The closer Marvel’s Wolverine gets to its September 15 release, the more difficult it becomes for Insomniac Games to keep anything about the game secret.
And now, one of the most important things that can happen before a major game launches has happened:
The first preview impressions are out early.
A leaked preview from Eurogamer, which appeared before its intended embargo date and was subsequently noticed by players online, has given fans an early idea of what to expect from Insomniac’s long-awaited Wolverine adventure. According to Notebookcheck’s report on the leak, the preview described the game as a solid action game, but also highlighted concerns surrounding its combat, story and relatively limited freedom.
That sounds worrying at first.
After all, this is the same Insomniac that delivered some of PlayStation’s most successful superhero games with Marvel’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2.
Expectations for Wolverine are therefore enormous.
But there’s an important distinction to make.
A game can be good without becoming Insomniac’s next masterpiece.
And that’s ultimately what this preview seems to suggest.
What Did the Leaked Marvel’s Wolverine Preview Say?
The preview paints a mixed picture.
The positive side is straightforward.
The game apparently delivers the kind of brutal action you’d expect from Wolverine, with combat taking center stage almost immediately. The preview also noted that the game transitions smoothly between gameplay and cinematic sequences, keeping Logan at the center of the experience.
The concerns are more interesting.
The preview reportedly criticized:
- Combat that can become repetitive
- Limited ways to approach some encounters
- A more linear structure
- A story that can feel predictable
- Character development that doesn’t always land
- Less freedom than players may expect after Spider-Man
Those criticisms aren’t necessarily deal-breakers.
But they’re important because they touch the exact areas where many players will compare Wolverine to Insomniac’s previous Marvel games.
Wolverine Was Never Going to Be Spider-Man
This is the first thing players need to remember.
Marvel’s Wolverine was never supposed to be Spider-Man 3 with claws.
PlayStation has repeatedly described Wolverine as a single-player, narrative-driven action-adventure, and it is explicitly not an open-world game.
That’s a fundamental difference.
Spider-Man’s gameplay is built around movement.
You swing across New York.
You jump between rooftops.
You discover activities.
You stop crimes.
You explore neighborhoods.
You collect items.
You complete side missions.
Wolverine doesn’t have that same gameplay fantasy.
His appeal is much more physical.
He walks into a hostile environment.
He tracks his enemies.
He gets close.
He tears through them.
Then he moves on.
A more linear structure actually makes sense for that character.
The Linear Design Could Be a Strength
The leaked preview’s criticism of the game’s limited freedom is fair.
But it’s also possible to interpret the same design decision differently.
A smaller, more focused game gives Insomniac more control over pacing.
Instead of creating a gigantic map, the developers can concentrate on individual environments.
That’s particularly useful for Wolverine.
PlayStation has confirmed that Logan’s journey takes him across different locations, including Canada, Madripoor and Japan.
That means the game can provide environmental variety without requiring one enormous open-world map.
And there’s another advantage.
The developers can use destruction and environmental detail much more aggressively.
Insomniac has specifically highlighted the game’s destructible physics and the way Wolverine’s attacks can affect his surroundings.
That’s something you can potentially do better in a tightly controlled level than in a gigantic open world.
But Combat Is the Real Concern
If there’s one criticism from the preview that deserves serious attention, it’s the combat.
Because Wolverine has a problem that Spider-Man doesn’t.
His basic fantasy is extremely simple.
You have claws.
You attack people with those claws.
You dodge.
You parry.
You heal.
You use stronger abilities.
Repeat.
That’s incredibly satisfying for an hour.
The challenge is keeping it interesting for an entire campaign.
According to the leaked preview, Logan can absolutely tear through smaller groups of enemies, but encounters become more difficult when he is surrounded, while targeting specific enemies can also create problems.
That raises an important question:
Does Wolverine’s combat have enough depth to sustain the whole game?
