Many expected Marvel Rivals to siphon off a number of players away from Overwatch. Thanks to the latest report from NewZoo on the state of the gaming industry, we now know many jumped ship, and what percentage of the overall market Marvel Rivals its hands on.
Even Overwatch Classic Did Almost Nothing to Stop Marvel Rivals
According to the latest gaming industry report from NewZoo, 45% of the Overwatch 2 players who stopped playing in December 2024 played Marvel Rivals instead. After hitting a very high peak in daily active users when it launched in early access in October 2022, Overwatch 2’s numbers dipped over the next year and a half. After stagnating throughout 2024, the game’s numbers got even lower in December when Marvel Rivals launched. The Overwatch: Classic Event temporarily increased player engagement by 12%, but this was followed by a 26% decline that coincided with the Marvel Rivals launch.
Despite releasing in the last month of 2024 though, Marvel Rivals was one of the most played games of the year. It had the eighth highest share of total playtime on Steam in 2024, and was the third highest among 2024 releases, behind Helldivers 2 and Palworld. Amongst all the most played free-to-play 2024 releases on Steam, PS5, and Xbox, Marvel Rivals is the only game that has not shut down or is more than 90% below its peak monthly average users (MAU).
Free-to-play game playtime reportedly grew in 2024, and Marvel Rivals was also a major part of that. Marvel Rivals was the second highest source of growth in free-to-play game playtime (amongst new releases) in 2024, just behind The First Descendant. It’s worth noting though that The First Descendant released several months before Marvel Rivals did, and according to current Steam player numbers, Marvel Rivals currently is drastically outpacing it.
Marvel Rivals’ numbers on Steam have been slowly declining since launch, but a surge could occur in just a matter of days when Season 2 starts. Will it finish 2025 as one of the most played games of the year? Let us know down below, and join the discussion in the official GPlayr forums.
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