Marvel Rivalsis getting its next big update tomorrow, and it’s one that is exciting fans a great deal.Marvel RivalsSeason 2brought several character and system changes, but the game has consistently gotten updates in between major seasonal content. While this new update only has a couple of balance changes, it does contain several features that fans have been asking for since the hero shooter’s launch back in December 2024, but the lack of major balance changes also brings some concern from hardcore players.
According to the official patch notes forMarvel Rivals, Version 20250522 will go live tomorrow, and the update will not require any server downtime. The update will include new skins for Adam Warlock and Scarlet Witch, an extension to the Hellfire Gala: Moments event,a huge new character voice audio setting, and some major quality-of-life improvements, like being able to use up to five sprays at once, leading Reddit userDuke825to exclaim:“This is actually huge.“Previously, players could only leave one spray at any location at a time.
Over on Reddit in a post byBoltexGaming, fans are expressing their gratitude for the new features, but are alsoquestioning the nerfs and bug fixes to a specific character, and why developer NetEase Games seems to be focusing on universal system updates instead of balancing the competitive aspect of the game. There will also be a return of some “fan favorite” cosmetic bundles, according to the patch notes.
Everything In The New Update
New Voice Option, New Sprays, And Bug Fixes
This new update for the game isnot a gameplay overhaul, but more of a features overhaul. The two biggest additions in this update are a new character audio setting to allow players to use their preferred skin for characters without changing their entire voice, and the update to sprays. A “Use Default Costume Voices” option will be added under the audio settings. This option will allow users to equip a skin that changes the character’s voice, like Loki’s All-Butcherskin fromMarvel RivalsSeason 1, and use the character’s standard voice instead.
Players have always been able to equip several different sprays, but now that people can leave multiple sprays, fans seem to be excited about what kind of creations could be coming.Batusimanon Reddit is grateful to finally be able to put their favorite heroes together solo, saying:“Oh that spray update is cool, can poorly attempt to make the Emma, Wolvie, Panther and Namor X myself now.”
There are some other tweaks, as well, includinga bug fix that might upset some Mantis players. All the changes coming to the game in this new update are as follows:
Our Take: Marvel Rivals Is Prioritizing Fun Over Balance
And That’s A Good Thing
This update is not going to turn the game’s balance on its head, but it will make a lot of more casual players happy. Being able to use several different sprays at once and being able to use your favorite skin without voice changes is a big win. NetEase Gamesseems to be prioritizing fun over a balanced game, but even then, almost every character in the game is strong. The design philosophy seems to have been “if everyone is broken, then no one is broken.”
Marvel Rivalsremains one of the most popular multiplayer games, despite seeing a slight decrease in player count recently. That will likely go back up when the mid-season update happens, presumably on May 30, and the menacing Ultron is added to the game. Even withone character getting more skin attentionthan others, it seems like there is a long life ahead forMarvel Rivals.
