The Incredible Hulk and related characters is at an all-time high. However, due to the poor reception of many of his standalone titles, fans may be better served seeking out Hulk-related fun in Avengers and broader Marvel-focused games.
S-Tier
- The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction: The lone entry in the S-tier for standalone Hulk game is in an open world with a destructible environment. While Hulk games are fairly straightforward, Ultimate Destruction is about as simple as it gets in the best way. Its exploration and side missions are reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto, but players are in control of The Hulk and can wield a tank in lieu of a baseball bat.
- Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes: As a testament to its staying power, it has been two decades since release, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 arcade cabinets are still in demand. For a lot of inveterate fighting game fans, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is the pinnacle of the genre, and Hulk is easily one of the most enjoyable characters on the roster.
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is one of the brand's best-selling titles, and the enormous roster of fan-favorite heroes including Bruce Banner - and a rare She-Hulk video game appearance - are integral to that.
A-Tier
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance: The first Ultimate Alliance title is a great example of a successful Marvel game with an ensemble cast. Unfortunately, Hulk is one of the more simplistic characters to use, but the entire Ultimate Alliance experience slots it firmly in A-tier.
- Marvel vs. Capcom: The first Marvel vs. Capcom is actually the third game that pits the two franchises against one another, and it's also the second in the series to feature The Incredible Hulk. While it doesn't shine as brightly as its successor, the original is responsible for fans calling for more Marvel vs. Capcom games to this day.
- Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds / Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Much like the original, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 holds its own but could never reach the glory of Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Ultimate was also the first time the series received an official PC port, which still has an active modding community to this day. Hulk fans can pit him against any character they can imagine, even characters from Monster Hunter.
B-Tier
- Hulk: Unfortunately, Hulk is a game best remembered for being overly simplistic and frustrating at times. Still, it's an example of a game that almost got Hulk right. It's one of the few games where players actually take control of Bruce Banner, albeit during boring stealth missions, but it may act as an important blueprint for future titles to actually explore both sides of The Hulk.
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2: The majority of fans could probably flip a coin between the original Ultimate Alliance and its sequel. The sequel improved on sometimes monotonous fighting, but at the expense of nuance found in the original.
C-Tier
- Questprobe featuring The Hulk: Despite being the game that started it all, Questprobe featuring The Hulk barely makes C-tier. It's a fine graphic adventure, but even when compared to its contemporaries, it simply doesn't hold up. While the visuals can't be questioned, Questprobe featuring The Hulk is too simple a game to be of much interest to modern fans.
- The Incredible Hulk (1994): Despite being a fine platformer beat 'em up that boasted a plethora of interesting moves for Hulk, as a platformer on the SNES and Genesis, there were too many alternate options that are superior experiences.
- The Incredible Hulk (2008): Despite the fact that the console releases and Nintendo DS version are wildly different, they both suffer from the same problem: they're tedious, boring, and rather uninventive. The same formula as Ultimate Destruction is attempted here, but done much worse.
D-Tier
- The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga: There's not much to redeem The Pantheon Saga. It's one of those odd games where the player is constantly trying to ascertain their relative position to enemies, ledges, and everything else. It's a nightmare of clunky gameplay, and might arguably be up there with the worst PlayStation 1 games of all time.
- The Incredible Hulk: Rampage!: Like most bad Hulk games, Rampage! is fun for about 10 minutes. It's an isometric mobile game that feels completely lifeless due to its shallow repetition of about two attacks and five sound effects.