New Spider-Man 2 glitch lets you free-roam as Venom—but it’s risky

After Insomniac Games patched out a glitch that let Spider-Man 2 fans roam around the open world as Venom, an alternative has been discovered and shared online—one that involves unplugging your PlayStation 5.

This glitch is arguably better than the original since, as demonstrated by Reddit user UnderTheHood788, you can not only run and swing through the streets of New York City, but you can actually use Venom’s combat abilities to fight criminals and even tackle side missions.

Some fans are no doubt tempted to recreate this glitch for themselves. Not just so they can play as Venom beyond the sequence seen in Spider-Man 2, but also so they can pretend he’s more of the anti-hero he is in the comics where he earned the nickname of the Lethal Protector.

The glitch does come with a major caveat, though. According to UnderTheHood788, it involves forcing your PS5 to crash by unplugging it right after a certain cutscene ends. This runs the dangerous risk of damaging the console and voiding the warranty to boot. Considering UnderTheHood788 admits it may take a few attempts, it honestly feels like the reward is not worth the risk. Although if you’re willing to take those odds, YouTuber iVoltex has a step-by-step guide on how to trigger it.

With any luck, Insomniac will make it possible to play as Venom freely either as part of an update or as DLC. While no DLC for Spider-Man 2 has been formally announced, it’s widely speculated an expansion of some kind is being worked on, especially after Venom’s voice actor Tony Todd said not all of his voice recordings were used in the game.

There’s also the possibility of Venom getting his own spin-off game. Comments by senior narrative director Jon Paquette in an Insider interview suggest Insomniac is open to the idea and the playable Venom section very much feels like the team testing the waters.