Gambit arrives in Marvel Rivals. What Season 5 actually changes

Big news if you like red cards and bigger grins. Gambit arrives with the Season 5 update on November 14th, 2025, at 09:00:00 (UTC). We are finally getting a run of strong additions in Marvel Rivals. The last new face was Daredevil, so this keeps the momentum going with another fan favorite. Here is what actually matters in this update and how it changes your time in queue.

Gambit on launch

I have been waiting to see how the devs place him in the meta. Day one is always chaos, but a few things are clear already:

He shows up with multiple shop options. There is a Thieves Guildmaster bundle, a matching emoji pack, and a Crimson Heart look if you just want a clean alt.
Ranked players get a themed reward later. The Gold tier cosmetic for the first half of the season is Gambit, titled Sacrificial Pawn.
There is fresh lore. If you like story crumbs, check out Deal of a Lifetime and the seasonal thread, Love is a Battlefield.

I will be testing him across payload and skirmish maps to see where he lands, especially with pick comps that need a midline threat who can pressure backlines without face‑checking every corner.

Times Square hub

There is a new non‑combat space that works as a social lobby. You can load in, squad up, mess around with interactive emotes, and treat it like a meetup spot between matches. Think photo ops, quick party swaps, and a place to try new emote combos without a Widow aiming at your head.

Systems that actually help

Cross progression is live. Link accounts and carry your unlocks across platforms. If you split time between PC and console, this finally removes the headache of double buying and double grinding.
Interactive emotes. A bunch of dances now sync with other players. Some older emotes were upgraded so you can pair up and trigger little animations together.
Discord tie‑ins. On Xbox you can link Discord and use cross‑platform chat. On Xbox and PC you can hide friends who are not linked.
Home screen rotation. You can set your background to shuffle.

Season 5 rewards to chase

Battle Pass. Ten new costume sets built around a garden theme. It is a different vibe than last season and breaks up the usual tech heavy looks.
Season event: Elders’ Chessboard. Clear missions, tick boxes, and you walk away with a free Spider‑Man Iron Spider suit.

Ranked refresh

Placements arrive and they change the rhythm of your climb. Here is the short version that matters for your party and your rewards.

Party rules

Bronze to Grandmaster can queue in any size except a five stack.
Celestial, Eternity, and One Above All can only play solo or duo.
If anyone in your group is doing placements, the group cap is three players and the rank spread must be tight.

Placement basics

You play ten matches to set your rank. The game shows a predicted rank during these matches. Your real rank locks in after the tenth.
If you bail and do not finish the ten, you forfeit seasonal rewards. If you complete ten in the first half, you keep that rank into the second half.
First placement looks at your past results. High outliers get pulled down a bit, very low ranks get a floor so you do not start at the bottom of the well.

Penalties worth noting

DC early and the match ends fast, it settles normally.
DC and the match runs long, the game flags a loss and hands you a timeout.
If a random teammate DCs and you lose after a while, that match can be invalid for your placements, which is a fair call.

Reward rules

Gold tier costume each half. You need ten ranked matches in that half and you must finish at Gold or better by the cutoff.
End of season rewards need completed placements and the right final rank.

Store and cosmetics

Gambit gets the spotlight with Thieves Guildmaster gear and a themed emoji pack.
Magneto shows up with a Temporal Tyrant bundle.
Accessory drops hit a wide set: Human Torch, Magik, Mantis, Wolverine, Phoenix, Thor, Loki, Moon Knight, and Star‑Lord.

Twitch Drops window

Twitch is handing out a Phoenix Will of Galacta costume with related items during the first part of the season. If you want it, queue a stream while you grind and claim on time.

College Perks rotation

New set in the college program: Invisible Woman and Mister Fantastic share The Life Fantastic, Iron Man gets an Avengers: Endgame fit, Star‑Lord is King of Spartax, Cloak and Dagger get Twilight Duo, plus fresh looks for Ultron, Moon Knight, Hulk, The Thing, and Adam Warlock.

Performance and key fixes

All platforms

Big CPU and rendering optimizations. Expect lighter frame dips in busy fights.

Intel XeSS Frame Generation now works on non‑Intel GPUs that support Shader Model 6.4.
The performance test was rebuilt to reflect real CPU behavior.
You can now see CPU RHI thread usage to spot bottlenecks.

Console

The client takes less storage. If your SSD was cramped, this helps.

Hero fixes

Peni Parker could see Arachno‑Mine outlines through walls with the VENOM outfit. That wall hack is gone.
In Marvel Zombies Nightmare IV, Magik can now cut through the Queen of the Dead’s stacked shields.
Ultron’s drones gained proper visuals and audio on their shots when he fires the ultimate.

Season 5 brings a hero people asked for, gives ranked a needed structure, and adds tools that cut small frustrations. That is a solid patch in my book.