Marvel Rivals saw a clear uplift on Steam this week after the arrival of a limited-time Marvel Zombies PvE mode tied to the Halloween event, reaching concurrent player numbers not seen since the start of the season. The free-to-play superhero shooter launched in December 2024 and has kept a steady audience through Season 4 and 4.5, which added Daredevil and Angela. Before the Halloween event, the game was trading around 75,000 to 80,000 concurrent players. On October 23, the count jumped into the high 120,000s, roughly double the previous day, and has stayed elevated since.
This surge is visible on SteamDB charts. The change lines up with the release of the Marvel Zombies PvE mode. This limited-time player-versus-environment event pits players against hordes of AI enemies inspired by the comic and the new animated series.
Player reaction has been loud online, with many asking for PvE to become a permanent option. That demand is understandable; PvE has been one of the most-requested features since launch. We previously covered the announcement of the Marvel Zombies PvE mode in more detail and tracked Rivals’ player trends here: Marvel Zombies PvE mode arrival and earlier player count context.
From a design perspective, adding PvE events is a low-friction way to pull lapsed players back in and give current players an alternative loop to the core PvP. Whether NetEase will fold PvE elements into the base game beyond seasonal events is unanswered for now, but the numbers make the case that the studio should be paying attention.
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