If you've ever dreamed about becoming the world's next greatest hero, Marvel Rivals is your perfect shot. Thi?s PvP shooter allows you to take on multiple iconic roles, from the whimsical Guardians of the Galaxy to everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Here's everything you need to know about Marvel Rivals, including a ?release date, platforms, and ??many more.

Marvel Rivals release date and available platforms

Marvel Rivals will be released on Dec. 6, 2024, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It'll be free-to-play on all pla??tforms, giving you access to e?very hero on the roster.

You'll also need a stable internet connection, as no offline play is available in Marvel Rivals.

Marvel Rivals trailers

The announcement trailer, Rival's First Stand, kicked things off with an ultimate team ensemble. You'll see a few familiar faces, such as Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and the Hulk. Get a taste of their combat abilities and sy??nergy across Marvel-inspired battlefields.

In the Console Announce trailer, we get a deep dive into Venom and Adam Warlock's gameplay, among other characters. It's intriguing to see th?e two mixed together, given that Venom plays mo??re into the dark side while Adam excels in the illuminating Quantum Magic.

But if you're looking for something about Marvel Rivals' lore, the Cinematic Trailer provides some insight into the story. Like many Marvel sagas, the corruption of the Multiverse has thrown everything into disarray. Heroes from different timelines seek to rest?ore ??peace as villains threaten the numerous worlds.

The Stars Aligned is the most recent trailer, showcasing the debut of Captain America and The Winter? Soldier. Take on the role of both characters to harness the powers of Steve Rogers' iconic shield or Bucky Barnes' infamous arm. The Winter Soldier also harnesses a new ability with a tentacle-like arm, permitting him to change its form.

What heroes are available in Marvel Rivals Day One launch?

According to the Marvel Rivals official page, the following heroes will be available to pla?y??:

• Captain America
• Winter Soldier
• Thor
• Jeff The Land Shark
• Black Panther
• Doctor Strange
• Groot
• The Punisher
• Hela
• Iron Man
• Loki
• Rocket Raccoon
• Mantis
• Peni Parker
• Magneto
• Magik
• Spider-Man
• Venom
• Scarlet Witch
• Star-Lord
• Storm
• Adam Warlock
• Namor
• Hulk
• Luna Snow

Fortunately, all heroes will be unlocked for launch, so there's no n??eed to worry about any character restrictions. Team-ups are also available to help you maximize your performance in battle. You can combine heroes like Storm, Thor, and Captain America for the Voltaic Union, giving you the power to wield the mighty Mjolnir.

Since the Marvel collection holds an?? unprecedented amount of characters, the roste?r will undoubtedly grow. So, if you haven't seen your favorite hero yet, they may be coming in future updates.

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During today's Gamescom Opening Night Live, developer and publisher NetEase confirmed that upcoming Free to Play Hero Shooter Marvel Rivals officially has a release date. Marvel Rivals will release on December 6, 2024 on Steam, Epic Game Store,? PlayStation 5,?? and Xbox Series X|S.

The Overwatch-inspired superhero team-based PvP shooter allows players to choose from a roster of Marvel Heroes and jump into 6v6 comb?at across a handful of landmark battlefields from the Marve?l cinematic universe.

Marvel Rivals recently had a rather successful playtest, creating a lot of buzz around the fact that there is finally a potential competitor to Overwatch. Our very own Eric Van Allen got so??me playtime with the hero shooter and felt that while it wasn't necessarily revolutionary, it could put some pressure on Overwatch.

All heroes will be unlock?ed and free-to-play "at launch and beyond" which is certainly great news for fans lo??oking forward to dabbling in some Marvel madness.

Those interested in Marvel Rivals can jump in when it launches on December 6, 2024 on PC, Pla??yStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

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It's not uncommon, in the world of video games, to see one game jump-start a genre gold rush. Vampire Survivors led to the bullet-hell bonanza, Dota Auto Chess spawned its fair share of imitators, and there was certainly no shortage of hero-shooters in the wake of Overwatch.

