Marvel Rivals Beginner's Guide

New to Marvel Rivals or coming back in Season 10.5? How the game works, how to pick a role and hero, the main modes and what to do next.

Updated 31 October 2026Checked for patch Season 10.56 sources
Image: Marvel Rivals / YouTube

Marvel Rivals is NetEase's free-to-play team shooter, out since December 6, 2024. As of Season 10.5 (October 2026) it has 54 heroes, more than 20 maps and a steady stream of limited-time modes. This guide covers what brand-new and returning players need to know.

The basics

6 vs 6 hero shooterTwo teams of six Marvel heroes and villains fight over objectives in third person.
Free to playFree on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 (since September 2025) and Xbox Series X|S. Every hero is free – you pay only for cosmetics and the Battle Pass.
Destructible mapsMany walls, floors and structures can be destroyed, which opens new routes during a match.
UltimatesEach hero charges an ultimate ability over the course of a fight. Using it at the right moment often decides a round.

Getting started, step by step

1. Play the tutorial and practiseFinish the tutorial, then try heroes in the Practice Range and Practice vs. AI before you queue with real players.
2. Pick a roleVanguards protect the team, Duelists deal damage and Strategists heal. A good team usually has a mix of all three.
3. Learn two or three heroesThere are 54 heroes. Pick a couple in different roles so you can fill whatever your team needs.
4. Learn the modesQuick Match and Competitive use Domination, Convoy and Convergence. Each map is built for one of them.
5. Move on to CompetitiveCompetitive unlocks once your account reaches the required level. Ranked play gives you a rank to climb every season.
6. Try the eventsArcade modes, the 18v18 Annihilation mode and limited-time events are a great break from ranked play.

Tips that help everyone

Stay near your StrategistsHealers can't save you if you run off alone. Fight together and move as a group.
Use Team-UpsEvery hero has two Team-Up loadouts you can swap between rounds. They get much stronger when the partner hero is on your team.
Play the objectiveEliminations are nice, but rounds are won on the point or the payload.
Read the patch notesHeroes are rebalanced every half-season. The latest notes changed Iron Man, Phoenix, Gorr and Jubilee.

Coming back in Season 10.5?

A lot has changed if you've been away. Season 10 added Gorr the God Butcher and reworked Scarlet Witch, and Season 10.5 brought the Path to Doomsday Avengers modes – the 2v2 Infinity War mode and the 50-player Endgame PvE battle against Thanos. Our Season 10.5 overview has the dates, and the cinematics page is the quickest way to catch up on the story.

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Reference page written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games change with every patch – the patch this page was last checked for is shown at the top.