Marvel Rivals launched last December and set the gaming world on fire. It received rave reviews ahead of release for its gorgeously designed Marvel characters and absurdly high-quality graphics, and upon release, millions of audiences quickly fell in love with NetEase's excellent gameplay loop.
It was far from original in that the hero mechanics, map design, and modes were not only ripped from other games like Overwatch in every way, but they were also based on one of the most iconic pop culture franchises. But being a massive free-to-play epic meant that most of its shortcomings were easy to overlook. Throughout 2025, it has captured the public's attention with generous seasonal updates, new heroes, and naughty skins that would make even the most stubborn of bastards blush.
Marvel Rivals was a hit, but like many blockbuster experiences, the honeymoon period has long since ended. Now it's just another game. But is that really a bad thing?
What happened to Marvel rivals?
Simply put, nothing happened to Marvel Rivals. It's still doing well with tens of thousands of regular players on Steam and many more on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The average number of players on Steam is around 65,000, which is no different from powerful games like TF2 or Apex Legends. Over the past few months, we've seen a clear trend of players leaving games when the weather is nice, but that doesn't necessarily mean the game is dead, as many claim.
This week I saw celebrities on social media mentioning that Marvel Rivals has lost over 85% of its audience over the past 10 months. This is true. The millions of people who played at launch and stayed for a while are long gone and are unlikely to return unless a major hero is introduced or an event takes place. This is normal for most online shooting games like this. A launch is a massive event, and in the months that follow, a hardcore community inevitably emerges that will last for years.
Battlefield 6 launched last week and millions of players have had the pleasure of jumping into it on each of the available platforms. A queuing system has been set up to handle the load when excitement builds, but there will come a time when the majority of people will move on to something else and realize that time has passed. Much like Marvel Rivals, we'll see tens of thousands of regular players keep playing, with occasional surges fueled by seasonal updates, new maps, and unexpected surprises. That's how games like this work.
Why are people acting like Marvel rivalries are dying?
Once upon a time, it seemed like Marvel Rivals would be the second coming of hero shooters and become one of the biggest games in the world. People initially loved Overwatch 2, but they felt it was too far removed from the greatness of the original. Suddenly, Blizzard had a game with lofty promises that it would look and play better than ever before.
It was extremely popular during its release period. Players are insatiable and amazed by the regular release of new heroes and ridiculously good premium skins. But it's a shiny toy and eventually the majority either get bored or decide that this game simply isn't for them or doesn't fit their lifestyle. I did exactly that and ended up returning to Overwatch. It was a time investment and I desperately wanted it to mean something.
Marvel Rivals losing millions of players in 2025 isn't a sign that it's a dead game, no matter how many people might want to influence it. This might seem like a huge drop considering the high numbers this game started with, but other than that there's nothing to worry about. Rather than trying to appeal to the masses, hero shooters are settling into a rhythm of seasonal updates and new heroes that a general audience can appreciate. There may come a time when it suddenly explodes in popularity again, but boasting 70,000 daily players on a single platform is all it takes to get by.
The conversation surrounding Marvel Rivals right now is also an incredibly unhealthy conversation. 'Dead games' has become a meme in online circles because of the painful joy associated with the high-profile failure of certain video games. You should suddenly feel ashamed that you once had a particular experience and have no choice but to root for it to end. This is extremely hypocritical, and most social media posts and headlines refuse to provide any context as to why Marvel Rivals is losing this many players and what this actually means for the future.
Marvel Rivals will be fine. If anything, I'd like to see how it develops now that smaller, more hardcore communities are starting to form.
marvel rivals
- released
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December 6, 2024
- ESRB
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T for Youth // Violence
- developer
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NetEase Games
- publisher
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NetEase Games
