Fortnite vs Marvel Rivals: Crossover juggernaut or IP powerhouse?

Despite Fortnite leading the way in the battle-royale genre, it’s a broader market when it comes to the free-to-play scene. A relatively new challenger, Marvel Rivals, developed by NetEase Games, launched in December 2024 to see if it could take a slice of Fortnite’s pie, and even this early on, signs are looking promising.

With over 40 million active players, the game has been going down well in several markets, and its Marvel Rivals Ignite esports tournament has already brought in thousands of viewers since its May debut. But with Fortnite still riding high, especially with the recent K-Pop Demon Hunters collab and the Megazord update, there are plenty of factors that pit the two titles against one another.

With this in mind, we’re breaking down how Fortnite and Marvel Rivals compare, and scoring them out of 10 in a range of categories to see which title comes out on top.

Whether you’re new or a Fortnite veteran, you know how you’re dropped into a map that shrinks over time, against 99 other players. Whether solo or in a team, the aim is to win the match while levelling up by completing objectives in various ways. But that’s just the start of what Fortnite offers, gameplay-wise. Building structures to take cover from fire, or just as a mini-base for a short while, can give players some creativity as the players dwindle in matches. Combined with the ever-changing weapons and items, you get a title that feels fresh almost every time you play it.

Marvel Rivals, while also a third-person free-to-play shooter, leans into other popular titles like Overwatch. This is partly because characters, instead of avatars with cosmetics, are offered here, such as Hulk, Magneto, Storm, and more. In total, 43 characters are split into Duelists, Strategists, and Vanguards, which can vary the gameplay for players, helping them decide how they’re going to approach each match. With each hero having their own unique powers, it can help keep up the pace, especially with match-driven objectives. Marvel Rivals surprises with the depth of its gameplay thanks to the number of heroes and their abilities, which can be a breath of fresh air if you’re a longtime player of Fortnite.

Fortnite score: 8/10

Marvel Rivals score: 8/10

One of Fortnite’s advantages is how it extends beyond the battle-royale mode. Once you go to the main screen, you’re greeted with a bunch of game modes — such as LEGO Fortnite, Blitz, Festival, Zero Build, and much more. In addition, players can create their own modes, adding to the replayability even more. Fortnite’s seasons and chapters change the map and cosmetics and influence the game modes, bringing variety every time. These modes place Fortnite as a platform, more than a surface-level battle-royale game.

Marvel Rivals is more rigid in its modes by offering a few within two types: Quick Match and Competitive. Convergence has players in a 6v6 match where you must either aid or destroy a vehicle moving past several checkpoints, a King-of-the-Hill style mode called Domination, and Convoy, where Attackers and Defenders revolve around a payload. Arcade mode has two, called Conquest and Doom Match, which are your standard Team-Deathmatch and free-for-all modes for players to take part in. While all of these are structured, they don’t offer the creative freedom that Fortnite does, but that’s not what Marvel Rivals is about. It’s more to do with the types of heroes you play as than with the team you work with. The game lays down clear rules for each mode, which can be a lot of fun in the many maps players can visit.

Fortnite score: 9/10

Marvel Rivals score: 8/10

Characters are arguably the main difference between Marvel Rivals and Fortnite. Granted, Fortnite has benefited from its numerous collabs throughout the years. From Batman to Power Rangers, players can equip certain outfits, become one of their childhood heroes, and be in a team consisting of Halo’s Master Chief, Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft, and the Power Rangers’ Megazord. Oddly enough, these clashes of franchises work in Fortnite due to the randomness and the many modes the title offers players. Developer Epic Games also keeps it fresh by releasing new characters via the Fortnite shop every few weeks, meaning players can spend the game’s in-game currency, V-Bucks, to play as characters exclusive to the shop. This randomness and absurdity work in Fortnite’s favour, and it’s no surprise that players still love to see the crossovers happen with their favourite franchises.

In Marvel Rivals’ case, the game unsurprisingly relies on its licensed characters from Marvel only, with, at the time of writing, 43 characters to choose from. But these aren’t just skins like Fortnite. Instead, every hero has their own abilities and voices, meaning the game’s variety and replayability are huge. If you pick a different character in each match, you’ll see how these heroes work throughout the game modes. This can help you decide on your favourite character currently in the game, while the Marvel IP provides hints on those who could join in future seasons.

Fortnite score: 9/10

Marvel Rivals score: 8/10

Once Fortnite exploded onto the esports scene in 2019 with the Fortnite World Cup, developer Epic Games knew it had something special. After the success of the World Cup, it directly funded the title’s esports events worldwide, and still does today. Plenty of tournaments can be entered without being in a team, meaning new players can easily take part in the events. In regard to prize pools, these are still very high, with one recent tournament, the Champion Series 2024, being set at $2 million. Combined with the many collabs and the ever-changing gameplay mechanics thanks to the new seasons as of late, these all keep Fortnite very prominent in the esports scene, ensuring that its iconic unpredictability is brought to tournaments all over the world.

Despite launching in December 2024, developer NetEase Games has wasted no time in getting Marvel Rivals ready for the esports industry. Called Marvel Rivals Ignite, it began on May 1, with a huge $2 million prize pool up for grabs. Already, there has been a large number of viewers keeping track of the tournament, with the game’s YouTube channel already gaining over 700,000 subscribers wanting to keep track of Ignite, as well as a minimum of 10,000 viewers having watched every video of the tournament. Admittedly, it’s too early to say whether Marvel Rivals will match up to Fortnite’s success in the esports scene. But with a huge viewership already for the game’s first official tournament, the signs are promising.

Fortnite score: 9/10

Marvel Rivals score: 8/10

It’s a very close call for Fortnite vs Marvel Rivals, but Fortnite barely wins it, with 34 points compared to 32 for Marvel Rivals. Despite launching in December 2024, NetEase’s title has a lot going for it, such as the number of unique characters players can pick, the varied game modes, and the relatively new Ignite esports tournament drawing in thousands of viewers.

But Fortnite’s longevity, collabs, and breadth of game modes just edge it out from the comparison. Granted, both games don’t fall into the same battle-royale genre, but there are plenty of similarities here. Deciding between Marvel Rivals or Fortnite is no easy choice, but your favourite now might not be your favourite in a few months. Ultimately, it will be interesting how Marvel Rivals looks and feels further down the line. There’s a lot of promise there — the question is whether players will stick with it, and how NetEase plans to keep the title going with its upcoming seasons.