Every Marvel Rivals Seasons Start and End Dates

Marvel Rivals has been running on seasonal schedules since its December 2024 launch, and keeping track of the changes can be quite the task.

The game started with Season 0, "Doom's Rise," which ran for just over a month from December 6, 2024, to January 10, 2025. After that quick introduction, the developers moved to much longer seasons. Season 1 ran for a substantial three months until April 11, 2025, marketed as a "giant-sized season" with double the usual content.

Things changed again as the game found its footing. Starting with Season 3, each season typically lasts about two months, split into two halves with mid-season updates. This gives you steady content drops without overloading either the development team or players.

Whether you're trying to plan your Battle Pass completion or wondering when the next hero drops, this complete timeline will help you stay on top of Marvel Rivals seasonal schedule.

All Marvel Rivals Season Timelines

The seasonal roadmap shows exactly how NetEase has structured their content releases since launch. Here's the breakdown of every season with precise dates and durations:

The evolution is pretty clear when you look at the numbers. Season 0 served as a testing ground at just 35 days, letting NetEase figure out how Battle Pass mechanics would work with a live player base.

Seasons 1 and 2 each stretched to roughly three months. These extended timeframes gave players plenty of time to work through their Battle Passes without feeling rushed. The developers could also pack in more substantial content drops.

Season 3 marked the real shift to NetEase's current approach. Each major season now runs about two months total, split into distinct halves (Season X.0 and Season X.5). You get more frequent content updates this way, but without the development team burning out trying to meet impossible deadlines.

The mid-season updates (those X.5 designations) add significant content without wiping your seasonal progress clean. Season 1.5, for example, kicked off on February 21, 2025, with new content while keeping the same Battle Pass running through April 11.

Keep in mind that these dates can shift slightly due to:

• Regional time zone differences
• Maintenance windows
• Developer schedule adjustments

Season 0: Doom's Rise

Marvel Rivals kicked off with Victor Von Doom making his presence felt across the multiverse. This inaugural season established the foundation for NetEase's hero shooter and set up the gameplay mechanics that would continue evolving throughout 2025.

Start and End Date

Season 0 launched on December 6, 2024, marking the game's full release after two beta periods. The season wrapped up on January 10, 2025, making it the shortest season in Marvel Rivals timeline at just 35 days. This brief window served more as an introduction to the seasonal structure than a complete content season.

NetEase timed this shorter season strategically during the holiday period. Players had more free time to explore the game, and the developers could gather launch feedback before rolling out the much larger Season 1.

Duration and New Content

Doom's Rise delivered all its content in one package rather than splitting into halves like later seasons. The season introduced the game's first Battle Pass with 50 tiers of rewards:

• 5 Legendary character skins
• 8 Epic weapon skins
• 12 Player icons
• 6 Emotes
• Various sprays, banners, and currency bundles

The standard Battle Pass cost 950 Marvel Coins ($9.99), while the premium edition at 2,500 Marvel Coins ($24.99) unlocked the first 25 tiers instantly.

The storyline focused on Doctor Doom emerging as a multiversal threat, setting up future narrative threads and establishing the conflict's stakes.

Heroes and Maps

Season 0 started with 33 Heroes all unlocked and free to play, along side with 8 playable maps.

Gameplay Changes

Since this was the launch season, Doom's Rise established gameplay mechanics rather than changing existing ones. Several important updates were implemented:

1. Balance Patches - Three major updates addressed launch issues, with the December 18 patch specifically targeting overpowered abilities for Magneto and Scarlet Witch.
2. Matchmaking Improvements - The December 30 update refined matchmaking algorithms after player complaints about unbalanced matches.
3. Competitive Mode - Ranked mode launched on January 3, 2025, with six tiers:
   • Recruit
   • Agent
   • Veteran
   • Hero
   • Champion
   • Legend
4. Network Stability - Multiple maintenance periods addressed server issues that affected the early launch.

The season ended with the "Doom's Decree" event (January 7-10), featuring double XP and a special mode where one player randomly gained Doom-like powers.

Despite its shorter length, Season 0 successfully established Marvel Rivals core gameplay and set content delivery expectations. Player feedback from this period influenced Season 1: Eternal Night Falls, particularly around Battle Pass progression and matchmaking.

