Marvel Rivals had a remarkably successful launch at the tail end of last year and 2025 could be the year it cements itself into one of the mainstays of the hero-shooter genre.
Many live service games have quickly fallen by the wayside, but beyond the obvious Marvel tie-in, Rivals gets a lot of other things right.
The acid test though may well come with the launch of it’s first season – the catchily titled Season 1 – but what do we know about it and, more importantly, when can we play it?
Marvel Rivals Season 1
Following on from its Winter Celebration event, which was a nice test run of what is to come for Marvel Rivals, the new year will quickly get underway with the first season. If the game manages to nail this it could well boost the player base enough to carry it through the rest of the year, rivaling the likes of Overwatch. Here’s what we know so far.
When does Marvel Rival Season 1 start?
We don’t have long into the new year to wait for the first season to it our screens. The launch times are below:
- PST: January 9th, 10 PM
- EST: January 10th, 1 AM
- GMT: January 10th, 1 AM
The pre-season Season 0 is also set to finish at the exact same so that suggests Season 1 will roll into it straight away, although for there to be no down-time might be considered unusual, so it may be wise to expect at least a little disruption along the way.
Marvel Rivals Season 1 Battle Pass
If you have already purchased the Luxury Battle Pass you will still also be able to claim any remaining items you have left over from Season 0 as you move into Season 1, which is quite a nice touch if you have run out of time to play over the holiday period. Families eh?
Marvel Rivals Season 1 Leaked characters
The thing about any game linked with Marvel is that it is not shy of a great roster of characters and we can expect many of these to be drip-fed to us as long as the game is up and running. Season 1 has had its fair share of leaks already.
Time will tell if the Rivals leakers are as accurate as the guys pumping out the Fortnite news, but @RivalsLeaks on X seems to be confident of their predictions.
So far leaked characters for Season 1 include:
- Blade
- Mr Fantastic
- The Human Torch
- The Invisible Woman
- Ultron
Marvel Rivals Season 1 Maps – what we think
Confusion reigns from a data mine of the code for Season 1 when it comes to maps. Leakers seem confident that a New York City map is incoming, which would make sense due to its prominence in the comics. Egypt has also been uncovered but that may be for later down the line.
We are definitely leaning on the New York side of things, it’s iconic, makes sense, and could also feature, according to leaker XOX_Leaks as part of a Dracula-themed event called Empire of the Eternal Night.
Whatever happens, we only have a few more days to wait until it all becomes clearer.
