Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals is NetEase Games' free-to-play 6v6 hero shooter set in the Marvel universe — and its late 2024 launch shook the hero shooter genre to its foundations, attracting over 20 million players in its first week and giving Overwatch 2 its most serious competition since launch. Playing as iconic Marvel heroes and villains across destructible maps inspired by Marvel comics locations, the game finds its identity in a Team-Up ability system where specific character combinations unlock unique synergy abilities — rewarding players for building cohesive team compositions beyond individual hero mastery. The roster spans familiar faces from Iron Man to Spider-Man alongside more obscure comic favourites, with seasonal updates adding new characters regularly. The destruction physics — allowing heroes to genuinely reshape the battlefield — add a layer of tactical creativity unique to the genre. Fast, spectacular, and surprisingly deep.