Is Marvel Rivals down? When the game's Season 3.5 kicks off after server maintenance

The only obstacle between you and Blade as a playable character in Marvel Rivals is the game's downtime, but fortunately, the wait won't be long, and the content waiting will be worth it.

Marvel Rivals is set to receive a substantial content update to pave the way for a much-anticipated character, and players are buzzing with excitement. It's positive news, as even though content releases have slowed down slightly since the days of introducing the entire playable Fantastic Four to the game within a single season, players are still getting more than other Hero Shooters here than anywhere else, with two playable characters and a host of maps appearing every time the game receives a significant content boost. This season has been pretty spectacular, with a massive Season 3 Battle Pass and roadmap featuring a Fantastic Four collab, but there's plenty more to come.

Blade is nearly here, bringing with him a range of attacks designed for vampires but used in practice to dismantle your superpowered enemies on the battlefield, along with a new game mode, a new map, and a plethora of new cosmetics that immerse your favourite characters into the grip of a Symbiote, or into the dazzling light of the Phoenix. It's a massive content drop that's going to keep players incredibly engaged, at least until the next major season.

However, we must wait until the Marvel Rivals downtime ends as NetEase Games transitions from the first half of Season 3 to the second. So, when exactly can we return to the game?

Here's what you need to know about the Season 3 Marvel Rivals downtime.

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Is Marvel Rivals down?

Marvel Rivals will be offline from 2am PDT / 5am EDT / 10am BST on Friday, August 8. This was initially discussed when we examined the start date for Season 3.5 and has been confirmed by NetEase Games.

We can anticipate a downtime of between two and three hours, which means we'll likely be back in action by 5am PDT / 8am EDT / 1pm BST. Given the amount of content being added to the game, this is quite a brief downtime, all things considered. Get in early to see if you can outpace the crowds eager to test Blade in-game, and may the odds be ever in your favour.