Season 1: Eternal Night Falls

Marvel Rivals got serious about content with Season 1. Launching on January 10, 2025, "Eternal Night Falls" was the game's first proper season after the brief Season 0 introduction.

Start and End Date

Season 1 kicked off on January 10, 2025, at 00:00 UTC, right after Season 0 wrapped up. The season ran for about 90 days, ending on April 11, 2025. That's a massive jump from Season 0's 35-day sprint. Halfway through, on February 21, 2025, at 09:00 UTC, a major mid-season update split the content into two distinct halves.

Duration and New Content

NetEase marketed this as a "giant-sized season" with double the typical content. The storyline brought Dracula into the mix, who teamed up with Doctor Doom to use Chronovium and freeze the moon's movement, plunging New York City into eternal darkness. Pretty dramatic stuff for a hero shooter.

The Battle Pass was significantly bigger than Season 0's offering, featuring "over double the content":

• 10 new hero costumes in the Luxury Pass
• Vampire-medieval themed skins for heroes like Magneto and Iron Man
• Steampunk designs for Rocket and Wolverine
• Comic-accurate looks for Scarlet Witch and Namor

Special events included the "Midnight Features Season Event" and Twitch Drops with exclusive rewards like the "Hela - Will of Galacta" costume.

New Heroes and Maps

The Fantastic Four stole the show, though NetEase split their release across both season halves:

First Half (January 10):

• Mister Fantastic (Duelist) - Stretchy punches and protective abilities
• Invisible Woman (Strategist) - Invisibility and defensive capabilities

Second Half (February 21):

• The Thing (Vanguard) - Tank-type character
• Human Torch (Duelist) - Second flying character after Iron Man

Three new maps arrived, all set in the dark "Empire of Eternal Night" version of New York:

First Half Maps:

• Sanctum Sanctorum (Domination) - Doctor Strange's mansion as the last refuge against Dracula's forces
• Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown (Convoy) - Darkened Midtown with the Baxter Building and Grand Central Terminal

Second Half Map:

• Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park - Released with the mid-season update

Gameplay Changes

Season 1 brought the "Doom Match" game mode an 8-12 player free-for-all where you earn points by defeating opponents. The top 50% of players win at match end.

Balance changes hit nearly every character. Mobile Vanguards like Captain America and Venom got buffs, while Wolverine and Storm received enhancements to match other Duelists. Hulk's overpowered gamma shield got nerfed, and most Strategist heroes received buffs, except Luna Snow and Mantis who got toned down.

Other improvements included a new Celestial Rank between Grandmaster and Eternity, streamlined mission types, and refresh times for daily missions and store items moved from 7:00 UTC to 9:00 UTC.

Convoy and Convergence modes got a quality-of-life upgrade allowing both teams to move to the next spawn room after attackers complete their objective. Quick Match loading now shows Nameplates for both sides.

Season 1 established the content delivery model that Marvel Rivals still follows today - new heroes, maps, and gameplay refinements packaged together in a structured seasonal format.

Season 2: Hellfire Gala

After dealing with Dracula's mess in Season 1, Marvel Rivals shifted gears completely. Season 2 brought the glamour of Emma Frost's exclusive Hellfire Gala on Krakoa - though as expected in the Marvel universe, uninvited guests showed up to ruin the party.

Start and End Date

The Hellfire Gala kicked off on April 11, 2025, at 9 AM UTC. The timing meant 2 AM PDT for West Coast players, 5 AM EDT on the East Coast, 10 AM BST in the UK, and 7 PM AEST in Sydney. The season lasted about 91 days, wrapping up on July 11, 2025. This kept the three-month format from Season 1, making it another "giant-sized" season.

Launch day came with the usual maintenance window of 2-3 hours. The update was hefty - around 50 GB on Steam requiring a full redownload, and up to 25 GB on consoles. Not exactly a quick download, but the content was worth it.

Duration and New Content

Season 2 followed the split format established earlier:

The story had Emma Frost organizing the annual Hellfire Gala on Krakoa, only for Ultron to crash the celebration hunting for Krakoa's "greatest treasure".

