Marvel's Wolverine launched today on PS5, and the gap between what critics think and what players actually feel is already massive. On the PlayStation Store, the game is sitting at 4.84 out of 5 stars from over 6,400 user reviews. Scaled to 100, that puts player sentiment at roughly 97 out of 100.
The Metascore from 117 critic reviews sits at 77. That's a 20-point gap on day one.
A 20-point gap that's hard to ignore
Here's the thing: a split like this isn't unusual for high-profile exclusives, but 20 points is a significant distance. The pre-launch period for Marvel's Wolverine was rough. Critics were not kind, and social media spent the days leading up to release arguing about whether reviewers were too harsh or whether Insomniac Games had genuinely missed the mark.
The players who actually bought the game are telling a different story. To leave a rating on the PlayStation Store, you have to have purchased the title. These aren't protest votes from people who never played it. Whether those 6,400+ reviewers finished the game is a separate question, since a purchase is all that's required to rate, and the game launched today.
So take the number for what it is: an early snapshot of buyer sentiment, not a final verdict.
What Insomniac built and why players are connecting with it
Marvel's Wolverine is a linear, story-driven action game set in an original narrative where Logan rejoins Team X and travels across locations including Canada, Japan, and Madripoor. The combat leans into exactly what you'd want from a Wolverine game: brutal, visceral, and built around the fantasy of being nearly unkillable while tearing through enemies with adamantium claws.
The story pits Logan against a threat targeting mutants, forcing him to confront his past while fighting to protect others. It's not trying to be Spider-Man. It's a focused, character-driven experience, and based on the early player response, that focus is landing.
Our in-depth review of Marvel's Wolverine breaks down exactly where the game succeeds and where it falls short compared to Insomniac's previous work.
Early numbers, but not meaningless
The 6,400+ reviews will keep climbing as more players finish the game and return to rate it. User scores on PlayStation Store tend to stabilize over the first week, so the current 4.84 could shift in either direction. Some of those early 5-star ratings may come from fans who were already invested enough to buy on day one, which skews the sample toward the enthusiastic end.
That said, the disconnect between press reception and player reception is real and worth watching. Critics pointed to the game's linearity and its position in Insomniac's catalog as reasons for the 77 Metascore. Players appear to be judging it on different terms, specifically whether it delivers a satisfying Wolverine experience, and the early answer is yes.
If you're planning to go for full completion, the Marvel's Wolverine trophy list covers every achievement and what you'll need to hit platinum.
