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Ultimate Spider-Man is a 2005 action-adventure game based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and the comic book series of the same name. The game was published by Activision for Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance. The PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox versions were developed by Treyarch and are drastically different from the handheld versions, which were developed by Vicarious Visions. The Windows version is a port of the home console versions, developed by Beenox. A mobile version was also developed and published by Mforma. A limited edition of the game was released for the PlayStation 2 and includes additional content such as a "making of" documentary and an interview with Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee.
Like Treyarch's previous Spider-Man title, Spider-Man 2, the game incorporates an open-world design, allowing players to freely explore fictional representations of Manhattan and Queens when not completing main missions to advance the narrative. A notable feature unique to this game is the ability to play as both Spider-Man and Venom, who control differently and have unique, intersecting stories. The game's plot takes place in the Ultimate Marvel universe, three months after the Venom story arc from the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, and centers on Spider-Man's investigation into Trask Industries and its connection to the creation of the Venom symbiote and the deaths of his parents. Meanwhile, Venom must evade the constant attempts at capture by Bolivar Trask, who wishes to recreate the symbiote's capabilities.
Ultimate Spider-Man received generally positive reviews from critics across all platforms and is retrospectively considered one of the best Spider-Man games ever made. A prequel, Spider-Man: Battle for New York, developed by Torus Games, was released in November 2006 for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. Treyarch's next Spider-Man game, Spider-Man 3, was released in May 2007.