IGN wrote that the boss fights were "big and exciting... full of tense action". They criticized a few, however, for feeling simplistic and said that because of their focus during the beginning and end of the story, there were large portions in the middle where boss fights were noticeably absent. [2] GameSpot praised the ability to use different suit powers independently from their original outfits. [105] Game Informer said the stealth sections that include the ability to play as Mary Jane Watson and Miles Morales "bring variety in fun ways, including solid stealth mechanics and clever puzzles". [103] GameSpot said that while they felt the mechanics were not particularly demanding, they thought the segments featured "some memorably tense scenarios". [105] In contrast, VideoGamer.com described them as "a bit hit-and-miss... and a bit grating at times". [108]

Reviewers praised the gameplay mechanics; the web-swinging traversal, in particular, received unanimous acclaim. EGMNOW said it was a more streamlined version of the physics-based system used in Spider-Man 2 (2004), [102] while GameRevolution praised the way it conveyed speed and movement. [104] Game Informer said web-swinging was so much fun that they never used the game's fast-travel system. [103] PC Gamer found that the mouse and keyboard controls on Windows were comparable—and, in some cases, superior—to the PlayStation controller. [107] Hawkins, Josh (September 2018). "How to Get Crime Tokens in Spider-Man". Prima Games. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019 . Retrieved January 2, 2019.

Schwellenbach, Ashley (August 11, 2018). "Coming Soon: Pop! Games: Marvel's Spider-Man Pop!". Funko. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020 . Retrieved August 11, 2020. Schreier, Jason (December 20, 2018). "Surprise: The 'Sam Raimi' Suit Is Now In Spider-Man PS4". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018 . Retrieved January 1, 2019. Tailby, Stephen (December 30, 2018). "Game of the Year 2018: #3 – Marvel's Spider-Man". Push Square. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019 . Retrieved January 29, 2019. Khan, Zarmena (September 15, 2018). "Insomniac Games Wants to Keep Players Engaged in Its Spider-Man Universe". PlayStation LifeStyle. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019 . Retrieved January 26, 2019.

Arif, Shabana (September 10, 2018). "Marvel's Spider-Man: Insomniac Offers To Remove The World's 'Saddest Easter Egg' ". IGN. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019 . Retrieved January 24, 2019. Parkin, Jeffrey (September 12, 2018). "Spider-Man PS4 fighting guide". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019 . Retrieved January 5, 2019.O'Connor, James (June 14, 2016). "Insomniac Games is making a Spider-Man game". VG247. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018 . Retrieved January 17, 2019. Chapman, Tom (October 2, 2018). "Into the Spider-Verse Trailer Has Spider-Man PS4 Costume Easter Egg". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018 . Retrieved October 3, 2018. Hurley, Leon (September 4, 2018). "Marvel's Spider-Man Review: "About As Good As Superhero Gaming Gets" ". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 22, 2018 . Retrieved September 5, 2018. Stevenson, James (August 28, 2019). "Marvel's Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition Available Today". PlayStation Blog. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019 . Retrieved August 29, 2019.