Marvel Rivals, Why People Think It Is A MOBA

I keep seeing people say Marvel Rivals is a MOBA. I get why. Big hero list, clear roles, big ults, loud team fights. It looks MOBA at first glance.

But Marvel Rivals is actually a 6v6 third person hero shooter, not a MOBA. You play the objective, swap heroes mid match, set up team up combos, and fight on destructible maps. No lanes, no minions, no towers, no item shop. Aim and timing come first. Abilities help you create openings, not farm waves.

Why People Call It A MOBA

Marvel Rivals gives off a lot of MOBA vibes. The biggest reason is how abilities and cooldowns sit at the center of every fight. Matches swing on big ults, not just pure aim duels, and that feels more like a League or Dota clash than a Call of Duty skirmish.

The third person camera adds to that. With more melee skills and a wider view of the field, it does not feel like a classic FPS. For some players, that shift instantly screams “MOBA.”

Then there’s the constant “is this a MOBA” chatter. Genre question posts pop up all the time, and even when people explain it’s a hero shooter, the repetition keeps the label alive.

On top of that, some folks wish it was a real MOBA. They want lanes, minions, items, even mana costs. Once those ideas spread, the tag sticks, even if it’s not true.

And of course, there are Overwatch comparisons. Both games share objective-based modes, big hero rosters, and ultimates that flip fights. The difference is Rivals runs in third person with Marvel-flavored team-up moves, but the back and forth feeds the confusion.

What Real MOBAs Have That Rivals Does Not

Here is the easiest way to clear the confusion. Real MOBAs share the same backbone, and Marvel Rivals does not have it.

• Lanes. MOBAs are built on lanes that creep waves travel down. You push them, you defend them. Rivals has none of that.

• Minions. Every MOBA has waves of little NPCs to farm for gold and XP. Rivals has zero minions. The only thing moving on the map is you and the other team.

• Towers. MOBAs are about taking down turrets step by step. In Rivals there is no base defense to crack.

• Items and gold. MOBAs live on farming currency to buy items that change your stats. Rivals has no shop, no builds, no scaling power curve.

• Last hits and jungle camps. Classic mechanics like timing the final hit for gold or clearing neutral monsters do not exist here.

Rivals skips all of that. The focus is on team fights, combos, and objectives, not farming or pushing lanes. That is why calling it a MOBA does not hold up once you look past the surface.

What Marvel Rivals Actually Is

So here is the answer. Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 third person hero shooter. The whole game is built around objectives. Some maps ask you to capture and hold zones. Others focus on a payload that one side pushes while the other tries to stop it. Every fight happens because of those goals, and the action keeps moving.

The list of heroes is big, and every character feels different. Each one has a basic attack, a couple of abilities, and a strong ultimate. You are not locked in either. If your team needs a change, you can swap heroes mid match to counter what the other side is running.

Two features make Rivals stand out. Team Ups let certain heroes combine powers for flashy plays, like Rocket hopping on Groot or Hulk throwing Wolverine straight into the enemy. Then there are the destructible maps. Cover breaks, walls fall, and new angles open as the match goes on, which makes every round feel unpredictable.

That is the core of the game. Not farming lanes, not stacking gold, but fast team fights, smart swaps, and big Marvel moments.

Modes and How You Win

Marvel Rivals keeps things simple with three main modes. They all focus on objectives, not farming or towers.

• Domination. Both teams fight to control a zone. Progress builds while your side holds it, and matches usually run best of three rounds.

• Convoy. One team pushes a cart through the map while the other team defends. The cart only moves if attackers stay close, so the fights always happen right on the payload.

• Convergence. A mix of the two. It starts with a capture point fight. If attackers win, it shifts into a payload push, turning the round into a two-phase battle.

These modes keep the action moving. There is no farming or downtime. You are always in the middle of a fight over the next objective, which is why Marvel Rivals plays nothing like a MOBA.

Roles and Team Building

Marvel Rivals groups its heroes into three broad roles, each one shaping how a team works together.

• Vanguards. The front line. They take space, absorb damage, and protect the rest of the squad.

• Duelists. The main damage dealers. They look for picks, burst targets, and swing fights when their abilities land.

• Strategists. The support crew. Some heal, some shield, others bring utility that sets up bigger plays.

The key difference from MOBAs is flexibility. You are not locked in for the whole match. If the enemy stacks tanks, you can swap to a damage hero. If your team needs sustain, you can switch to a support. Building the right mix mid game often decides who wins.

Team Ups vs MOBA Wombo Combos

In MOBAs you hear about wombo combos. That usually means stacking a bunch of ultimates together to wipe the other team. Marvel Rivals has something similar, but it works in a very different way.

Here they are called Team Ups. Certain heroes unlock extra moves or bonuses when they are on the same squad. Some are passive, always on if the pair is together. Others are active, giving you a brand new ability with its own cooldown.

Examples make it clear. Venom and Jeff the Land Shark get a healing tether. The Punisher and Black Widow team up for a piercing attack. Luna Snow boosts Hawkeye’s arrows with slow effects. Iron Man links with Ultron for a Stark Protocol upgrade. Some of these are just flashy, others shift how you build a comp because the bonus is that strong.

The big difference is that wombo combos in MOBAs are about timing five ultimates at once. Team Ups in Rivals are baked right into the hero kits. You plan for them before the match starts, and then play around them during the fight. It is not just stacking cooldowns, it is pairing characters who bring out the best in each other.

Destruction and Cover Play

One thing that makes Marvel Rivals stand out is how the maps break down while you play. In most shooters, cover is permanent. A wall is always a wall. In Rivals, cover can be blown up, cracked open, or even removed completely.

That changes how fights play out. You might think you are safe behind a barrier, then an enemy breaks it and suddenly you are exposed. Or your team might clear out a wall to open a new angle for a sniper. The map itself becomes part of the strategy.

Destruction makes matches feel fresh each time. No two rounds look exactly the same, because the battlefield changes as the game goes on. Sometimes the winning move is not a big ultimate, but breaking the right wall at the right moment.

If You Come From MOBAs

Coming from a MOBA background can actually give you a head start in Marvel Rivals. A few skills carry over almost perfectly.

• Positioning wins fights. Knowing when to play safe and when to step forward makes the difference between living to cast again or being the first one out.

• Timing is everything. Holding a key ability until the enemy commits is often better than using it on cooldown.

• Reading team fights. If you are used to watching for big engages and counter engages, you will pick up Rivals faster than someone who only plays shooters.

You will need to drop the farming mindset. There are no side objectives to build power over time, so every fight is live from the start. Think of Rivals less like a long build up and more like one nonstop mid-game team fight.

The Bottom Line

Marvel Rivals keeps getting called a MOBA, but it plays nothing like one once you step into a match. The fights are quick, the objectives keep everyone moving, and the chaos of Team Ups and destructible maps makes it feel closer to a Marvel comic book brawl than anything else.

If you are a MOBA player, some habits will help you fit right in. If you are a shooter player, the third person style and ability-driven kits give it a different twist. At the end of the day, it is not about fitting neatly into a genre. It is about whether you want to squad up, pick your favorite Marvel hero, and scrap for the win.

For readers curious about actual MOBAs with lanes, towers, and item builds, I also made a quick guide: Top 5 MOBA Games You Should Play in 2025.