The gaming scene has seen some action lately, especially with the launch of Marvel Rivals. A new report from NewZoo highlights how this title has pulled in many players who’ve left Overwatch 2, making waves in the community as we look at player trends and statistics that can’t be ignored.
The latest findings show that 45% of players who stopped playing Overwatch 2 in December 2024 opted for Marvel Rivals. Following its early access launch in October 2022, Overwatch 2‘s daily active users peaked but soon faced a decline. This downward trend continued into December when the release of Marvel Rivals, which had already made its mark, coincided with a temporary engagement bump from the Overwatch: Classic Event.
This event managed to boost player engagement by only 12% before crashing down by a staggering 26%. Despite launching late in December, Marvel Rivals, during its first month, landed itself as one of the top games played in 2024—coming in eighth overall on Steam. It ranked third among all new releases behind titles like Helldivers 2 and Palworld.
Notably:
Among free-to-play games released in 2024 on platforms such as Steam, PS5, and Xbox, no other title matches what Marvel Rivals has achieved. It’s currently enjoying consistent playtime without shutting down or suffering drastic drops.
The growth of free-to-play game time was also supported throughout last year, with Marvel Rivals as a crucial contributor — marking it as the second highest source of growth for new free-to-play titles after The First Descendant.
Soon after launch, numbers for Marvel Rivals have declined slightly; however, excitement is building once more as Season 2 approaches. Will this lead to another surge? Could it finish off strong by being one of the most played games of 2025?
