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 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
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
Marvel Rivals Season 6 live coverage as it happens
Hello there
Hello and welcome in, as I cover the live launch of Marvel Rivals Season 6. We’re now less than 24 hours away from the new season, which adds Deadpool as a much-requested Hero. Here’s what you need to know.
When does downtime kick in?
Marvel Rivals will enter downtime at the following times on January 16, 2026:
- East Coast (US): 4AM ET
- West Coast (US): 1AM PT
- United Kingdom: 9AM GMT
- Australia (Sydney): 8PM AEST
- Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST
So, when will Season 6 actually launch?
Marvel Rivals Season 6 is expected to launch 2 hours after downtime kicks in. As such, it’ll be here around 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
Deadpool arrives in Marvel Rivals
After being pretty much the most-requested Hero for Marvel Rivals since launch, Deadpool will be added as part of Season 6. He’s a mix of all three classes, and can heal teammates, place down shields, or just focus on outputting heaps of damage.
Season 6 Roadmap revealed
NetEase has now revealed the full Marvel Rivals Season 6 roadmap. Looks like Season 6.5 will arrive February 13, but before then there’s a new map, a new event, and skins for Spider-Man, Hela, and more!
Season 6 kicks off with the Whack-a-Jeff event
With the release of Season 6 of Marvel Rivals, the Whac-a-Jeff event kicks off on January 16th UTC! Complete different missions to feed Deadpool mouth-watering chimichangas by catching the fastest, sneakiest, and most adorable shark in the world! Unlock exclusive gallery… pic.twitter.com/wyc6J54AoYJanuary 13, 2026
Complete different missions to feed Deadpool mouth-watering chimichangas by catching the fastest, sneakiest, and most adorable shark in the world! You can then unlock a brand new outfit for Jeff the Land Shark.
All new Battle Pass revealed
NetEase has revealed the Battle Pass for Season 6. There’s new outfits for Invisible Woman, Gambit, Venom, and more. Check out the trailer above to see if you’re favorite character is getting new items.
Buffs and nerfs for Marvel Rivals Season 6
NetEase has revealed the buffs and nerfs for each Hero that's changing in Marvel Rivals Season 6. You can read the full details here, or check below for an overview:
- 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
Twitch Drops for Season 6
There's new Twitch Drops for Marvel Rivals Season 6. Watch any Marvel Rivals streamer on Twitch and you'll gradually unlock the rewards shown in the image above. After 4 hours, you'll unlock the Will of Galacta costume for Invisible Woman.
That’s all for now
I’m heading off now, but I’ll be back tomorrow morning to cover the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 6. This will include a look at when the game goes into downtime, and moment to moment impressions once everything is back online.
