Marvel Rivals Season 3 update live build-up: our predictions and preview thoughts as we roll toward the new season's launch

Marvel Rivals Season 3 launches tomorrow (July 11), adding Phoenix as a brand new Duelist. So far, we've gotten an in-depth look at the new Heroe's moveset, a deep dive into the changes to Team Ups and Daily Missions, and an extended peek at Klyntar: Celestial Husk, the game's new Domination map.

Now that we're in the build-up of Marvel Rivals' next season, I'll be providing you with up-to-date information on what's set to change, what you'll want to be focusing on before the end of Season 2.5, and some impressions from my time playing the new season as part of my early access preview opportunity, provided by NetEase.

NetEase has now unveiled the next season of Marvel Rivals, revealing Phoenix's kit and a deep dive into the latest patch notes and balance changes. There's a new Domination map to look at, too: the dark and mysterious lair of the villainous Knull. If my early impressions are correct, Season 3 seriously shakes up the meta, especially with its new Team Ups for Heroes like Spider-Man and Wolverine.

Having covered Season 2.5's launch and the subsequent balancing changes to the Hero roster, I'm excited to see what this new era of Marvel Rivals has in store. I'm especially interested to see how the new release schedule - NetEase is planning a new Season, and two new Heroes every two months - will change the pace of the meta.

I've now spent hundreds of hours playing Marvel Rivals Competitive Mode since launch, mostly focusing on Vanguard Heroes like Venom and Magneto, but I'm really liking how Phoenix is shaping up pre-release. Here's the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 3 as it happens. I'll be covering tomorrow's launch live, with today focusing on the tail-end of the current season.

Marvel Rivals Season 3 - cut to the chase

Looking for a quick overview? Here are the most important parts of Season 3 to know about:

• Start time: July 11 at 6am EDT / 3am PDT / 11am BST (after estimated downtime)
• New Hero: Phoenix
• New map: Klyntar - Celestial Husk (Domination)
• Season event: Milano Repair Logs
• Hero balancing
• New Rank Rewards: Phoenix - Emerald Flames

Marvel Rivals Season 3 release date and estimated release time

Marvel Rivals Season 3 will launch on July 11, 2025. Downtime is set for 4am EDT / 1am PDT / 9am BST, and based on previous season launches, I expect it to last for two hours. Given this estimate, here's when I'd expect Season 3 to launch in your timezone:

• 3am PDT
• 6am EDT
• 11am BST
• 12pm CEST
• 7pm JST
• 8pm AEST

Marvel Rivals Season 3 downtime is estimated to be 1-2 hours, though this is subject to change. I'll be keeping this part of our live coverage updated during downtime, and will bring you the news when servers go back online. You can also look out for intel over on the Marvel Rivals Twitter account.

Marvel Rivals Phoenix

Phoenix is the new Hero being added to Marvel Rivals Season 3. I've spent some time trying her out, and she's primarily a ranged Duelist who works best at off-angles. She plays very similarly to Hela, though she has a passive that stacks damage on enemies with each hit. Every third hit triggers an explosion, dealing extra damage, hitting any nearby enemies, and tagging them with a Phoenix mark. As such, Phoenix is extremely powerful when teams are grouped together.

As a Duelist, Phoenix is mostly about dealing huge amounts of damage, though she's also great at removing enemy support passives, like Loki clones and Peni Parker mines. Her Ultimate is a dive bomb attack that deals massive area of effect damage, before returning Phoenix back to where she triggered the ability. She has a new Team Up called Primal Flame, which buffs Wolverine with flame damage with his Primal Leap. She also applies life steal to Wolverine's attacks once the Team Up is triggered.

Marvel Rivals Season 3 patch notes

NetEase has now released the full patch notes for Marvel Rivals Season 3. It outlines loads of bug fixes for Heroes like The Thing, as well as some adjustments to in-game audio. There's a new Accessory system too, allowing players to add small trinkets onto Heroes for an extra bit of visual flair. You can read the full patch notes here.

Marvel Rivals Season 3 new map

Klyntar: Celestial Husk is a brand new Domination map set to be added in Marvel Rivals Season 3. It's the setting for Knull's seasonal debut, and it's appropriately menacing. Having spent some time with the new map, I can say it's one of the best released so far. There are tight corridors, perfect for the new Hero Phoenix to unleash AoE attacks in. There are a lot of possibilities for flanking and off-angle play, too. You can check out a deep dive on the new map in the video below:

Marvel Rivals Ranked changes

In addition to the new map, there's going to be a rank reset for Competitive Mode players. If you've reached the higher tiers in Marvel Rivals, expect to be demoted by seven tiers upon the launch of Season 3. This means that if you hit Diamond I in Season 2.5, you'll go down to Gold II. There's a Phoenix skin to earn by reaching Gold by the end of this season, and several nameplates and banners corresponding to Grandmaster, Celestial, and Eternity ranks.

As a freelance games writer, it's my job to stay up to date with the latest games, especially live service titles like Marvel Rivals. I've put hundreds of hours into Rivals since launch, primarily maining Venom, who I now have at Lord rank. Generally, I play Competitive Mode with a regular squad, hovering around the top of the Platinum tier. So far, I've mostly stuck to the Vanguard and Strategist Roles, though I'm definitely excited to get my hands on Phoenix. Rather fittingly, in this new symbiote-themed season, Venom is getting a buff, which I can't wait to try out. There are buffs to Mantis, too, who was my main Strategist in Season One.