In that respect, Marvel Rivals almost feels a bit late to the party. Overwatch lit the world on fire back in 2016, eight years that feels like an eternity today. We've seen games like Paladins, Gigantic, and Lawbreakers all put spins on it already, followed by discourses about whether similar shooters like Apex Legends or Valorant were going to cut into Overwatch's base. Hell, we got Overwatch 2.

Yet Marvel Rivals, and a few other games like Concord, seem confident that the bell hasn't rung yet. They might even be right. Despite Overwatch weathering so many storms and still coming out on top, Marvel Rivals might be enough to make Blizzard's titanic hero-shooter sweat a?? bit.

Heroes never die

Marvel Rivals is, in its base essence, quite similar to Overwatch; specifically, the original Overwatch. Teams of six, made up of heroes and villains from the pages of Marvel comics, fight through hallways and corridors over objectives. ?Some maps might see an attack team pushing a payload, with a defense team trying to stop them. Others just pit two teams more direc??tly against each other, vying for control of points across a series of maps.

Heroes themselves have several basic abilities and an ultimate they charge up over time, forming kits that can feel cohesive, though sometimes idiosyncratic (more on that in a moment). All of the heroes? can be classified as Vanguard, Duelist, or Strategist, though Tank, Damage, and Support would have sufficed.

If all of this looks and sounds familiar, that's because it is. When Marvel Rivals lifts from the Overwatch blueprint, it's not exactly subtle. Scarlet Witch's siphon skill that fuels her chaos projectiles has a similar set-up to Overwatch's Moira, albeit more DPS-focused and less ?about healing. Magneto and Dr. Strange both bring Sigma to mind, and Venom's toolkit is quite reminiscent of Wrecking Ball.

That's not to say?? it's without its own ideas, though. Some of them are just interesting mixes of ideas. Luna ?Snow has become a fast-favorite for me in the healer department; she's got some ideas that feel familiar to Zenyatta and Lucio, alongside a potent skill that can freeze an opponent. It's really fun to snowball an enemy and freeze them mid-ultimate. Supports, in general, feel really engaging to use, and don't feel relegated to topping off health bars the entire match.

Some tech feels refreshingly new, like Dr??. Strange's portal. Where using a teleporter sometimes felt funky, opening a portal and jumping through, or shooting through, feels natural. On one control point, the other team ope?ned a portal from their spawn to the point and poured in, catching us completely unaware. It was surprising, in a way I haven't felt in a hero shooter for a while.

Marvel Rivals' best contribution to the genre, for my money, is the Synergies concept. Characters, linked by their in-universe connections or just a novel pairing o??f talents, can get bonuses when they're on the same team. Guardians of the Galaxy can synergize with Adam Warlock's "cocoon" respawning talent. Venom can lend Symbiote powers to Spider-Man and Penni Parker. These aren't necessarily game-breaking, but they do feel like an interesting wrinkle that makes the cast feel a bit more connected in gameplay; you don't just se??e these heroes fighting alongside each other, but teaming up and assisting each other in tangible ways.

The maps have their own identity too, though they still have some fairly visible similarities to classic Overwatch locales. The destructible environment gimmick is neat, though it does result in really strange moments where pieces of the level slow??ly spawn back in as you're fighting over them.

Straight from the pages

Ultimately, Marvel Rivals' biggest advantage may just be in its name. Marvel has reached peak cultural saturation; it is everywhere, for better or worse, thanks to the never-ending rollout of MCU and the renewed flood of Marvel games. Sure, some have been hits and some haven't, but there's an advantage to be had in Iron Man, Spidey, and Black Panther being essentially household names. Even relatively lesser-known characters get renewed spotlights here; I was personally thrilled to see Magick, a highlight of Marvel's Midnight Suns for me, on the Rivals launch roster.

So yes, the Marvel name could take Marvel Rivals pretty far. I've been less sold on the cosmetic variety; there is a Battle Pass with a premium track, of course, and there are some solid alternate looks in there, like a steampunk Iron Man. Others are simple colo?r variations, like "wha?t if this character had more green."

