Marvel's Wolverine Claws Its Way Into PlayStation's Top 10

Marvel's Wolverine ranked 7th on Circana's weekly active users chart, breaking a live-service stranglehold. The single-player game sold 1.9 million units as of Sept 18.

Did you expect Marvel's Wolverine to go toe-to-toe with PlayStation's live-service giants? Well, it did just that. According to Circana's engagement tracker, the new Insomniac Games title ranked seventh on the Top 10 Titles by weekly active users in the US for the week ending September 19. That's a big deal because it's the only single-player game in the top 10—unless you count Minecraft, but let's not start that debate.

Sandwiched between Marvel Rivals at sixth and Minecraft at eighth, Wolverine proved it can hang with the big dogs. Circana's Mat Piscatella noted that the average US player spent 14.2 hours with the game during that week, landing it in the top 20 across all PlayStation titles for engagement. Not bad for a game that can be beaten in a week.

Let's be real: Wolverine isn't a live-service juggernaut like Fortnite or Roblox, which still sit at the top. It's a one-and-done experience with a New Game Plus mode that unlocks new skills, but not much reason to keep coming back. Yet it still managed to break the live-service stranglehold. That's a win for single-player fans.

Of course, it hasn't been all smooth sailing. Insomniac had to hotfix the infamous scent trails that guided players to collectibles after criticism. And while Sony hasn't commented on sales, it's estimated that Wolverine sold through 1.9 million units as of September 18. Alinea Analytics' Rhys Elliott noted that while the game sold well, its commercial long tail is limited by mixed media and streamer reception.

Unlike Spider-Man, which reviewed insanely well and stayed evergreen for years, Wolverine's tail will be shorter and lumpier—but still there. Elliott points out that secondary volume bumps will come from MCU X-Men marketing, holiday gifting, and new PS5 owners looking for a graphics showcase. The backlash was fast and hard, but that discourse will sail right over the heads of mainstream players who just want to play as Wolverine.

Released on September 15, the game reportedly exceeded the lifetime sales of Death Stranding 2 on PS5 in just a few days. GameSpot's review gave it an 8/10, with Tamoor Hussain calling it a "fun but forgettable" experience. So it's not perfect, but it's clearly finding an audience.

What do you think? Will you be picking up Marvel's Wolverine, or are you waiting for a price drop? Let us know in the comments!