Insomniac Has More Combat Systems Than Just Claws
Thankfully, the answer doesn’t appear to be simply “slash everything.”
The official gameplay presentation showed several systems designed to expand Logan’s combat.
There’s a Rage system, which builds as Wolverine attacks, parries and defeats enemies.
Rage can then be used for stronger combat techniques and his Healing Factor.
Insomniac has also shown abilities such as:
- Tornado Spin
- Bull Rush
- Rage-powered attacks
- Healing Factor
- Stealth takedowns
- Environmental attacks
That gives Wolverine more tools than simply pressing the attack button repeatedly.
The real question is how often the game forces players to use them.
Wolverine’s Healing Factor Could Change the Combat
Healing is particularly interesting because it creates a different combat philosophy.
Spider-Man needs to avoid damage because he’s comparatively fragile.
Wolverine doesn’t.
He can take punishment.
That’s part of the character.
His healing factor allows Insomniac to design fights around a different rhythm:
Attack → take damage → recover → become more aggressive.
But there’s a danger.
If healing becomes too powerful, damage stops mattering.
If Logan can simply absorb everything and regenerate, players may stop caring about positioning.
That’s where the Rage system becomes important.
If healing requires careful management of Rage, then players have to decide whether to spend that resource offensively or defensively.
That’s a much more interesting system.
Stealth Could Help Break Up the Combat
Another potentially important feature is stealth.
Wolverine isn’t always required to charge directly into a group of enemies.
Insomniac has shown Logan stalking enemies and using his surroundings to attack from unexpected positions.
That gives the campaign another gameplay rhythm.
Instead of:
Fight → cutscene → fight → cutscene
the structure can become:
Explore → scout → stalk → ambush → fight → escape
That’s much closer to how I’d want a Wolverine game to feel.
He’s not just a superhero.
He’s a hunter.
The Story May Be the Bigger Risk
The combat concerns are understandable.
But the story criticism could be more significant.
According to the leaked preview, the narrative and dialogue can feel predictable, particularly for players familiar with Wolverine’s movie appearances. The preview also questioned whether the character development reaches the level expected from such a major protagonist.
That’s not ideal.
Because Insomniac has made character relationships one of its biggest strengths.
The Spider-Man games weren’t successful solely because swinging through New York was fun.
They worked because players cared about:
Peter Parker.
Miles Morales.
Mary Jane.
Harry Osborn.
Aunt May.
Wolverine needs the same thing.
If Logan is simply:
angry → fights → remembers his past → gets angry again
for the entire campaign, the story could become predictable very quickly.
Wolverine’s Past Is a Difficult Story to Tell
The character’s history is both his greatest strength and his biggest narrative problem.
We’ve already seen countless versions of:
Who is Logan?
What happened to him?
Why can’t he remember his past?
What made him Wolverine?
The movies have explored these themes.
The comics have explored them.
Animated series have explored them.
Games have explored them.
So Insomniac has to find something new.
Fortunately, the game isn’t simply retelling one existing Wolverine story.
PlayStation describes it as an original story centered around Logan and his relationship with other mutants.
That gives the developers some freedom.
The question is whether they use it.
Jean Grey Could Be Extremely Important
One of the most promising elements is Jean Grey.
Jean isn’t simply appearing as a cameo.
She’s positioned as an important character in the story and has her own abilities and relationship with Logan.
That’s useful for two reasons.
First, she gives the narrative another perspective.
Second, her powers create a gameplay contrast.
Wolverine is physical.
Jean is telekinetic.
Wolverine gets close to enemies.
Jean can manipulate them from a distance.
That combination could help prevent the game from becoming a one-character combat loop.
Sabretooth Isn’t the Only Threat
The game’s enemies also appear designed to give Logan different kinds of challenges.
The Reavers are a major threat, combining human soldiers with cybernetic technology.
That gives Insomniac room to build different combat scenarios.
Some enemies can attack from range.
Others can force Logan into close combat.
