Marvel Rivals has big plans for 2026

Marvel Rivals received a Game Awards nomination for Best Ongoing Title, which is a testament to how well supported the live service game was in its first year of life. As it turns out, this first year has been just a “warm-up” in the eyes of Marvel Rivals developer NetEase, as 2026 has been hyped by the studio.

From now on, Marvel Rivals fans only know a few things about the future of the hero shooter. Firstly, after the huge success of the Marvel Zombies PvE mode, NetEase has promised that a lot more co-op content will be coming to the game in the coming years. It's unclear exactly what this content will look like, as it could be more maps full of undead or story-focused missions with new types of enemies to fight, like Hydra and AIM goons. In addition, Marvel Rivals' Season 6 heroes are confirmed to be Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone, with their exact roles remaining a mystery. Beyond that, future hero additions are less clear.

Cyclops was also teased via the intro cinematic too Marvel Rivals Season 5, which focused on Rogue and Gambit's wedding.

While Deadpool continues to switch roles and keep players on their toes, NetEase has directly teased the future of its game, with executive producer Danny Koo recently speaking to Den of Geek about what's next. The full extent of the company's “bigger plans” for 2026 are being kept under wraps, but Koo promised that NetEase “won't be slowing down,” which makes sense since the studio apparently already has a full year of additions lined up. He also teased a type of content that fans can expect to see more of: new game modes.

Marvel Rivals will focus on giving players more choices

According to Koo, the big success of the aforementioned Marvel Zombies mode and RivalsThe fast-paced 18v18 experience, Annihilation, has influenced NetEase when creating 2026's new content. Essentially, the studio recognizes that some players may enjoy more casual, goofy, or cooperative experiences, and the studio wants to cater to all types of players going forward. So while new heroes and battle passes will continue to drop consistently, players can also expect full game modes to be added from time to time. And based on both 18v18 and Marvel Zombies, if players make their voices heard about any additions they really love, there's a good chance they'll become permanent.

While the promise of a content-heavy 2026 deserves some hype, there are plenty of things players would like to see beyond more game modes. Common requests include:

A greater focus on new maps for the core game modes, such as Marvel Rivals' Season 5 maps are exclusive to 18v18 and Jeff's Winter Splash has left the map pool feeling a bit stale.
More fun additions to Rivals' Times Square's hub, as the opening and Pym Burgers have been a big hit with the community. Marvel movie screening nights and fashion shows are just some of the many possibilities.
More community involvement via voting activities such as the Hellfire Gala. Players who feel like they have a greater say in game balancing, hero additions, and more can boost community morale. At least it can be fun to vote on which hero is released first in a given season.

With a huge legacy of Marvel comics to draw from, NetEase should have no problem packing Marvel Rivals full of content for years to come. Whether the studio can actually deliver on its promise and surpass 2025 remains to be seen, as it has certainly set a high bar for itself, but NetEase's drive to keep doing better suggests that there is a bright future ahead.