A massive 18v18 mode, free rewards, wild new skins, and a stacked 2026 roster tease push the game into its most explosive season yet.
Marvel Rivals is getting closer to its anniversary with a lot of momentum that not many people saw coming, and the latest news about its expanding world has only made people more excited. A happy update has quietly spread through the group, but it has a big effect. The experience is about to change for both new and old players, with new material, characters, and ways to play. Two quick-fire trailers made the news, giving hints at a season that will change both style and gameplay in ways that feel bold and purposely ambitious.
A lot of rewards are offered during the anniversary event, but what’s most surprising is how many of them are free. By participating in events, players can earn up to 2,500 units, which can be used to unlock cosmetics and new materials. Along with this, for a limited time, a shortened Battle Pass with three new character outfits is available. Jeff the Land Shark, reimagined here as “Jeff the Business Shark,” is the first fully customizable Legendary skin added to the game. It’s a design that mixes humor with great character craft that really stands out.
The new animations that come with the outfit make it even clearer that Marvel Rivals is ready to try new ways to customize characters based on their personalities.
There are two more outfits on the pass to complete it. Invisible Woman comes in wearing an outfit with a desert theme that was made to go with how her look is changing this season. The design emphasizes warmth and movement, giving her kit a new look that stands out against the more standard styles that players are used to seeing. The new, relaxed clothes that Mister Fantastic is wearing give him a more grounded and fun look. The costume, which was based on the idea of a superhero juggling parental duties, links the character to the rest of the Fantastic Four family without using typical superhero themes.
Since the update comes out during the holiday sales season, many players are already planning to get these new features along with packs that are already on sale. But the anniversary party is more than just makeup. As part of a new relationship, McFarlane Toys will be designing a line of collectible Marvel Rivals figures. Todd McFarlane started the studio, which is famous around the world for creating characters like Spawn and influencing Venom’s unique visual evolution. You can pre-order figures of the Hulk, Venom, and Anti-Venom. Each one comes with a Marvel Rivals Issue #1 comic. Collectors are already saying that they will sell out quickly because the designs combine high-quality sculptures with the game’s signature look.
The most interesting thing about the anniversary surprise, though, is the addition of a whole new mode that will change the pace of the game. This week, an 18-versus-18 mode starts on Grand Garden, a map that was made with the Grandmaster’s story in mind. This person, who is usually shown as an ethically ambiguous manipulator, is not the season’s main bad guy; instead, they are the one who sets up the real threat. His appearance suggests a bigger story that will play out over several seasons, especially since characters like Deadpool are getting closer to joining the cast, and recent hints make it more likely that others, like Ghost Rider, will too.
Early gameplay in the new mode shows how chaos can be managed. Large-scale battles happen with surprising clarity, combining goal-oriented action with the explosive skills that make up Rivals’ lineup. For gamers looking for something different from the usual arcade games, this mode gives them a flexible area to try out different team combinations and plans. Because there are no character-locking rules in these bigger modes, players won’t have to fight for their favorite heroes. Instead, players can call up whole teams of Gambits or Rogues if they want to. This is part of the game’s design theory, which promotes freedom, creativity, and spectacle.
At the same time, the roster plan keeps getting longer. The main event of the season is still Deadpool’s arrival, but the anniversary material also hides hints at other characters that will be added in 2026. These hints come in many forms, from stories about the environment to subtle references in advertising art. The makers seem determined to make a lineup that is shaped not only by polls but also by the story’s long-term structure. If things keep going the way they are, next year’s squad could be one of the biggest additions to the game’s history.
The world around Marvel Rivals is also changing very quickly. There are dedicated players in community hubs who are breaking down every frame of the new mode, every motion that goes with the costumes, and every hint of new heroes that will be coming out. The anniversary event is like a spark, kicking off a season meant to keep things going and lay the groundwork for future growth. The update brings big-screen modes, skins that can be changed, and well-known partnerships all at once. This is the moment when the game moves from early promise to long-term positioning.
The videos’ tone also sends a message in a subtle way. The visual language leans toward scale, energy, and story-driven silliness. This makes it seem like the game isn’t trying to be just another competitive Marvel game, but rather a living world that can grow. Every addition, from Jeff’s graphics with business themes to the Grandmaster’s carefully thought-out story hints, adds to a sense of depth that is planned, measured, and made to make you curious.
As the annual countdown comes to an end, Marvel Rivals moves on to the next part of its story with more confidence. With the new mode, players can rethink how the terrain looks. The outfits change how the characters look. The items make the world outside the screen more real. And the lineup hints that there is a much bigger plan going on behind the scenes.
This season, which started with cautious confidence, looks like it will be one of the most important in the early years of the game. In Marvel Rivals, not only have the game’s features grown, but so have the things that players can expect in the future. And as the next group of heroes gets closer, the anniversary update sets the tone for a year marked by goals, new experiences, and a growing sense of mystery in the story.
