Marvel Rivals Season 5 launches tomorrow (November 14), and adds a whole new Battle Pass to work through, some significant changes to Ranked play, and of course, a new Hero. Gambit joins the battle as a Strategist, and later on we'll be getting Rogue as part of the 5.5 update.
I've now played hundreds of hours of Marvel Rivals since launch, jumping in at the start of every season to try out the new Hero. I'm very excited to get my hands on Gambit, and absolutely ready to be pulled away from my Vanguard bias. It's not just the arrival of Gambit that'll switch up Season 5, however, as there are changes to Heroes like Spider-Man and Captain America that will surely change the meta going forward.
Here's the Marvel Rivals Season 5 launch info, alongside details on what to expect from the new major update. I'll be covering the launch as it happens, offering key details on start time and downtime, before switching into my live reactions once everything goes live.
Marvel Rivals Season 5 start time
Marvel Rivals Season 5 will launch 2-3 hours after downtime kicks in. This has pretty much been like clockwork the last couple of major updates, with the new season going live precisely 2 hours following the end of the previous one. As such, here's when to expect the launch of Season 5 on November 14:
- East Coast (US): 6AM ET
- West Coast (US): 3AM PT
- United Kingdom: 11AM GMT
- Australia (Sydney): 10PM AEST
- Japan (Tokyo): 8PM JST
Marvel Rivals Season 5 downtime
Marvel Rivals Season 5 downtime will begin at the following times:
- East Coast (US): 4AM ET
- West Coast (US): 1AM PT
- United Kingdom: 9AM GMT
- Australia (Sydney): 8PM AEST
- Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST
Marvel Rivals Gambit
Gambit joins Marvel Rivals as the new Hero in Season 5. He's a Strategist, using kinetic energy abilities to launch playing cards at enemies. He's able to heal teammates, apply anti-heal to foes, and he's very agile as he uses quick dashes to move around the map. His Bayou Bash slams the ground, healing teammates and damaging enemies, and can be combined with a dash to heal multiple players at once.
He arrives with a Team Up with Magneto, which harkens back to the Metallic Chaos Team Up, but this time with kinetic energy instead of magic. Gambit is the anchor here, so gains bonus health when there's a Magneto on the same team.
Marvel Rivals Season 5 Hero Balancing
The following Hero balancing updates are now live in Marvel Rivals Season 5:
- Hero balancing (buffs): Angela, Hawkeye, Captain America, Groot, Hulk, Magneto, Peni Parker, The Thing, Mr Fantastic, Spider-Man, The Punisher, Wolverine, Phoenix, Squirrel Girl, Storm, Rocket Raccoon, Loki, Cloak & Dagger, Adam Warlock, Invisible Woman
- Hero Balancing (nerfs): There are no outright nerfs this season
Marvel Rivals Season 5 ranked changes
There's plenty of Ranked Changes added as part of Marvel Rivals Season 5. Here's the headline info:
- Rank rewards: Reach Gold for the Gambit - Sacrificial Pawn costume
- Nameplates: Diamond and Platinum, Crests of Honor for Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and Top 500
- Placement: From Season 5 onward, your first 10 ranked matches are Placement Matches. Your performance determines your starting tier
Marvel Rivals Season 5 live coverage as it happened
As Evergreen Editor, it's my job to stay up to date with the latest games, especially live service titles like Marvel Rivals. I've put hundreds of hours into the game at this point, having jumped on during Season 0. Since then, I've covered every season personally and professionally, and I've particularly enjoyed Season 2, which gave me the opportunity to try out Emma Frost as a brand-new Vanguard. I tend to stick to the Vanguard role, and I'm currently working on getting Magneto to Lord proficiency. Hopefully, Gambit gives me a new Strategist character to main in Season 5.
A new Team Up for Magneto
Gambit arrives and brings a new Team Up with Magneto. This is essentially a rework of his Team Up with Scarlet Witch, a move that will no doubt excite a lot of players (including me). Now, Magneto can throw kinetically-charged swords at foes, making him even more formidable.
Season 5 roadmap revealed
NetEase has now revealed the full roadmap for Season 5. There’s set to be new costumes for Doctor Strange, Luna Snow, Magik, and Psylocke, and anniversary celebrations kick off on November 28.
When is Rogue coming to Marvel Rivals?
Gambit and Rogue have been revealed for Marvel Rivals. Gambit is arriving first, and we’ll see Rogue following on December 12, 2025. This is when Season 5.5 will launch, and we’ll all be able to play as Rogue.
Placement matches for Marvel Rivals
There’s now placement matches for the Competitive Mode in Marvel Rivals. If you played 10 or more ranked matches in Season 4, your Season 5 placement matches estimated starting rank is your Season 4 final rank minus 3 divisions. This is then compared with your highest ranking in previous seasons, with some tiers subtracted. You can read the full details here.
Gambit is the new Hero in Marvel Rivals
We now know that Gambit is the next Hero set to be added in Marvel Rivals. He’s a Strategist that can heal teammates with his kinetic playing cards, and apply anti-heal in certain situations. He has an ability that can actually negate certain effects as well, and we see him in the reveal trailer countering a Doctor Strange Ultimate ability.
So when will Marvel Rivals Season 5 come out?
Marvel Rivals Season 5 will arrive after downtime kicks in. This has been precisely 2 hours of wait time for the last four major updates, so I expect Season 5 to launch at this time:
- East Coast (US): 6AM ET
- West Coast (US): 3AM PT
- United Kingdom: 11AM GMT
- Australia (Sydney): 10PM AEST
- Japan (Tokyo): 8PM JST
