Developer NetEase has just announced that hero shooter Marvel Rivals will be hosting an extensive crossover with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers movies. Over the course of the next eight months, Marvel Rivals will be gradually receiving new in-game content inspired by each of the Avengers movies, ultimately building up to a big celebration when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
Marvel Rivals is currently in the middle of its sixth season, with the seventh set to begin on March 20. This latest Marvel Rivals season added Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone to the roster, bringing the game’s total playable hero count up to 47. According to tracking site SteamDB, Marvel Rivals has a 24-hour peak player count of around 90,000 on Steam. While this PC-only statistic shows that Marvel Rivals is still attracting a sizable player-base, the number is a far cry from the game’s all-time peak of 644,000. Marvel Rivals is also experiencing some renewed competition from Overwatch, with the Blizzard-developed hero shooter’s recent rebrand reigniting its player count, at least on Steam. But Marvel Rivals isn’t going to take that competition lying down.
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Marvel Rivals Announces An Avengers-Themed 2026 Roadmap
On March 4, NetEase’s social media accounts shared an image of a roadmap titled “The Path to Doomsday.” This roadmap shows five markers, each one captioned with the title of an MCU Avengers movie. NetEase’s announcement confirms that “new game modes and in-game events inspired by The Infinity Saga” will be coming to Marvel Rivals over the next eight months. This roadmap ends in December with the release of Avengers: Doomsday, which will also spark the addition of “all-new in-game content” in Marvel Rivals.
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This long-term Marvel Rivals Infinity Saga crossover begins in April with a new limited-time game mode inspired by 2012’s The Avengers. This upcoming asymmetrical PVP mode will see one player take on the role of Loki, while six other players face off against them. Loki will be equipped with an “all-new skill set” made solely for this game mode, which will reportedly see players utilize illusions, deception, and “powerful Infinity Stone abilities” to turn the opposing heroes against one another. Those fighting against Loki will be able to summon the Hulk by completing specific objectives. Based on the official image shared by NetEase detailing this upcoming mode, it seems as though Marvel Rivals‘ Loki will also be receiving a skin based on the villain’s appearance in The Avengers.
While NetEase hasn’t confirmed any details about the Avengers-themed content coming in June, August, October, and December, it seems likely that they will follow in the footsteps of this Loki-based game mode. Fans can probably expect to see more Marvel Rivals limited-time modes inspired by Avengers: Age of Ultron, Infinity War, and Endgame, likely alongside at least a few alternate costumes taken from the MCU. It’s also possible that NetEase will release new heroes to coincide with this major ongoing crossover event, such as Thanos in August and Doom in December, though that’s purely speculation at this point.
In the year and a bit since launch, Marvel Rivals has hosted a few crossovers with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. More often than not, these crossovers have come in the form of alternate skins that players can purchase via Marvel Rivals‘ in-game store. Over 25 MCU-inspired skins are currently available in Marvel Rivals, including suits based on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Thunderbolts, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
- Released
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December 6, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
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NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
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NetEase Games