Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 launch: our live coverage of the Rogue update, including downtime and release date

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Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 launch: our live coverage of the Rogue update, including downtime and release date

Season 5.5 adds a brand new Vanguard

News By Jake Green last updated 11 December 2025

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(Image: © NetEase) Jump to:

• Estimated start time
• Downtime
• Rogue
• Hero Balancing
• Ranked changes
• Live coverage

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 launches later this week, bringing Rogue as a brand new Vanguard on December 12. The iconic mutant has been heavily requested ever since Marvel Rivals launched, and now players will be able to dive in and push the front line forward using shields and heavy attacks.

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 key info

1. Start time
2. Downtime
3. Rogue info
4. Hero Balancing
5. Ranked Changes
6. Jump to live coverage

There's a fresh Season 5.5 Battle Pass too, giving players plenty to claim before the arrival of the next Season of Marvel Rivals. Now that NetEase has revealed the full details for Marvel Rivals Season 5.5, we can start to dig into what's changed. It's remarkable just how quickly the game's meta can switch up with each major update, and it's no surprise that Marvel Rivals still ranks highly on our best PC games list.

I've now played 300 hours of Marvel Rivals since launch, and I've been jumping in at the start of every season to try out the new Hero. I'm very excited to get my hands on Rogue, and absolutely ready to be pulled back into a Vanguard role. It's not just the arrival of Rogue that'll switch up Season 5.5, however, as there are changes to Heroes like Wolverine and Luna Snow that will surely change the meta going forward.

Here's the Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 launch info, alongside details on what to expect from the new major update. I'll be covering the launch as it happens, detailing downtime and then giving some early impressions once everything is live.

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 estimated start time

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 is expected to launch on December 12 at the times below:

• East Coast (US): 6AM ET
• West Coast (US): 3AM PT
• United Kingdom: 11AM GMT
• Australia (Sydney): 10PM AEST
• Japan (Tokyo): 8PM JST

This is an estimation based on the confirmed downtime start time, and the fact that the game is expected to be offline for precisely two hours. This has been the case all year between seasonal switchovers.

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 Downtime

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 downtime begins at the following times, and is expected to last 2 hours.

• East Coast (US): 4AM ET
• West Coast (US): 1AM PT
• United Kingdom: 9AM GMT
• Australia (Sydney): 8PM AEST
• Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST

Marvel Rivals Rogue

Rogue: Tempted to Touch | Character Reveal | Marvel Rivals - YouTube Watch On

Rogue joins Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 as a Vanguard. She has an exclusive ability that steals powers from enemies she eliminates. We've already seen her steal Dr Strange's shield, and Loki's regenerative healing move. Her Ultimate drains Ultimate energy from nearby foes, which could be absolutely devastating when targeting support characters like Luna Snow.

Explosive Entanglement is a team up between Gambit and Magneto introduced in Season 5. Rogue joins this Team Up, and powers up her attacks with healing energy, and AoE damage. Overall, Rogue could be the most versatile Vanguard ever introduced, thanks to her ability to steal powers from enemies.

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 Hero Balancing

Marvel Rivals: Season 5.5 Update // Dev Vision Vol. 12 - YouTube Watch On

The following Hero balancing updates are now live in Marvel Rivals Season 5:

• Hero balancing (buffs): Thor, Emma Frost, The Thing, Blade, Phoenix, The Punisher, Human Torch, Wolverine, Scarlet Witch, Loki, Luna Snow, Ultron
• Hero Balancing (nerfs): Peni Parker, Psylocke, Daredevil, Gambit, Invisible Woman, Rocket Raccoon

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 ranked changes

(Image credit: NetEase)

There's plenty of Ranked Changes added as part of Marvel Rivals Season 5.5. Here's the headline info:

• Rank rewards: Reach Gold for a bonus Rogue costume
• Nameplates: Diamond and Platinum, Crests of Honor for Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and Top 500
• Placement: From Season 5 onward, your first 10 ranked matches are Placement Matches. Your performance determines your starting tier

Jake GreenEvergreen Editor, TechRadar Gaming

As Evergreen Editor, 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 the game at this point, having jumped on during Season 0. Since then, I've covered every season personally and professionally, and I've particularly enjoyed Season 2, which gave me the opportunity to try out Emma Frost as a brand-new Vanguard. I tend to stick to the Vanguard role, and I'm currently working on getting Magneto to Lord proficiency. Hopefully, Rogue gives me a new character to main in Season 5.5.

