Season 8 of Marvel Rivals is almost upon us, bringing two new heroes and a host of balancing updates to the game. This season is heavily dinosaur-themed, with Devil Dinosaur joining the roster. This character can team up with The Punisher, leading to some powerful combos, and will be playable immediately when the season starts.
As part of the mid-season update, Cyclops, the iconic X-Men member, will join the fight. Announced just a couple of days ago, Cyclops is expected to arrive around June.
Marvel Rivals Season 8 Release Time
Marvel Rivals Season 8 will begin at 10am BST on May 15, 2026, across all platforms, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. There is currently no information on whether players can preload the update, so it is worth considering download time if your internet connection is not particularly fast.
Marvel Rivals Season 8 Patch Notes
Lots is changing for Season 8, most of which focuses on balancing to make the game fairer. Here are the full patch notes:
Hero Adjustments
- Deadpool: Reduce The Ban Hammer (Gun Form Ultimate Ability) healing from 50/s to 25/s. Reduce Dual Desert Eagles - Vanguard single-shot damage from 36 to 34 (standard) and from 42 to 39 (upgraded).
- Emma Frost: Telepathic Pulse falloff now begins 4s (was 3s) after not hitting an enemy. Reduce Mind's Aegis reposition cooldown from 3s to 1s. Increase Damage Reduction during Diamond Form and Psionic Seduction (Ultimate) from 20% to 25%.
- The Thing: Increase base health from 700 to 750.
- Iron Fist: Jeet Kune Do hits reduce cooldown of Dragon's Defense by 1.2s (up from 1s). Increase K'un-Lun Kick's first strike damage from 35 to 40.
- Mister Fantastic: Increase Stretch Punch damage from 65 to 70. Remove Flexible Elongation's Movement Speed reduction; charge time reduced from 8s to 6s. Reduce energy cost of Brainiac Bounce (Ultimate) from 3400 to 3100.
- Moon Knight: Reduce Moonlight Hook cooldown from 15s to 12s.
- Phoenix: Increase Cosmic Flames' direct hit damage from 50 to 55. Reduce explosion damage when detonating Spark marks from 40 to 35. (Dev Note: Without damage buffs, Phoenix can no longer one-shot a 250 Health hero with a single mark + direct hit from Endsong Inferno Ultimate. However, primary attack damage increase makes her more threatening in baseline combat.)
- Spider-Man: Increase Spectacular Spin damage per single spherical Spell Field from 13.6 to 15 (total damage over 2.4s increased from 408 to 450).
- Squirrel Girl: Reduce cooldown of Mammal Bond from 15s to 12s.
- Star-Lord: Increase ammo capacity of Element Guns from 40 to 50.
- Wolverine: Reduce trigger cooldown of Regenerative Healing Factor from 105s to 90s.
Strategist Adjustments
- Invisible Woman: Reduce Force Physics push distance from 12m to 10m and damage from 55 to 50.
- Loki: Increase illusion's Mystical Missile Healing ratio from 90% to 100%. Reduce illusion's Mystical Missile damage ratio from 90% to 80%. Increase energy cost of God of Mischief (Ultimate) from 4300 to 4500.
- Mantis: Reduce Allied Inspiration Damage Boost from 12% to 8%. New Effect: Provides flat 100 Movement Speed Boost to allies. (Dev Note: With Ultron having conventional damage buff capabilities, Mantis needs a unique niche. Movement speed buff aids positioning and kiting.)
- Rocket Raccoon: Increase Bombard Mode damage per projectile from 16 to 17. Increase Repair Mode charges from 8 to 10. Reduce energy cost of C.Y.A. (Ultimate) from 4300 to 4000.
- White Fox: Increase healing from surrounding aura during Fox Form Awakening from 25/s to 35/s; reduce burst healing per successful attack from 35 to 25. (Dev Note: Healing output too high when continuously attacking, too low when no targets. Lowers burst healing from 100/s to 90/s, boosts passive aura from 25/s to 35/s.) Increase Blessed by the Nine healing during Kumiho Unleashed (Ultimate) from 40/s to 60/s.
Team-Up Adjustments
- Chilling Assault (Luna Snow - Iron Fist/Emma Frost): Increase Iced Out Diamond Spell Field from 9m to 12m; increase barrier placement distance to match 12m radius.
- Primal Punishment (Devil Dinosaur - The Punisher): As Team-Up Anchor, Devil Dinosaur gains 100 Bonus Health. The Punisher unlocks Ancient Judgement ability.
