Marvel Rivals release date leaks as the Overwatch 2 challenger heads for December launch - with all heroes unlocked from the start

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Marvel Rivals
(Image credit: NetEase)

It looks like NetEase's Overwatch challenger, Marvel Rivals, will be released in just under four months.

Opening Night Live is underway, though the Epic Games Store has seemingly let slip a trailer early. In a now-deleted tweet with some text and a trailer, we see several new additions, such as Captain America and the Winter Soldier, Wakanda maps, and a tease of the Hyrda Erebus base. 

What's likely a real standout for fans of the game and curious Overwatchers watching is that there are no hero unlocks. Marvel Rivals launches on December 6 as a free-to-play game, and all heroes are good to go from the start. How things go beyond that remains to be seen.

The free-to-play team-based PvP shooter has been in and out of betas over the past year, introducing mixed Battle Pass concepts and an adorable Deadpool favorite that might be too strong. We'll see what's been ironed out with the launch just under four months away.

Putting two teams of six against each other, you've got the sort of chaotic, objective-based gameplay familiar to anyone who has spent time with Overwatch 2 or Team Fortress 2 - Adam Warlock even has Mercy's long-lost resurrection ability. You do get the novel joy of a familiar cast of Marvel heroes alongside some fresh ideas, though it remains to be seen if Marvel Rivals can snatch Overwatch 2's crown. 

If you're looking to get caught up for the big release, check out our Marvel Rivals ranks and competitive mode explainer and our Marvel Rivals characters tier list and best heroes.

Check out our Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024 coverage right here.

Iain Harris
Iain Harris
News Editor, Games

I joined GamesRadar+ in May 2022 following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When I'm not running the news team on the games side, you'll find me putting News Editor duties to one side to play the hottest JRPG of 20 years ago or pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new cloak – the more colourful, the better.