The cast is also wide-open, and NetEase Games has been making some interesting decisions in that department. Already, since the start of the beta, we've seen the addition of Thor (expected) and Jeff the Land Shark (unexpected). The latter's not just surprising, but really fun to play from the few matches I've had playing as him. There's really no shortage of Marvel faces and names to draw on, and if the team keeps making deep cuts, it could be a killer angle for Rivals.

The state of the hero shooter

But as much as Marvel Rivals has its own advantages, the hubbub also seems driven by Overwatch's relative precarity. As I wrote up above, the similarities between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch, especially the original Overwatch, aren't hard to notice. Everyone playing Rivals, from critics to people on the Blizzard forums, have noticed the similarities and drawn comparisons.

Overwatch 2 isn't exactly on steady ground these days, either. Blizzard's already scrapped its original plans for PvE, one of the biggest reasons behind adding a number to the name. Initial response to Overwatch 2 was lukewarm, its stadium-sized esports ambitions crumbled under the weight of the Overwatch League, and its cosmetics and currencies have curried controversy. While the studio seems optimistic about its player count, it's hard to feel like Overwatch 2, as it is right now, panned out l??ike Blizzard would have hoped.

While Marvel Rivals doesn't currently seem to have cinematic or story ambitions, it does have some style, substance, and novelty. It's new, it's got a surge of staggered launch hype pushing it, and it's got Iron Man in it. Rivals doesn't have to fulfill the promises Overwatch 2 didn't, just provide a compelling alternative.

It's hard to not feel like Blizzard is already reacting to this renewed competition. The studio is apparently already considering the return of 6v6, after it cut a tank slot from teams going into Overwatch 2. ?In the blog, game director? Aaron Keller is fairly transparent about taking a broad look at a consistent feeling of familiarity in matches:

"When you look at the changes to Overwatch since its inception, it’s clear that many of those have reduced some of the variety within an Overwatch match. We get feedback from some players that Overwatch can feel 'the same' from game to game. While much of this gets attributed to 5v5, we feel that there is more at play here. Besides running experiments with 6v6, we’d like to run some that re-examine the ways we tried solving previous problems, specifically with the goal of bringing some of the freedom back to an Overwatch matc??h without the ??severity of issues that accompanied it."

Aaron Keller, Overwatch 2 Game Director

Who will survive?

Does Marvel Rivals have what it takes to be an Overwatch killer? The strewn corpses of MMOs past, all dubbed WoW kil??lers, may be enough to prove it's not easy to usurp Blizzard. But even those dynamics have shifted. The enemy, in my opinion, isn't really other games. It's?? time.

There are so many games coming out every single day, all vying for your time and attention. Dozens of titles, every year, don't just want you to dip in when possible. They have systems meant to drive engagement over time. Both Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals have battle passes. So does Helldivers 2, MultiVersus, Apex Legends, Fortnite, Diablo IV, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Call of Duty, Genshin Impact, Destiny 2, even Foamstars. While Palworld and the upcoming Concord don't have passes, they are still games with persistent updates. There are always new characters, s?kins, and more. Everything to keep you coming back, grinding objectives, and competing to fill your finite hours.

Yes, Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals will offer each other a bit of direct competition. But the live service arena at large is as competitive as it's ever been. Rivals' similarity to Overwatch just makes the fight for your Friday night gaming time more palpable. Many end-of-services past make it clear that it's a tough arena, and even the Marvel moniker doesn't always guarantee a long lifespan.

Opinions on Marvel Rivals even now are positive, but it's certainly not universally praised, and will continue to evolve over time. But if anything, it's clear that eight years after Overwatch took the world by storm, there is still room for a new he??ro?? shooter on the block. Why not the one with Iron Man in it?

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Marvel Rivals�latest trailer introduced Spider-Man from the upcoming free-to-play hero shooter game. The gameplay trailer showed off how Spider-Man can run on walls while also having the web-swinging abilities to provide agile gameplay movement, which might turn out to be particularly useful to evade incoming projectiles in Marvel Rivals.