The "Flower of Krakoa" Battle Pass featured 10 brand-new costume sets. Players could snag the free Scarlet Witch Chaos Gown costume just by completing 9 matches. The "Cerebro Database" event ran at season start, offering the Mantis Flora Maiden costume.

A second event, "Hellfire Gala: Moments," ran from May 2nd to May 23rd, 2025. It was split into three acts: Explore Krakoa, Hellfire Trading Company Gifts, and Gala Star Vote. Finishing this event got you the free Wolverine Patch costume.

New Heroes and Maps

Season 2 added two heroes to the roster:

Emma Frost arrived at launch as a Vanguard hero. Her kit featured transitions between normal form and Diamond Form, with an ultimate that used mind control on enemies. She launched with two extra costumes: X-Revolution and Blue Sapphire.

Ultron joined mid-season as a Strategist. His gameplay focused on drone-based healing and managing the battlefield.

The new Domination map Hellfire Gala: Krakoa showcased botanical landscapes and fireworks. It entered the competitive rotation, replacing Yggsgard: Royal Palace and Tokyo 2099: Shin-Shibuya. Rumors suggested a second map, possibly Arakko (terraformed Mars), might show up in Season 2.5.

Gameplay Changes

Season 2 brought significant adjustments across the board:

Team-Up Changes:

• Added: Mental Projection (Emma Frost + Magneto/Psylocke), Stars Aligned (Captain America + Winter Soldier), and Arcane Order (Doctor Strange + Scarlet Witch)
• Removed: Metallic Chaos (Magneto and Scarlet Witch) and Voltaic Union (Thor, Storm, and Captain America)
• Modified existing team-ups, removing Winter Soldier from Ammo Overload and Psylocke from Dimensional Shortcut

Competitive Mode Updates:

• Rank reset dropped players by 9 divisions from their Season 1.5 final rank
• Level requirement bumped from 10 to 15
• Pick/ban phase now started at Gold III instead of Diamond
• Performance-based scoring got more weight in rank point calculations

Quality of Life Improvements:

• Mission system overhaul with weekly missions added alongside dailies
• Cosmetic gifting system for sending items to friends
• Extra sensitivity options for console players
• Experimental "Switch Shader Compilation Mode" for PC to reduce stuttering

NetEase also announced that starting with Season 3, seasons would shift to a two-month format with monthly hero releases. This marked a big change in how content would be delivered going forward.

Season 3: The Abyss Awakens

Things got significantly darker after the Hellfire Gala wrapped up. Season 3 brought Knull, the god of symbiotes, crawling out from whatever cosmic corner he'd been hiding in. This season marked the biggest shift yet in how NetEase handled their content delivery.

Start and End Date

Season 3 kicked off on July 11, 2025, at 09:00 UTC, after the usual 2-3 hour maintenance window. The season ran until September 12, 2025, but this time things were different. NetEase split it into two clear phases:

• Season 3.0: July 11, 2025 - August 8, 2025 (28 days)
• Season 3.5: August 8, 2025 - September 12, 2025 (35 days)

Duration and New Content

This season completely changed the game's rhythm. NetEase dropped the three-month format and moved to two months. That meant faster content drops and less time to complete everything.

The story focused on Knull breaking free from whatever prison was holding him, with Hela now serving as his Queen in Black. The in-game comics explained it like this: "Before our heroes can celebrate their victory, Adam Warlock is alerted to the reemergence of the demiurge Knull. If the group is to stand a chance against one of the primal forces of the universe, they'll need to recruit one of their own..."

The "Power of the Phoenix" Battle Pass came packed with 10 costume sets mixing Phoenix Force themes with symbiote designs. The season's event schedule looked like this:

New Heroes and Maps

Season 3 brought two heroes, split across the season halves as expected:

Phoenix (Jean Gray) arrived on July 11 as a Ranged Duelist. Her kit centered around area damage and a "Spark" mechanic that chained between enemies. Her ultimate let her fly up and crash down in a fiery explosion that sent shockwaves across the battlefield.

Blade showed up on August 8 with Season 3.5, rounding out the season's roster additions.

Two new maps joined the rotation, both set on the symbiote homeworld. Klyntar: Celestial Husk launched with Season 3.0, featuring all the creepy symbiote visuals you'd expect. 

