Marvel Rivals mixes the hero shooter genre with the world’s most famous and infamous comic book heroes and villains. Players can take control of the likes of Captain America, Spider-Man, Moon Knight, and more to take on a multiversal threat in this third-person Overwatch-like.
Here’s when Marvel Rivals releases, including a breakdown based on your time zone, and what you need to know about it before launch.
Marvel Rivals release time on PC, PS5, and Xbox
Marvel Rivals will release at 7 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 5 according to a countdown clock on its website. Here’s when that is in your time zone:
- 4 p.m. PST on Dec. 5 for the West Coast of North America
- 7 p.m. EST on Dec. 5 for the East Coast of North America
- 12 a.m. GMT on Dec. 6 for the U.K.
- 1 a.m. CET on Dec. 6 for Western Europe/Paris
- 9 a.m. JST on Dec. 6 for Tokyo
The launch will be global at midnight UTC on Dec. 6, and the game will hit the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Steam, and Xbox Series X at the same time.
What to expect from Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals is a third-person shooter and multiplayer game. You’ll matchmake into a game with a team of six, and each player will then select a hero from the Marvel Comics Universe. Only one person can play as an individual hero per team, so you can’t play a game filled with Spider-Mans (at least not at launch).
Heroes fit into one of three roles:
- Vanguards (tanks) like Thor, Venom, and Captain America
- Duelists (damage) like Black Panther, Namor, and The Punisher
- Strategists (support) like Rocket Raccoon, Loki, and Adam Warlock
When your team and heroes load in, you’ll be tasked with one of a few different objective modes, like capturing a point across a few different maps or escorting a chariot. In the quick match queue, each team only plays one side, and the victor is determined on if the offensive or defensive side is victorious. But in the competitive queue, matches consist of multiple rounds of an objective, and the winner is determined based on who wins the most rounds.
If you’re familiar with Blizzard’s Overwatch and other hero shooters, Marvel Rivals should feel fairly similar. But the familiar Marvel heroes (all of which have pretty unique visual designs) and third person perspective give the game a fresh feel, so you’re not guaranteed to love or hate it based on your feelings on other games in the genre.
Marvel Rivals is also based on a seasonal model. At launch, season 0, “Doom’s Rise,” will last about a month. Season 1 starts in early January 2025, will run for three months, and will add new maps, heroes, and abilities.