Every Feature Confirmed for Marvel Rivals So Far

As evidenced by recent contenders like Concord, the hero shooter market is currently a bit full. But Marvel Rivals looks like it could be an exception to the rule, a rare newcomer to the genre that actually stands a strong chance of going toe-to-toe with the likes of Overwatch. Back in July, Marvel Rivals hosted a series of closed playtests. On their first day, these playtests managed to bring in an impressive 52,000 players on PC alone, a feat that set the bar high for Marvel Rivals‘ eventual launch. That day is almost here.

Marvel Rivals will release on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on December 6, 2024, and all signs are pointing towards it being a huge day for the hero shooter genre. Along with an extensive cast of playable heroes and villains, Marvel Rivals‘ launch will bring with it an array of maps, a ton of cosmetics inspired by all corners of the Marvel multimedia universe, and a slew of other features fans should know about.

Every Feature Confirmed for Marvel Rivals’ December 9 Launch

Marvel Rivals Will Have 33 Playable Heroes During Its Launch Window

A hero shooter is only as good as its core cast of playable characters, and thankfully, Marvel Rivals is set to deliver a packed roster on launch. There are currently 27 confirmed playable heroes and villains for Marvel Rivals, all of which will be available on its December 6 release day:

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

According to developer NetEase’s latest “Dev Vision” video,

Marvel Rivals
‘ roster
will contain an impressive total of 33 playable characters at launch for its initial season, Season 0.

While NetEase hasn’t confirmed any of these six additional heroes, it’s been heavily rumored that Hawkeye, Human Torch, Ultron, and Blade could all also appear in Marvel Rivals in the near future. With a countdown reiterating its roster up until launch, the remaining six characters are soon to be officially revealed.

Marvel Rivals Will Launch With 9 Maps

It’s also been confirmed that Marvel Rivals will receive nine maps during its first month. Eight of these maps will be available for both Quick Play and Competitive 6v6 matches, four of which were already available during the closed playtests, those being:

• Tokyo 2099: Shin-Shibuya
• Tokyo 2099: Spider-Islands
• Yggsgard: Royal Palace
• Yggsgard: Yggdrasill Path

That means another four Quick Play/Competitive maps will be coming to Marvel Rivals in December, though it’s unconfirmed where they’ll be set. Marvel Rivals will also feature one Conquest map during its launch window.

Conquest is essentially Marvel Rivals‘ team deathmatch mode, where both teams’ aim is to simply eliminate as many opposing players as possible within a time limit. This differs quite a bit from Marvel Rivals‘ more objective-based modes, like Convoy (payload), Domination (king of the hill), and Convergence (a hybrid mix of both).

Marvel Rivals
will also receive a Practice Range mode during its initial launch window.

Marvel Rivals’ Evolving Story Begins Straight Away

Much like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and other giants of the live-service genre, Marvel Rivals will feature an ambitious, ever-evolving narrative. Every season, Marvel Rivals will introduce new story elements, and it all begins with Season 0.

Beginning on December 6, Marvel Rivals‘ “Doom’s Rise” Season 0 will set the stage for what could be the start of a very special Marvel universe story. This initial season will see Doctor Doom’s experiments with the Timestream Entanglement result in the creation of four Chronoverses: a 2099 timeline, a present timeline where evil runs rampant, a Mosaic timeline that’s unstable, and a Collapsing timeline where even the gods can die.

In
Marvel Rivals
‘ recent Dev Vision video, the game’s Creative Director states that “futures, pasts, and alternate realities will be woven into [
Marvel Rivals
‘] ever-evolving narrative.”

Marvel Rivals’ Season 1 Begins in January 2025

Season 0, titled “Doom’s Rise,” will last for just a month, ending in early January of next year. Season 0 will be quickly succeeded by Marvel Rivals Season 1, which will launch in January 2025.

As things currently stand, each season of Marvel Rivals will last around three months and will bring with it “new heroes, maps, team-up abilities, and maybe new game modes,” according to the recent NetEase Dev Vision breakdown. Alongside those free additions, Marvel Rivals will receive a new battle pass every season, bringing with it a slew of cosmetics such as skins and emblems.

As Season 0 is only a month long, its battle pass will be shorter and its price will reflect its length, though that price is currently unconfirmed. Three skins have already been confirmed for the Season 0 battle pass, those being a Superior Iron Man skin, a Bombastic Bag-Man-inspired Spidey skin, and a Thor: Love and Thunder-inspired skin for the Norse god.