Klyntar: Throne of Knull came later in the season, set underground and connected to the surface through the massive Venom Spire.

Gameplay Changes

Season 3 brought some major system overhauls:

The competitive system got hit with a 7-division rank reset based on your Season 2.5 ending. Diamond I players found themselves starting over at Gold II.

The mission system received a complete rework:

• Daily missions disappeared, with their Chrono Token rewards moved elsewhere
• Weekly missions now rolled over until mid-season
• New Season missions lasted the full season and could be repeated for rewards
• Mission variety expanded while removing the more frustrating hero-specific ones

"Resource Rumble" mode launched on August 22, adding a new way to play.

Several new systems came online:

• Accessories system for earning hero-specific items through match play
• Student Perks program giving verified university students trial access to 10 costumes
• Discord integration for chatting with Discord friends in-game
• Four new Team-Up abilities, including "Primal Flame" (Phoenix + Wolverine)

The move to bimonthly seasons completely changed the game's pace. You got content faster, but had less time to work through everything before the next update hit.

Season 4: Heart of the Dragon

K'un-Lun brought some mystical energy to Marvel Rivals after the cosmic horror show that was Season 3. Season 4 swapped symbiote nightmares for ancient dragons and martial arts vibes.

Start and End Date

Heart of the Dragon kicked off on September 12, 2025, at 09:00 UTC, with the usual 2-3 hour maintenance window. The season ran for 63 days total, wrapping up on November 14, 2025. Just like Season 3, this one was split into two chunks: Season 4.0 (September 12 - October 10) and Season 4.5 (October 10 - November 14).

Duration and New Content

The story focused on Shou-Lao the Immortal Dragon taking a really long nap, which apparently caused some serious problems for K'un-Lun. The "Fruit of Immortality" Battle Pass captured this mystical theme perfectly, launching alongside the "Scroll of the Immortal Beasts" event.

Content rolled out pretty much on schedule:

Season 4 also brought Marvel Rivals to PlayStation 4 for the first time, expanding the player base significantly.

New Heroes and Maps

Angela landed on day one as a Vanguard with some pretty unique abilities - she could fly around and create shields, axes, and spears out of golden ichor. She came with two costumes: a basic recolor and the much cooler Legendary "Skuld 2099" skin with full cyberpunk styling.

Daredevil showed up for Season 4.5 on October 10, most likely as a Duelist hero.

The new map, "K'un-Lun: Heart of Heaven," dropped on September 25. This Convergence map had everything you'd expect from a mystical martial arts setting - multi-level terrain, tight chokepoints, temples, and celestial platforms that really nailed the dragon theme.

Gameplay Changes

Season 4 completely overhauled Arcade Mode, making six different game modes available all the time:

• Free Fight: No hero restrictions, just team bans
• Conquest (Annihilation): Team deathmatch racing to 50 KOs
• Clone Rumble: Teams pick from two random heroes
• Giant-Size Brain Blast: Marvel trivia game

The season added one new Team-Up combo (Divine Armory: Angela + Thor) and delivered some significant balance changes - Thor and Peni Parker got buffed while Squirrel Girl and Emma Frost got hit with nerfs.

Quality-of-life improvements included costume rotation features, friend suggestions, squad voice chat options, and the ability to download gallery cards.

Season 5: Love is a Battlefield

Marvel Rivals hits its first anniversary with Season 5, and NetEase decided to celebrate with romance. The X-Men power couple Gambit and Rogue take center stage in what might be the most ambitious season yet.

Start and End Date

Season 5 launched on November 14, 2025, at 09:00 UTC, after a standard 2-hour maintenance window. The season runs through January 16, 2026, split into the usual two phases:

Duration and New Content

The "Grand Garden Adventure" Battle Pass dropped alongside the "Elder's Chessboard" event, which rewards a free Spider-Man Iron Spider costume. The anniversary celebration kicks off on November 27, handing out 2,500 Units and a free Legendary Jeff costume. The story follows Gambit and Rogue on their cosmic honeymoon in a paradise crafted by the Elders of the Universe.

