These are patch notes for Update 20250821 of Marvel Rivals that contain a multitude of new content waiting to be introduced in the superhero shooter. The patch will be live by 21 August 9 AM UTC, with no downtime for maintenance, therefore all players will just need to update their client to access the new content.
Well, what does this update bring? Well, according to the official announcement, it brings a new game mode, new map, new event for the fresh battlefield, and so much more under the all-encompassing term “optimizations and fixes,” a term that came to be with practically every big patch. There is also a link to the full patch notes so players can go deep into everything that is changing.
Now, that is where things get more interesting: things have been anywhere between, let’s say, “mixed.” Those players wanting new, shiny content are being drowned by the batch that uses that patch announcement as yet another soapbox to rant about the game’s current state.
Just look at some of the replies to that announcement tweet. Someone actually asked, “But did you fix matchmaking?🤡” which is honestly? Mood. Another one went on another long rant about how the matchmaking is damn bad and accused the devs of implementing some kind of engagement-based matchmaking that pairs good players with low-rated teammates. Ouch.
Another big issue would be performance. Free FPS down! Free FPS down! Several players echoed ghost stories with their own narratives of random FPS drops; one mentioned he already rolled back Nvidia drivers, to no avail. Someone else offered a disturbing narrative about their monitor going black, then their video card hitting 100% usage, something that has never happened before, not even with other demanding games. They were wondering where the support was for these technical issues.
Character balance poisons these discussions in parallel: some want Scarlet Witch to be reworked to live up to her amazing concept art, while others are crying “leave Loki alone” come the nerfs. After that, comes the usual toxic debate about whether specific support heroes need a nerf or if others deserve buffs instead, common drama all hero shooters face.
Wait, what was I saying? Oh yeah, actual patch content. I mean, a new map and a new game mode–now, that’s something to get excited about! The people have been crying out for more content, and it looks like the devs are answering. One player even called it “lowkey best patch ever,” which is some fine high praise indeed.
Well, funny enough, there seems to be some confusion about the announcement of its actual release time. The original tweet said August 21 at 9:00 AM UTC, with a slight oversight that was pointed out by the official Marvel Rivals account shortly after stating that they were to be available for download on August 22 at 2:00 AM UTC. Quite a big difference. Of course, they apologized for the confusion.
That is the same conversation with packet loss – the person insists rubber-banding is constant and matches are unplayable, and he is convinced that it is not Internet causing the problem; one can never hear a good narrative at such times for a competitive shooter.
There was also a voice about party limitations in ranked; one of the players said that he and his friends are about to quit the game because they can’t play ranked together with the current restrictions. It is tough when social features of a game push people apart instead of bringing them together.
With this influx of negative input came positive commentary-one player thanked the devs for extending content as the community had been requesting and hoped that the new mode would really distinguish itself and be fun to play. It is not all doom and gloom!
A lot goes into the Marvel Rivals team for this patch. They bring the new content the players are craving for but have to start fixing the other set of never-ending issues the community keeps pointing fingers at. Matchmaking systems, performance problems, and QoL features like cross-progression are the biggest sore spots at the moment.
Shall be interesting to see how the new content is going to be received once the patch hits live. Do you feel the new game mode and map will serve well to retain players while other things are being mended? Or could the rise of community frustration continue? Time will ultimately tell, although I am sure Marvel Rivals’ players have never been shy to voice out their opinion.
Since the game is still actually pretty young in the world of competitive hero shooters, every patch matters for base buildup and sustain. Let’s hope the new content can accomplish that and that the developers would be able to address some of these community issues sooner than later. Potential is absolutely there-the game just needs to get around these horrible patches.
Anyway, mark that date big in your calendar: August 22, 2:00 AM UTC, for all the new stuff. Or August 21st if you believed the original tweet and now for some strange reason you’re confused. Either way, new Marvel Rivals content is coming soon; there is never nothing to look forward to, while the community is going through this tough patch.