Heavily armored opponents can require specific abilities.
Groups can force the player to use crowd-control attacks.
Stealth sections can change the pace entirely.
That’s the theory.
Whether it works consistently throughout the campaign is something only the full game can answer.
The Game’s PS5 Performance Is Actually Encouraging
Here’s where the preview criticism becomes more complicated.
While concerns have appeared around combat and storytelling, the technical side of the game has received some genuinely interesting information.
Insomniac has confirmed that Marvel’s Wolverine targets 60 FPS with ray tracing on the standard PS5, rather than requiring a PS5 Pro to achieve that combination.
That’s significant.
The studio has said that 60 FPS was a goal from early development.
In other words, this wasn’t something bolted onto the game late in production.
The team designed around it.
For a game featuring destructible environments, detailed character animation, combat effects and large action sequences, maintaining that target will be worth watching when the final version is in players’ hands.
The PS5 Pro Is Still Supported
If you do own a PS5 Pro, Wolverine isn’t ignoring it.
The game is listed as PS5 Pro Enhanced, with additional technical improvements available on Sony’s more powerful hardware.
That means there should be room for players with the upgraded console to get additional visual benefits.
But the important point is:
You don’t need a PS5 Pro to experience the game’s core performance target.
That’s good news for the majority of PS5 owners.
Wolverine Is Smaller Than Spider-Man 2
There’s another comparison worth making.
The current installation size is reported at approximately 79.36 GB, with the day-one update expected to take the total closer to 81 GB.
For comparison, Spider-Man 2 was around 88 GB at launch.
That doesn’t tell us how good Wolverine will be.
File size is not a quality metric.
But it does reinforce the difference in design.
Wolverine isn’t trying to deliver another enormous open-world superhero sandbox.
It’s a more focused adventure.
New Game+ Is Coming at Launch
There’s also more replayability than the linear structure might initially suggest.
The game is expected to include New Game+ from launch, along with mission replay functionality. The mode includes tougher challenges and allows players to carry abilities and upgrades into another playthrough.
That’s a smart addition.
If the main campaign is relatively compact, New Game+ gives players a reason to return.
And it allows Insomniac to build encounters around a more powerful version of Logan.
Photo Mode Is Also Included
Yes, Photo Mode will be available.
The day-one update is expected to include the feature alongside stability improvements.
That should come as no surprise after Spider-Man.
Insomniac has built a strong reputation for its photo modes, and Wolverine’s environments could provide plenty of opportunities for dramatic screenshots.
A snow-covered Canadian landscape.
Madripoor at night.
A destroyed industrial facility.
Logan standing in the middle of a battlefield.
The game practically begs for cinematic screenshots.
The Preview Leak Doesn’t Mean the Game Is Bad
This is the biggest takeaway.
A preview saying:
“This is a solid action game, but it has limitations”
is not the same thing as:
“This game is terrible.”
Those are completely different statements.
The leaked preview actually seems to describe a game that works well mechanically but may not reach the extraordinary standard set by Insomniac’s Spider-Man games.
And that’s an important distinction.
The problem isn’t necessarily that Wolverine looks bad.
The problem is that expectations are enormous.
Insomniac Has Created Its Own Problem
This is partly the curse of success.
When your previous games include some of PlayStation’s most popular superhero adventures, your next game gets compared against them automatically.
If Wolverine were developed by an unknown studio, players might be impressed by:
- 60 FPS ray tracing
- Brutal combat
- Multiple environments
- Character-driven storytelling
- New Game+
- Detailed destruction
- A famous superhero
But because it’s Insomniac, people expect another masterpiece.
That’s a completely different standard.
Should Spider-Man Fans Be Worried?
If you loved Spider-Man because of the open-world exploration, probably.
Wolverine isn’t trying to recreate that experience.
If you loved Spider-Man because of Insomniac’s storytelling and character work, there’s more reason to wait and see.
