Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 live: Blade release time, downtime, and our preview impressions leading up to launch

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 is now less than 24 hours away. Blade will be added alongside a massive update that refreshes ranked play and tweaks Hero balancing. Here's TechRadar Gaming's live coverage of the launch, including info on the build-up to downtime.

Now that NetEase has revealed the full details for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5, we know that there's not long to wait before we get a whole host of new additions to the game. There's even a full roadmap for Season 3.5, detailing upcoming events, skins, and new maps and modes. It's regular updates like these that have kept Marvel Rivals ranked highly in our best PC games list since it launched.

I've now played hundreds of hours of Marvel Rivals and even got early access to the upcoming season. As such, I've played as Blade, testing out his unique abilities at the Practice Range. He's a powerful Duelist, and I could see him becoming a true contender in the coming days.

Here's everything you need to know about the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. I'll detail what's been announced as we move towards downtime. After that, you can follow my live impressions of the new season once Marvel Rivals is back online.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 start time

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 will arrive after downtime expected to last 2-3 hours. As such, I've estimated the season's start time below:

• East Coast (US): 7AM ET (August 8)
• West Coast (US): 4AM PT (August 8)
• United Kingdom: 12AM BST (August 8)
• Europe (Central): 1PM CEST (August 8)
• Japan (Tokyo): 8PM JST (August 8)
• Australia (Sydney): 9PM AEST (August 8)

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 downtime

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 downtime kicks off at the times below:

• East Coast (US): 5AM ET (August 8)
• West Coast (US): 2AM PT (August 8)
• United Kingdom: 10AM BST (August 8)
• Europe (Central): 11AM CEST (August 8)
• Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST (August 8)
• Australia (Sydney): 7PM AEST (August 8)

Downtime is estimated to be 2-3 hours according to NetEase, and the last two seasons have followed that guidance. Hopefully, things go according to plan, though I'll be updating this page live on the day with any news of potential delays.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Blade

Blade will release on August 8, 2025, in Marvel Rivals. He's the new Hero that's being added as part of Season 3.5. As a new Duelist, Blade primarily focuses on damage output. He has a block that reduces incoming damage, a dash strike ability, a shotgun ranged attack, and a katana for close range.

Interestingly, Blade is able to unleash his Ultimate using Dracula's Sword. This deals massive damage to foes in a small area, and can even be used on flying enemies. Blade is also being added to the Moon Knight and Cloak & Dagger Team, so he will be able to cloak himself and reposition while staying invisible to opponents.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Hero balancing

A bunch of Heroes are being tweaked for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. Below, you'll find a summary of who's being nerfed and who's receiving a buff. For the full details on each character, head to this Marvel Rivals blog post.

• Hero balancing (buffs): Star Lord, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Dr Strange, Groot, Thor, Adam Warlock,
• Hero Balancing (nerfs): Black Panther, Wolverine, Magneto, Mantis, Cloak & Dagger

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 ranked changes

Ranked Mode is changing quite a bit for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. Here are the key points:

• New Rewards: Blade- Emerald Blade costume (Gold), new frames for Diamond and Platinum, Crests (Grandmaster, Eternal, Celestial, Top 500)
• Matchmaking: Players in Bronze, Silver, and Gold can queue for Competitive in any team size except 5-player teams. Players in Platinum, Diamond, and Grandmaster can queue for Competitive in teams of up to 3 players. Players in Celestial, Eternity, and One Above All can queue for Competitive in teams of up to 2 players
• Surrender Trigger: In the first round, if a player disconnects and does not reconnect within 90 seconds, their team may vote to surrender. The required votes pass with 1 less than the current team members. (E.g., if 4 remain, 3 votes are needed.)
• Disconnect Penalty and Compensation: If any player disconnects during loading, ban/pick phase, hero select, or within the first 70 seconds of a match, the match is deemed invalid. Point adjustments and compensations vary depending on the situation. See the table above.
• Misc: Rank reward Nameplate Frames can now be displayed in more areas

As a freelance games writer, 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, Blade gives me a reason to try out the Duelist role when Season 3.5 drops.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 live coverage as it happens

2025-08-07T16:00:23.317Z

Goodbye for now

Those are the main things you need to know about Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. I’ll be jumping back on in the run up to downtime. From there I’ll be watching closely to see when the new update goes live, and then giving my impressions on what I’ve already played.

2025-08-07T15:40:34.225Z

Twitch Drops for IGNITE

IGNITE mid-season Twitch Drops are now live. You can earn an awesome Star-Lord skin (from August 10) by watching 4 hours of eligible streamers. This one is available until September 6, so plenty of time to pick it up.

2025-08-07T15:23:06.414Z

New Team Up for Adam Warlock and Luna Snow

Luna Snow and Adam Warlock Team Up with Duality Dance. Luna Snow will get healing as she damages enemies. This adds a new level of self-healing for Luna, who would previously have to wait for her Ice Shards to gain health.

2025-08-07T14:54:43.022Z

Doctor Strange gets a buff

Doctor Strange is finally getting a buff, hopefully bringing him back into contention against Emma Frost and Magneto. Here’s what’s changing:

• Increase Daggers of Denak projectile charges from 8 to 10.
• Reduce Cloak of Levitation cooldown from 15s to 12s.

2025-08-07T14:40:12.092Z

Blade joins the battle

Blade arrives as a new Hero in Marvel Rivals. He’s a Duelist that uses a katana and a shotgun, and can summon the blade of Dracula to trigger a devastating Ultimate. He can block incoming damage, and then dash towards enemies to get in close for the kill.

2025-08-07T14:17:32.087Z

Twitch Drops for Season 3.5

There’s a Mantis skin to earn in Season 3.5 through Twitch Drops. Watch 4 hours of eligible streamers on Twitch to get ahold of the Will of Galacta skin for Mantis. There’s other rewards to earn as well.

2025-08-07T14:04:37.129Z

New skins in the store

The following skins will be available to purchase in the store once the new season launches:

• Blade - Polarity Edge Bundle
• Blade - Emoji Bundle
• Blade Dynamic Mood Bundle

2025-08-07T14:03:13.251Z

The Queen’s Codex event launches with the new season

The Queen’s Codex event will arrive with Season 3.5, and there’s free and premium rewards to earn. Over on the free side, The Thing finally gets a symbiote skin. You’ll need to purchase the Premium Pass to get the Queen in Black skin for Hela, and there’s an awesome Phoenix-themed Black Widow skin too.

2025-08-07T14:02:07.429Z

When does downtime start?

Let’s kick things off by taking a look at when Marvel Rivals will be taken offline for maintenance. Downtime begins in Marvel Rivals at the following times:

• East Coast (US): 5AM ET (August 8)
• West Coast (US): 2AM PT (August 8)
• United Kingdom: 10AM BST (August 8)
• Europe (Central): 11AM CEST (August 8)
• Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST (August 8)
• Australia (Sydney): 7PM AEST (August 8)

2025-08-06T11:19:25.850Z

Hello and welcome!

We’re now just under 24 hours away from the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. We’ll get a whole new Duelist to try out, as well as a new event that features skins for Hela, The Thing and Black Widow as rewards. Join me as I break down the new season in the live build up to downtime.