Marvel Rivals Hits All-Time Low Player Count After Season 2 Launch

Weirdly enough, Marvel Rivals has reached an all-time low player count of 159,426, despite recently kicking off its action-packed Season 2 update. We guess that means a lot of players have dropped off—at least from the PC version of the game. But hey, let’s look on the bright side: there’s a good chance they’ll come back.

This game looked like one of the biggest success stories in recent memory, blending team-based hero shooter gameplay with the colorful world of Marvel Comics. You’ve got a choice of friend or foe with a whole roster of characters like Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Loki (always go for Loki, obviously). That roster probably keeps players logging in daily—but even that hasn’t stopped Marvel Rivals from seeing a significant drop in player count since launch.

What Happened After Season 1?

So, the depressing 159,426 player count was recorded on May 4th, just after the launch of Season 2: Hellfire Gala. There could be several reasons for this drop, but one of the biggest issues? The role queue system—or lack thereof.

Teamwork is a core concept in Marvel Rivals, but it’s been criticized for putting too much emphasis on individual performance over proper class composition. The game suggests a team-based style, but encourages everyone to just play their main and hope for the best. Since launch, players have argued that the game needs a real role queue to balance out matches and reduce those impossible-feeling team comps.

From 40 Million Registered Users to a Core Fanbase

Right now, Marvel Rivals is down about 75% compared to its peak, which hit 600,000 concurrent users back in December 2024. That hype was driven by its fun art style, its character variety, and some exciting game modes—which led to the game reaching 40 million registered users by February 2025.

But don’t panic—this doesn’t mean the game is dead. It likely means a lot of casual gamers have moved on, leaving behind a more consistent group of fans who are still showing up for the long haul.

Season 2 Brings Emma Frost, Ultron Still Incoming

Season 2 launched in April, introducing new ways to play and rewards to unlock, with the biggest new addition being Emma Frost. But honestly? The hype’s mostly centered on Ultron, who’s expected to drop sometime this month. Season 2 is set to run through July, and players are grinding their challenges to unlock new skins and content.

Once Ultron joins the fight, we’ll see if the numbers go back up—but for now, a lot of casual players seem to be checking out, likely because matchmaking struggles and long queue times aren’t exactly fun.