Like a masked superhero, there is more to Marvel Rivals than meets the eye. “Overwatch with Marvel characters” is a formula that sounds so lucrative on paper that I initially doubted its quality, fearing it was nothing more than a cash grab. After playing a few dozen hours and removing the game’s metaphorical mask, I can see the mild-mannered, hardworking hero at its core. Marvel Rivals executes a simple concept with immense skill and finesse. With a huge roster of free playable characters at launch, a satisfying gameplay loop, and the fastest matchmaking system I’ve ever experienced, the game’s first few months have established a sturdy foundation to build off of for years to come.
Marvel Rivals is a third-person hero shooter, a genre of multiplayer games defined by a lineup of unique playable characters with distinct sets of combat abilities. Developer NetEase launched the game last December with a generous roster of 33 comic book icons and has pledged to add more every season for free. Playable heroes are incredibly diverse, both in terms of their playstyles and where they fit within the Marvel canon; for every A-list Avenger like Iron Man and Thor, the game also includes newer, more obscure characters like Luna Snow or Squirrel Girl.
Regardless of what mode you’re playing, it’s always thrilling to see these classic characters put their skills on display. Spider-Man can swing in to get a KO, only to be quickly shut down by the Hulk, who comes hurtling in from the other side of the battlefield to protect his healers. After Storm summons a deadly tornado, Doctor Strange can spin up a portal to bring his team back to the objective right after they respawn, and Invisible Woman provides a massive shield to ensure everyone gets there safely. Marvel’s characters and their powers are represented well, and it’s fun to watch even if you don’t know all the specifics of what’s going on.
I spent most of my time in Quick Play or Competitive playlists, and each shuffles randomly through the same three game modes: Domination, Convoy, and Convergence. Each mode faces two teams of six against each other to either capture an area, escort a vehicle, or some combination of the two. If you’re intimidated by PvP, Practice vs. AI allows you to play these same playlists against a computer-controlled enemy team, and achievements made there still count towards daily missions and season pass progression. It’s a great way to try out new characters if you need to get a feel for Iron Man’s repulsors or Star-Lord’s twin element guns.
There are other modes as well, like Conquest, Doom Match, and the occasional seasonal mode, but the game’s heroes are so specifically designed for team game modes with large maps that these other destinations don’t feel as fun. You can play as whoever you want in Quick Play and find moderate success, but that’s not the case in the frenzy of a Conquest map. This is a shame because the diversity of characters is a big selling point of this superpowered shooter.
Hero shooters live and die by the strength of their rosters, so it’s notable this is one of the aspects that makes Marvel Rivals thrive. Each comic book combatant is unique and fun to play, and while a few characters might feel slightly under or overpowered each season, it’s a remarkably balanced cast. There are ranged heroes, melee heroes, and even some like Cloak & Dagger or Scarlet Witch with auto-targeting abilities for players who haven’t spent hundreds of hours honing their shooting skills. You’re encouraged to switch around, as well. For example, if an opponent chooses a character that counters my favorite (like Wolverine while I’m playing Groot), I can swap to someone that counters that counter-pick. The frustration is short-lived because there are so many viable characters to choose.
Marvel Rivals’ most unique element in the game is the Team-Up system, which unlocks abilities and passive buffs when playing certain characters on the same team. Venom gives Spider-Man a symbiote attack, Hela can revive Thor or Loki by getting kills after they die, and Rocket can drop an ammo beacon for Punisher and Winter Soldier. It adds another level of complexity to team compositions and encourages players to try new characters, which keeps matches diverse and interesting.
The one glaring issue of the hero lineup is the distribution of roles. Characters in Marvel Rivals fall into one of three camps: Vanguard, Duelist, or Strategist. Vanguard characters have large health pools and defensive abilities, Duelists are fast damage-dealers, and Strategists have crafty kits that allow them to heal and buff their teammates. Each role is equally valuable on a team, but most characters – 20 out of 37 at the time of writing – are Duelists, outnumbering both other roles combined. Because it’s the largest category and a role that feels the most like a traditional shooter, many games begin with players scrambling to pick their favorite Duelist instead of playing one of the supporting roles, leaving slower teammates either stuck playing Vanguard/Strategist or locking in as Duelist and starting the game with an unbalanced team. This problem is not at all unique to Marvel Rivals, and many players new to the hero shooter genre likely prefer to play a character that feels more familiar, but it’s more than player tendency; by making so many characters fit in that Duelist category, the game’s design exacerbates the problem.
Though the hero roster is massive at launch, the pool of maps veers in the opposite direction. Thankfully, this can be corrected through future updates; NetEase already added Midtown to kick off Season One, then Central Park six weeks later. If the studio keeps up with this cadence, this complaint will be quickly outdated.
This is also, without a doubt, the smoothest online multiplayer experience of my life. Most of the time, games are found almost instantly, and I’ve only been in a queue for more than 5 seconds a handful of times. Toxic players are easily reported and often reprimanded within the day. Lag is virtually nonexistent, even when observing other players, and on PS5 I’ve never encountered performance issues. Maps also look beautiful, chock-full of details and Marvel easter eggs for the players who look for them.
Ultimately, Marvel Rivals is not a revolution in game design, but a culmination of the successful shooters that came before it. Its gameplay is tight and balanced, its characters are satisfying to use, and I’m coming back to play more every night. I have gripes with the distribution of hero roles, but it doesn’t spoil the game as a whole. Marvel Rivals isn’t finding success because it’s a cash grab, it’s finding success because it’s earned it.
This 2025 review reflects our thoughts on the game’s current state at publishing. As such, post-launch updates were factored into the final score.
