Marvel Rivals’ newest game mode comes as part of the game’s first anniversary, which also brings new cosmetics to the hero shooter. Read on to find out more about the latest news with Rivals’ anniversary event.
Marvel Rivals Introduces Massive 18v18 Annihilation Game Mode
A Chaotic, Endgame-Style Game Mode for the Ages
Marvel Rivals announced that Annihilation, a chaotic 36-player, 18v18 game mode will be launching today.
Arriving as part of the game's ongoing first-anniversary celebration, which recently introduced a social, non-combat hub, Annihilation features a sprawling and exclusive new map: the Grand Garden.
This colossal arena, controlled by the Gardener and the Collector, is designed as a callback to the iconic massive-scale fights of Marvel Comics. The mode is purely casual—like Marvel Zombies and the Times Square social hub—so competitive players can play without worrying about their rank.
Annihilation arrived to the game on November 27 at 1:00 AM PE alongside brand new skins and the release of the free "Jeff the Business Shark" skin as part of Marvel Rivals’ first anniversary celebration.
A Marvelous Celebration for Rivals’ First Anniversary
Marvel Rivals’ first anniversary celebration is in full swing with the release of Annihilation, following the inclusion of the non-combat Times Square mode and the new playable hero Gambit. The celebration is far from over, though, as more content for Rivals is planned to be released as part of the game’s anniversary and 5th Season.
Along with the announced "Jeff the Business Shark" skin and free 2500 Units, 4 new skins are now released for Blade, Venom, Invisible Woman, and Mr. Fantastic. These are all themed around the first anniversary celebration, with the Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic skins being part of the paid Anniversary Event Pass. The Blade and Venom skins, meanwhile, come as part of their own separate bundle, with Blade’s "Restful Slumber" skin being a cheeky reference to his appearance in a sleep chamber on Wakanda before his release in the game.
As an added surprise, the Season 1 Battlepass, the "Darkhold," is also available for limited-time purchase for players who may have missed out on it. This battle pass contains some of the game’s more popular skins, such as Iron Man’s Blood Edge armor and comic skins such as Loki’s God Butcher Skin from Thor (2018) #6 and Magneto’s King Magnus skin, inspired by his appearance in the House of M comic event.
Marvel Rivals’ accessible cosmetics and microtransaction system and reverence for the source material are just some of the reasons it's one of the most popular games on Steam, with around 90,000 to 100,000 concurrent players daily. In our review, we called it "The Hero Shooter the Genre Needed" and praised its diverse roster, team-up system, and hero design. Read our review below:
A Celebration that Spans the Multiverse
This isn’t all for anniversary skins, though, as Luna Snow and Psylocke are also set to receive their own exclusive anniversary cosmetics on December 5. In addition to the free 2500 Units, players can also receive a total of 1500 extra Units just by logging in for one week starting on November 7. These can also be used to purchase skins and cosmetics.
Furthermore, a new "Black Friday" sale has been announced, where players can initially purchase a skin from Season 3 or prior with a 20% discount, but then gain larger discounts with more purchases. The Black Friday sale begins on November 28 at 3:00 AM PT and ends on December 2 at 1:00 AM PT.
As for new playable characters, the sweet and tough Southern belle Rogue will be making her debut in Marvel Rivals during the mid-season update, slated for release sometime around December 12. Not much is known about her and the new content that arrives with Season 5.5 just yet, but it is expected that more information will be revealed in the weeks to come.
Marvel Rivals is out for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PC. For more on Marvel’s multiversal multiplayer shooter, read our article below:
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18 vs 18 Annihilation | New Game Mode | Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals Version 20251127 Patch Notes