The biggest question is whether Logan’s story develops beyond the familiar “man haunted by his past” formula.
And if you loved Spider-Man because of combat, you should be cautiously optimistic.
Wolverine’s combat is more violent and direct.
It isn’t as acrobatic.
It isn’t as mobile.
But that’s the point.
Should Wolverine Fans Be Worried?
Probably not.
If anything, Wolverine fans have several reasons to remain optimistic.
This is a game built specifically around Logan.
It isn’t a crossover where Wolverine is one of ten playable characters.
It isn’t a multiplayer experiment.
It isn’t another giant live-service project.
It is a focused single-player game centered on one of Marvel’s most iconic characters.
And that’s exactly what the character deserves.
The September 15 Release Date Matters
The wait is almost finished.
Marvel’s Wolverine launches September 15, 2026, on PS5 and PS5 Pro.
The digital preload begins September 8, giving players a full week to download the game ahead of launch.
The review embargo is currently scheduled for September 10 at 8 AM PT, giving critics several days to publish their full verdicts before launch.
That means we won’t have to rely on preview impressions for much longer.
The real verdict is coming.
What We Should Watch in the Reviews
When the embargo lifts, I’d pay attention to five things.
1. Combat Variety
Does Wolverine’s combat continue to evolve after the opening hours?
2. Story Quality
Does Logan’s story actually surprise players?
3. Enemy Variety
Are encounters meaningfully different, or does the game repeatedly throw similar enemies at you?
4. Pacing
Does the linear structure keep the story moving, or does it become repetitive?
5. Performance
Does the promised 60 FPS ray-tracing mode actually hold up in demanding encounters?
Those answers will tell us far more than one leaked preview.
Final Verdict
The Marvel’s Wolverine preview leak is worth paying attention to, but it isn’t a reason to cancel your pre-order by itself.
The criticism is specific.
The game may not provide the same freedom as Spider-Man.
Some combat encounters may feel repetitive.
The story may rely too heavily on familiar Wolverine themes.
And players expecting another massive open-world superhero game could be disappointed.
But there’s another side to the story.
Insomniac has deliberately built a focused single-player Wolverine adventure, rather than another open-world superhero sandbox.
The combat has Rage, Healing Factor, special attacks and stealth.
The story includes Jean Grey, Sabretooth, the Reavers and a globe-trotting journey through locations including Canada, Madripoor and Japan.
And technically, the game is shaping up well, with Insomniac targeting 60 FPS with ray tracing on the base PS5.
So no, I wouldn’t say the preview leak has killed the hype.
It has done something more useful.
It has lowered expectations from “this will definitely be another Insomniac masterpiece” to “this could be a very good Wolverine game.”
And honestly?
That’s probably healthier.
Because Wolverine doesn’t need to beat Spider-Man.
It needs to give Logan his own identity.
If the combat stays satisfying, the story finds something new to say about the character, and the linear structure keeps the pacing tight, the leaked criticism could end up being nothing more than a reminder that not every great game needs to reinvent the wheel.
We’ll know for sure when Wolverine finally gets its claws into the PS5 on September 15.
FAQs
Yes. Marvel’s Wolverine is scheduled to launch on September 15, 2026, for PS5 and PS5 Pro.
The leaked preview described the game as a solid action experience while raising concerns about combat variety, linear gameplay, limited freedom and a predictable story.
No. PlayStation officially describes it as a single-player, narrative-driven action-adventure and confirms that it is not an open-world game.
Insomniac has confirmed a 60 FPS Performance Mode with ray tracing on the standard PS5.
Yes. New Game+ is planned from launch, along with mission replay functionality and more difficult challenges.
Yes. Jean Grey is an important character in the game’s story and has her own combat abilities.
A PC version has not been officially announced. The confirmed platform is PS5/PS5 Pro.
The game reportedly requires approximately 79.36 GB, with the day-one update expected to bring the total installation to around 81 GB.
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