As Marvel Rivals reaches for its second anniversary later this year, the superhero hero shooter is primed to see its biggest year ever. Throughout the last year, Rivals has seen bigger and better updates with more heroes, game modes, and more coming to the game, and there are no plans to slow down.
Speaking to FRVR, creative director Guangyun Chen explained that the team is preparing to “break boundaries in 2026” with a new focus for the free-to-play multiplayer game. While the standard multiplayer gameplay will stay present within Marvel Rivals, the game is expanding significantly with new PvE-focused gameplay and MCU tie-ins.
“Our goal is to shift from being ‘just a shooter’ to a comprehensive Marvel ‘moving anime’ experience.”
“We are moving beyond standard 6v6 PvP,” Chen explained. “This includes the expansion into new PvE modes and Path to Doomsday, the event will feature five MCU-related updates inspired by the Infinity Saga, including new game modes and themed content.”
The developer explained that Marvel Rivals is not planned to exist as just a video game hero shooter with the game planning to evolve massively over the next two years. “Our goal is to shift from being ‘just a shooter’ to a comprehensive Marvel ‘moving anime’ experience.”
As Marvel envisions a version of Rivals with hundreds of characters, Chen explains that “with over 9,000 Marvel characters to draw from, we aren’t worried about running out of options soon”, and the team’s “current plan maps out content through 2027”
Rivals’ biggest push this year is the game’s already-announced ‘Path to Doomsday’, a huge tie-in that will add never-before-seen gameplay modes that promote this year’s Avengers: Doomsday movie. “The ‘Path to Doomsday’ is one of our primary thematic drivers for 2026,” they said. “We’re only sharing high level teaser information today. More details will be coming soon on specific updates.”
For more from our chat with the Rivals devs, read about the team’s history of battling “frustrating leaks” and how they’re planning to crack down on dataminers. Additionally, check out the release time for Marvel Rivals Season 7.5, the next major update coming to the hero shooter.
