Marvel's Avengers PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades are now live

The long-awaited Marvel's Avengers PS5 and Xbox Series X updates are now live.

Not unexpectedly, the new-gen improvements have come bearing hefty downloads. On PS5, the update clocks in around 74GB, and on Xbox Series X, it's a whopping 104GB. The good news is that this download accounts for the base game and the new upgrades, which have essentially been layered on top. So if you already have the game installed via forwards compatibility, you can subtract its current hard drive footprint from that download. Of course, that only goes for storage space. Depending on your version, you may still need to download the whole 74 - 104GB chonker, so prepare for a long progress bar.

The good news is that download should be worth it. As developer Crystal Dynamics explained last week, the new-gen update delivers "pretty much instant" loading times on PS5, with comparable (albeit slightly slower) boosts on Xbox Series X. Visually, the two new versions are nearly identical and offer the full 4K 60 FPS treatment (with Xbox Series S capping at 1440p) that you'd expect from the new consoles, plus more detailed textures and destruction effects. What's more, thanks to the broader update rolling out alongside these performance upgrades, the game now has a dog that you can pet. 

Now that's next-gen. This update also introduces some quality of life changes – which are especially welcome given that the XP grind has been made grindier – including replayable campaign missions and a custom HARM training room. There's some new content as well, with Operation Future Imperfect introducing Hawkeye as a new free character. 

Crystal Dynamics is now hiring for a new and unannounced AAA game.