Marvel Rivals Closed Beta is off to a great start

Reaching over 50,000 concurrent players

NetEase

A closed playtest for Marvel Rivals is currently underway on Steam and things started off on a pretty positive note for the hero shooter from NetEase Games: On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, it reached a peak of 52,671 concurrent players, staying above 10,000 concurrents throughout Wednesday according to SteamDB.

These are good numbers, especially given the fact that this isn’t a completely open test – users had to sign up via Steam and fill out a survey before being granted access, so it’s not as simple as jumping right into the action.

The game’s Closed Alpha in May 2024, which restricted access a lot more, peaked at just above 10,000 concurrent users.

The 6v6 hero shooter features popular characters from the Marvel universe, allowing heroes and villains to team up and even execute special coordinated attacks with each other. The UE5 game also includes destructible environments, which allows the landscape to change over the course of a match.

In case you’ve missed the sign-up period, there’s no need to worry: If one of your friends made it into the test, they can send you a beta key after fulfilling some in-game quests. Alternatively, you can head over to Twitch and grab a Marvel Rivals beta code through Twitch Drops between July 25 and 28, 2024.

The Marvel Rivals playtest will remain available until August 5, 2024, and can also be played on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Whereas NetEase Games can be pretty happy with these initial numbers for its upcoming free-to-play title, competitor Sony has cause for concern: The recent Open Beta for Concord flopped massively on Steam, signaling low interest.