Marvel Rivals Season 3 live coverage

2025-07-10T16:00:51.865Z

That’s all for now

That wraps up today’s live Marvel Rivals coverage. I’ll be back on at 2AM ET / 11AM PT / 7AM BST in the lead up to downtime. We’ll likely have even more news from NetEase then, too. Goodbye for now!

2025-07-10T15:54:07.893Z

Season 3 roadmap revealed

NetEase just revealed the full roadmap for Season 3. The Thing is getting a new Team Up with Human Torch, there's Fantastic Four: The First Steps content in July, and the Summer Party starts next week.

2025-07-10T15:40:16.735Z

Venom’s Bubble Pop ends soon

Venom’s Bubble Pop will end with Season 2.5, so make sure to complete quests and claim rewards. On the free track, there’s a Future Foundation Human Torch skin, and on the Premium track there’s a baby pink Venom.

2025-07-10T15:20:23.275Z

The Thing can now take down flying enemies

The Thing gets a brand new ability in Season 3 called Battle Blitz. He leaps toward enemies, gaining 25% Damage Reduction, while grounding targets. Leap targeting distance to enemies is 20 meters. This should bring the Hero back into the fight, as he was somewhat outmatched in Season 2.5’s flying-dominited meta.

2025-07-10T15:04:26.666Z

Accessories arrive

Accessories are brand new for Season 3. They can be unlocked using Accessory Points, which are earned via Quick Match or Competitive Mode. There’s a Deadpool Plush to grab, and a Jeff Handbag, which I’m personally very excited about.

2025-07-10T14:39:04.606Z

New Team Ups for Spider-Man, Wolverine, Squirrel Girl, and Hela

There are new Team Ups for Season 3, including Primal Flame, which sees Phoenix and Wolverine joining forces. Squirrel Girl has been added to Stark Protocol, unlocking a homing shot attack, and Spider-Man now has a flame web courtesy of the Human Torch. Hela also gets a slowing effect to her Orb ability, joining Jeff and Venom for Symbiote Shenanigans.

2025-07-10T14:20:16.035Z

Make sure you’ve reached Gold rank before Season 3 drops

Reach Gold Rank before the end of Season 2.5 to earn the Golden Ultron skin once the new season launches. You don’t have to stay in Gold, just make sure to get there at least once. You’ll be de-ranked by seven levels tomorrow, so climb as high as you can to give yourself a head start in Season 3.

2025-07-10T14:01:06.663Z

Klyntar: Celestial Husk joins the map rotation

There’s a new Domination map arriving tomorrow (July 11). Klyntar: Celestial Husk is where Knull has been hiding all of this time, and it’s appropriately covered in all kinds of weird symbiote structures. It’s a fun addition, one that really encourages Duelists to flank and find off-angles.

2025-07-10T13:41:44.638Z

Earn a free Storm skin in Season 3

There’s a symbiote Storm skin that can be earned for free in Marvel Rivals Season 3. It’s the main reward for the new limited-time event, and it looks absolutely awesome.

2025-07-10T13:20:21.454Z

Battle Pass skins revealed!

NetEase has now revealed the Battle Pass skins for Season 3, and they’re glorious. There are symbiote skins for Jeff, Squirrel Girl, Groot, and Spider-Man, and even a golden Black Panther skin. It’s definitely my favorite Battle Pass so far, and I can’t wait to unlock the final reward.

2025-07-10T13:06:26.848Z

Phoenix enters the battle

Phoenix is the new Hero being added this season. She’s a Duelist who excels at range. In my testing, I’ve found her to be very powerful indeed, functioning similarly to Hela, but with lots more movement abilities. Her Ultimate is particularly good at clearing space around an objective, as it destroys support passives like spider mines and Loki clones.

2025-07-10T13:04:59.650Z

There’s still time to make the most of Season 2.5

Given that Season 3 is still a day away, you can jump into Marvel Rivals now and clear up any remaining missions, event quests, and Battle Pass rewards while you wait. The Venom's Bubble Pop event is still live, and it’s well worth working through. Be sure to check the event rewards tab to earn items before they expire.

2025-07-10T13:03:46.604Z

What’s the plan for tomorrow’s update?

Let’s kick things off by running through tomorrow’s planned release schedule for Season 3. Downtime will kick in at the following time, and I expect it to last around two hours based on the last couple of seasonal updates.

• 1am PDT
• 4am EDT
• 9am BST
• 10am CEST
• 5pm JST
• 6pm AEST

2025-07-10T13:01:58.569Z

A bit about me

I’m Jake Green, a freelance writer specializing in live service titles like Marvel Rivals. Since the launch of Season 0, I’ve played hundreds of hours of the game, mostly maining Venom, Mr Fantastic, Mantis, and Magneto. With the arrival of Phoenix, I’ve managed to get early access to Season 3 and have been busy testing out the new Hero.

2025-07-10T09:50:34.902Z

And we’re live!

Hello and welcome to TechRadar Gaming’s live coverage of Marvel Rivals Season 3. The new major update launches tomorrow (July 11), and until then, I’ll be leading you through the process of the end of the current season, as we approach downtime.