For combat, Spider-Man will have web-based attacks as well as melee attacks for battles up close. You can also use the web to bring an enem?y close to you to inflict damage. The trailer also revealed three outfits for Spider-Man including the classic Spider-Man suit for Peter Parker, the Spider Punk outfit, and the Bag-Man outfit?.

Yuri Lowenthal, who voiced Spider-Man in Insomniac’s Spider-Man games, is voicing Spidey again in Marvel Rivals. Lowenthal also voiced Spider-Man for Marvel's Midnight Suns, the turn-based RPG game.

Marvel Rivals closed beta

Players will be able to take Spidey along with other playable characters up for a spin when the closed beta starts on July 23. This beta will be held for PC, Xbox Serie??s X/S, and PS5 players. Developer NetEase also announced recently that an exclusive Scarlet Spider skin will be available at launch for PS5 players.

Interested console players can register on this official Marvel Rivals registration page for a chance to participate in the closed beta.

PC players who wish to take part in the closed beta would have to go to the game page on Steam on July 20 at 3 p.m. PT and choose “Request Access" under the "Join Marvel Rivals Playte??st" section in order to sign up. This closed beta will be held in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Playable characters

Here are all the characters playable during the Marvel Rivals closed beta:

• Adam Warlock
• Black Panther
• Doctor Strange
• Groot
• Hela
• Hulk
• Iron Man
• Loki
• Luna Snow
• Magik
• Magneto
• Mantis
• Namor
• Peni Parker
• Punisher
• Rocket Raccoon
• Star-Lord
• Storm
• Scarlet Witch
• Spider-Man
• Venom

Marvel Rivals closed beta will end on Aug?ust 5, 2024??.

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Revealed on March 27, 2024, Marvel Rivals ??is a 6v6 team-based competitive shooter featuring some of the best-known characters in the Marvel universe. Opting for a third-person perspective, the hero shooter is a collaboration between Marvel Entertainment and NetEase.

Already, I'm a huge fan of the art style as it's in a similar vein to some of my favorites like Arcane, Into the Spider-Verse, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The concept is a sound one as there's no need to invent whole-cloth heroes and it becomes a matter of molding three to four powers for each c??haracter. In the announcement trailer, we see Magik switch to her demon form, Loki adopt the powers of Black Panther, and several combos between characters like Rocket Raccoon and Groot.

The big concerns are Marvel and NetEase not pushing microtransactions too hard and the game getting enough support from the developers and players. Titles like Marvel's Avengers and Gundam Evolution are prime examples of a great idea ?that didn't pan out thanks to the lack of aforemen?tioned support.

I'm not one for competitive shooters and Blizzard's complete mishandling of Overwatch 2 has soured me on the hero shooter genre, but between the art style and my love for the Marvel universe, I'm willing to put myself out there again. I suspect there are many out there who share a similar sen??timent and this could be just the opportunity Marvel needs to wedge itself into a core gaming space.

When does Marvel Rivals release?

At the time of this writing, there isn't any sort of release date for Marvel Rivals. It could launch tom??orrow or it could launch in three years. We simply don't know.

What platforms will Marvel Rivals be on?

Marvel Rivals will be released on PC (Steam) first. According to the official Discord server, the team i??s looking at expanding to other platforms.

Is Marvel Rivals free to play?

As is becoming the norm for competitive PvP titles, Marvel Rivals will be free-to-play. Armed with the knowledge of how other hero shooters like Valorant and Overwatch work, then it's likely we'll see plenty of mic??rotransactions in the form of skins and various trinkets.

How to sign up for the Marvel Rivals Closed Alpha

To sign up for the Closed Alpha that is coming in May 2024, you'll need to head over to this link and fill out the required form.

Which characters are in Marvel Rivals?

Featuring 19 characters from across a wide variety of Marvel properties, Marvel Rivals certainly has a strong roster. That being ??said, there are a few glaring omissions like C?aptain America and Wolverine that are sure to be released in future content updates. I'm just hoping my personal favorites, Rogue, Gambit, and Venom, make it into the roster sooner rather than later.

