Marvel Rivals Season 6 launch: our live coverage of the Deadpool update

Marvel Rivals Season 6 launches on January 16, bringing Deadpool as a brand new Hero. The iconic mutant has been heavily requested ever since Marvel Rivals launched, and now players will be able to dive in and push the front line forward while utilizing multiple styles of play.

There's a fresh Season 6 Battle Pass too, giving players plenty to claim before the arrival of the next Season of Marvel Rivals. Now that NetEase has revealed the full details for Marvel Rivals Season 6, we can start to dig into what's changing. It's remarkable just how quickly the game's meta can switch up with each major update, and it's no surprise that Marvel Rivals still ranks highly on our best PC games list.

I've now played 300 hours of Marvel Rivals since launch, and I've been jumping in at the start of every season to try out the new Hero. I'm very excited to get my hands on Deadpool, and absolutely ready to try out his role-switching abilities. It's not just the arrival of Deadpool that'll switch up Season 6, however, as there are changes to Heroes like Hulk and Gambit that will surely change the meta going forward.

Here's the Marvel Rivals Season 6 launch info, alongside details on what to expect from the new major update.

Marvel Rivals Season 6 estimated start time

Marvel Rivals Season 6 launches January 16 at the times below:

• East Coast (US): 6AM ET
• West Coast (US): 3AM PT
• United Kingdom: 11AM GMT
• Australia (Sydney): 10PM AEST
• Japan (Tokyo): 8PM JST

This based on the launch timings of the last five seasons, which have been like clockwork.

Downtime kicks in, and then Marvel Rivals always goes back online precisely two hours later. This may change for Season 6, and if it does I'll be providing live updates on the day.

Marvel Rivals Season 6 Downtime

Marvel Rivals Season 6 downtime begins at the following times, and is expected to last 2 hours.

• East Coast (US): 4AM ET
• West Coast (US): 1AM PT
• United Kingdom: 9AM GMT
• Australia (Sydney): 8PM AEST
• Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST

Marvel Rivals Deadpool

Deadpool: The Merc with a Mouth | Character Reveal | Marvel Rivals - YouTube

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Deadpool finally joins Marvel Rivals in Season 6, and as expected, he's a completely unique type of Hero. In a first for the game, Deadpool is actually a Vanguard, Duelist and Strategist all rolled into one. He has dual pistols and a katana to deal huge damage either up close or from a distance, he has the ability to place down a shield bubble, and can even heal teammates with his main attacks.

As the match progresses, Deadpool can choose to upgrade certain abilities. His Ultimate then tasks you with carrying out certain attacks, then you'll gain bonuses based on how well you do. Strategist abilities operate in a similar way, while Vanguard is all about throwing down a shield and tanking damage. As such Deadpool is easily the most complex Hero we've seen in Marvel Rivals so far, and it'll take some time before his abilities and role-switching becomes clearly understood.

Marvel Rivals Season 6 Hero Balancing

Season 6: Night at the Museum // Dev Vision Vol. 13 - YouTube

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The following Hero balancing updates are now live in Marvel Rivals Season 6:

• Hero balancing (buffs): Hulk, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Blade, Cloak and Dagger, Emma Frost, Black Panther
• Hero Balancing (nerfs): Angela, Daredevil, Gambit, Invisible Woman, Rocket Raccoon

Marvel Rivals Season 6 ranked changes

There's plenty of Ranked Changes added as part of Marvel Rivals Season 6. Here's the headline info:

• Rank rewards: Reach Gold for a bonus Deadpool 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

Jake Green

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 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, Deadpool gives me a new character to main in Season 6.

Marvel Rivals Season 6 live coverage as it happens