Pareesa Afreen 
Dec 26, 2025
An undated image of Marvel Rivals characters. — IGN
Marvel Rivals officially secured a nomination for Best Ongoing Game at The Game Awards, marking a strong debut in the competitive live-service space. However, developer NetEase says the game’s first year was only a “warm-up”, with 2026 shaping up to be much bigger.
When asked by Den of Geek series Executive Producer Danny Koo said they already have another year of content lined up, and they’re not about to slow down at all.
According to Koo, Marvel Rivals will be continuing to grow, incorporating more heroes, modes, and options intended to suit each type of player.
NetEase recently confirmed that Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone are coming to the game as part of Season 6 but didn’t confirm what their roles would be.
Fans are also speculating about which heroes might be coming to the game after recognising that Cyclops was teased as coming to the game from the Season 5 cinematic introduction, which highlighted the wedding of Rogue and Gambit.
The company is also paying increasing attention to PvE and cooperative content. After the great success received with the Marvel Zombies PvE mode and the 18v18 mode 'Annihilation', NetEase Games revealed that these modes have influenced their thoughts on what to develop in 2026.
NetEase expects to address both competitive players who only care about winning matches, only to participate in many games, and others who want to enjoy their game time with a cooperative system.
There are also going to be new maps filled with zombies and storyline missions, as well as more enemy factions like Hydra and AIM. NetEase has also teased that limited modes that are currently well-liked will also be made permanent based on community interest.
Despite the excitement, the community have shared concerns. Players say the core map rotation feels stale, as several Season 5 maps were locked to special events. Others want more interactive activities in the Times Square hub, such as watch parties or fashion-style events.