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 live coverage as it happens

Refresh Get notified of updates 2025-12-11T17:27:33.852Z

That’s all for today

(Image credit: NetEase)

I’m heading off now, but I’ll be back an hour before downtime kicks in to cover the live release of Season 5.5. Until then!

2025-12-11T17:17:05.114Z

Rogue teams up with Gambit

(Image credit: NetEase)

Rogue joins Magneto and Gambit's Team Up. She'll get an area of effect damage buff to her regular attacks, and they'll also heal nearby allies. Well worth pairing her with the new Strategist, then.

2025-12-11T16:43:40.487Z

New event features a fantastic Iron Man reward

(Image credit: NetEase)

The Seeds of the Gardener event drops alongside Marvel Rivals Season 5.5. It’s a kind of mini Battle Pass with rewards like Iron Man Mark 1, a Captain America werewolf skin, and more.

2025-12-11T16:00:56.710Z

Marvel Rivals will feature at The Game Awards

🍿 We are getting the snacks ready to watch #TheGameAwards tomorrow. Jeff snagged a front-row seat… something epic is about to ignite! pic.twitter.com/t8DhL4MZnJDecember 10, 2025

The official Marvel Rivals Twitter account shared an image showing Jeff the Land Shark in the audience for The Game Awards 2025. It looks like there will be some kind of Marvel Rivals announcement tonight, so stay tuned for updates to this page.

2025-12-11T15:39:03.051Z

Developer highlight video

NetEase has released an extensive deep dive into Season 5.5, focusing on Rogue and changes to Team Ups. Watch it below:

Marvel Rivals: Season 5.5 Update // Dev Vision Vol. 12 - YouTube Watch On 2025-12-11T15:00:59.677Z

Luna Snow gets a new skill

(Image credit: NetEase)

Luna Snow is easily the best Strategist in Marvel Rivals, and now she’s getting even stronger. Idol Aura can be activated on Luna herself, healing her while she’s healing others. She also gets a 10% boost to damage and healing while the ability is active.

2025-12-11T14:31:15.238Z

Rogue joins the battle

(Image credit: NetEase)

The new Hero for Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 is Rogue. She’s a Vanguard that uses power-stealing abilities to make use of a versatile kit. Her Ultimate steals Ultimate Energy from foes, making it a very unique skill indeed. She teams up with Magneto and Gambit, adding an AoE effect to attacks, and a healing aura to teammates.

2025-12-11T14:05:35.335Z

Downtime will kick in at this time

Rogue: Tempted to Touch | Character Reveal | Marvel Rivals - YouTube Watch On

Downtime for Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 will kick in on December 12 at the times below:

• East Coast (US): 4AM ET
• West Coast (US): 1AM PT
• United Kingdom: 9AM GMT
• Australia (Sydney): 8PM AEST
• Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST

2025-12-11T14:02:41.088Z

Season 5.5 roadmap revealed!

(Image credit: NetEase)

NetEase has revealed the full roadmap for Marvel Rivals Season 5.5. There's a New Years Eve Time Square event where players can gather and countdown to 2026. There’s also new game modes and skins to enjoy.

2025-12-11T14:01:51.013Z

When does Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 start?

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 5.5 kicks off on December 12 at the times listed below:

• East Coast (US): 6AM ET
• West Coast (US): 3AM PT
• United Kingdom: 11AM GMT
• Australia (Sydney): 10PM AEST
• Japan (Tokyo): 8PM JST

This is an estimation based on the confirmed downtime start time, and the fact that the game is expected to be offline for precisely two hours. This has been the case all year between seasonal switchovers.

2025-12-10T15:06:00.119Z

Welcome on in, as I countdown the hours until the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 5.5

There’s a new season of Marvel Rivals dropping tomorrow (December 12), and it adds one of the most sought-after Heroes yet. Rogue joins the battle as a new Vanguard, and she looks mighty powerful.

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