• Black Panther
• Doctor Strange
• Galacta
• Groot
• Hulk
• Iron Man
• Loki
• Luna Snow
• Magik
• Magneto
• Mantis
• Namor
• Peni Parker
• Punisher
• Rocket Raccoon
• Scarlet Witch
• Spider-Man
• Star-Lord
• Storm

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If you enjoy the camaraderie of the elite Avengers, then you'll undoubtedly have some fun with the upcoming game Marvel Rivals. In this all-out PvP shooter, everyone's favorite heroes and villains take the stage. But since the universe is jam-packed with a wide variety of characters, here's a list of all confirmed heroes in Marvel Rivals.

All confirmed playable characters in Marvel Rivals

The Marvel Rivals trailer confirmed several playable characters from notable franchises. However, Galacta, the daughter of Galactus, seems to be the moderator of the fights, indicating that she may not be playable. From what we've gathered in the announcement, the following heroes are expected in Marvel Rivals:

• Black Panther
• Bruce Banner/Hulk
• Doctor Strange
• Iron Man
• Spider-Man
• Luna Snow
• Groot
• Loki
• Namor
• Peni Parker (Spider-Verse)
• Magik (X-Men)
• Rocket Racoon
• Scarlet Witch
• Magneto (X-Men)
• Storm (X-Men)
• Star-Lord
• Mantis
• The Punisher

You'll recognize many beloved heroes from the Marvel universe, from Black Panther to Spider-Man to X-Men's Storm. Bruce Banner even makes an appearance in his human form, holding a gun instead of his usual Hulk smash. Pla??yers will still take control ??of Hulk, of course, after Bruce makes his green transformation.

Although Marvel Rivals already displays plenty of famous characters, a few big-shot heroes are currently missing from the lineup. This includes Captain America, Wolverine, Thor, and Black Widow. Nevertheless,? they could eventually make the cut for the game's o?fficial release.

Besides the easily recognizable characters, you may have noticed some unfamiliar faces. In particular, Luna Snow, a Korean pop singer and hero, is one of the only members not seen in any Marvel films or TV shows. Yet, this isn't the first time she's been in a game, as she has been included in the mobile entry Marvel: Future Fight.

More characters will likely be featured when Marvel Rivals' Closed Alpha testing begins in May, so st??ay tuned for more details in the near?? future.

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The Avengers (and more) have assembled for a new team-based 6v6 hero shooter called Marvel Rivals. The NetEase-developed title is set to host a closed alpha somet??ime in? May.

According to the press release, two Dr. Dooms from different universes clashed and created the Timestream Entanglement, leading to Marvel Rivals. This thinly veiled excus?e allows the developers to pull anythin?g from across the Marvel multiverse. It's fairly standard "reason for a cross-over event" stuff, and Galacta, daughter of Galactus, appears to be our host for these events.

Among its features, Marvel Rivals boasts destructible environments, with ??characters blowing apart?? pieces of the world with explosions and big super-moves. There are also team-up attacks, allowing for certain characters to join their powers.

We see some expected pairings, like Science Bros Banner and Stark, as well as Groot and Rocket. But there's also going to be interesting combos, like Namor and Luna Snow. The types of combos possible here could creat??e a lot of unique opportunities in competitive play.

The Assembled Heroes

The roster appears to be pulling from every direction on Marvel's endless multiverse. Headlining characters like Iron Ma??n and Loki are he??re, as well as some lesser known favorites like Luna Snow. It's a fairly balanced group so far. Here's who we know so far:

• Black Panther
• Spider-Man
• Magneto
• Magik
• Loki
• Namor
• Luna Snow
• Groot
• Rocket Raccoon
• Doctor Strange
• Peni Parker
• Iron Man
• Bruce Banner/The Hulk
• Storm
• Starlord
• Mantis
• The Punisher
• Scarlet Witch

The closed alpha starts in May

Though there's no date set yet, a closed alpha will kick off in May for the six-on-six hero shooter. NetEase confirms it will take a seasonal model, introducing new heroes and maps over time post-launch. Marvel Rivals is also set ??to be free-to-play,? and is currently in development for PC.

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