Does Marvel Rivals Support Cross-Progression? Current Status and Future Prospects

Marvel Rivals, the latest hero shooter from NetEase Games, has garnered significant attention since its release on December 6, 2024. Available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, the game offers players the chance to engage in dynamic battles featuring iconic Marvel characters. A common question among the gaming community is whether Marvel Rivals supports cross-progression—the ability to carry over game progress and purchases across different platforms.

Understanding Cross-Progression

Cross-progression allows players to maintain their game progress, unlocked items, and purchases across multiple platforms. For instance, a player could start playing on a PlayStation 5 and later continue their progress on a PC without losing any achievements or purchased content.

 

 

Current State of Cross-Progression in Marvel Rivals

As of now, Marvel Rivals does not support cross-progression. This means that any progress, unlocked characters, skins, or other in-game purchases are tied exclusively to the platform on which they were achieved or purchased. If a player decides to switch from one platform to another, they will need to start anew, with no access to previously earned or purchased content.

In an interview during the Tokyo Game Show 2024, Marvel Rivals’ Creative Director, Guangyun Chen, addressed this topic:

    “For now, we have no cross-progression. As we only have around two months to go [before] global launch, we are doing the final tech check to see what we can do and how we can process it. The workload is a lot more than we thought at the beginning.”  

This statement indicates that while the development team acknowledges the demand for cross-progression, implementing such a feature presents significant technical challenges.

Crossplay Functionality

While cross-progression is absent, Marvel Rivals does offer crossplay capabilities, allowing players on different platforms to engage in matches together. However, this feature comes with certain limitations:

• Casual Modes: In modes like Quick Match and Custom Games, crossplay is fully enabled. Players from PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S can team up or compete against each other without restrictions.
• Competitive Mode: To maintain a balanced and fair competitive environment, crossplay is restricted. PC players are matched exclusively with other PC players, while console players (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S) are grouped together. This separation ensures that control method differences, such as mouse and keyboard versus controllers, do not impact competitive integrity.  

Community Feedback and Future Prospects

The absence of cross-progression has been a point of contention among players, especially those who own multiple gaming platforms. The convenience of accessing one’s progress and purchases across platforms is a feature that enhances the gaming experience.

The development team at NetEase Games is aware of these concerns. While there is no official confirmation or timeline for the introduction of cross-progression, the team’s acknowledgment of the feature’s importance suggests that it may be considered for future updates.

Conclusion

Currently, Marvel Rivals does not support cross-progression, meaning players’ progress and purchases are confined to the platform on which they were made. The game does offer crossplay in casual modes, allowing for inter-platform play, but maintains platform-specific matchmaking in competitive modes to ensure fairness. As the game evolves, players remain hopeful that cross-progression will be implemented, providing a more seamless and flexible gaming experience across all platforms.