New Heroes and Maps

Gambit arrives as a Strategist who throws kinetic cards for healing, debuff removal, and damage. Rogue joins mid-season on December 12, presumably with her signature power absorption abilities.

Two major maps shake up the formula: Times Square serves as a social hub for up to 100 players, while Grand Garden hosts the new 18v18 Conquest Annihilation mode launching November 28. The 18v18 mode represents the largest team battles Marvel Rivals has ever seen.

Gameplay Changes

Season 5 brings cross-platform progression, finally linking accounts across PlayStation, PC, and Xbox. Competitive mode now requires 10 placement matches before showing your rank. New Team-Ups include "Explosive Entanglement" (Gambit + Magneto), "Sword of Duality" (Cloak & Dagger + Hawkeye), and "Blade of Khonshu" (Moon Knight + Blade).

Season 6: Night at the Museum

Season 6 picks up right where Season 5 left off. After Rogue's powers went haywire and destroyed the Krakoa portal that was their only way home, Gambit brings her to the one place he knows in this strange realm: the Collector's Museum. To deal with the intruders, the Collector sends two of his top mercenaries after them. That's where Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone come in, but Deadpool's betrayal throws the whole museum into chaos. It's a season that leans hard into the absurdity of its premise, and the roster choices reflect that energy perfectly.

Start and End Date

Season 6 runs from January 16, 2026 to March 20, 2026, with the usual two-phase structure:

Duration and New Content

The season launched with the Museum Ticket Battle Pass and a Whac-A-Jeff event, where players can earn the Jeff 8-Bit Bash skin along with other rewards. The Museum of Contemplation map released on January 30, 2026, two weeks into the season. The story connects directly to Season 5, following Gambit and Rogue as fugitives inside the Collector's Museum while Deadpool and Elsa Bloodstone are sent to hunt them down.

New Heroes and Maps

Deadpool is the headliner and easily the most unique hero addition the game has seen. He's the first triple-role character, able to play as a Duelist, Vanguard, or Strategist, with each role giving him different max HP values and a distinct ability. Vanguard Deadpool gets a deployable shield, Strategist Deadpool heals teammates by shooting or slashing them, and Duelist Deadpool throws his sword for extended range. Elsa Bloodstone arrived mid-season as a Duelist, wielding a double-barrel pistol and a monster hunter rifle with strong mobility and crowd control. Her kit includes summoning Glartrox, a creature that charges into enemy lines and drags enemies in its path. On the map side, Season 6 introduced a new Convoy map and expanded Times Square, alongside a new 1v1 mode, the first dedicated one in Marvel Rivals history.

Gameplay Changes

Season 6 introduced new Team-Up abilities, including Mr. Pool's Interdimensional Toy Box pairing Deadpool with Jeff the Land Shark. The season also expanded Hero Proficiency, adding new Lord tiers with additional rewards for players who had already maxed out their favorite characters. Competitive ranking received further refinements continuing from Season 5's placement match changes, and Deadpool's role-switching mechanic introduced a fundamentally new strategic layer to team composition that no previous hero had offered.

Conclusion

Marvel Rivals has evolved quite a bit since Doctor Doom first showed up in December 2024. NetEase went from that short 35-day Season 0 to the longer 90-day seasons, and now they've settled into the current 63-day format with mid-season updates. It shows they're trying to find the right balance between regular content drops and maintaining quality.

These seasonal patterns are actually pretty helpful once you understand them. Season 0 was basically a test run, Seasons 1-2 gave us those longer story arcs, and Seasons 3-6 moved to the faster bimonthly schedule. Each season brings its own Battle Pass, events, and balance changes to keep things interesting.

You can expect one hero per half-season now, with NetEase rotating between different classes to keep the roster balanced. Maps usually show up in the first half of each season too, giving you time to learn them before they potentially get added to competitive.

Season 5's anniversary celebration really shows how much the game has grown. The initial 33-hero roster has expanded significantly, and new features like the Times Square social hub and 18v18 Conquest mode demonstrate NetEase's ambition for the game.

The seasonal timeline reveals NetEase's approach to be consistent content delivery, mixed with technical improvements and community feedback. Whether you've been playing since launch or you're just getting started, understanding these patterns will help you get the most out of Marvel Rivals as it heads into its second year.