Marvel Rivals' Season 1 added the Fantastic Four but no new trophies

Season 1 added no Marvel Rivals Fantastic Four trophies on PS5, meaning that unlike with similar competitors, trophy hunters have no reason to return.

Jamie Sharp

Published 10 Jan 2025

In a cruel twist of fate, there are no Marvel Rivals Fantastic Four trophies to speak of now that Season 1 has arrived. This means that those who have already played endless matches for those Marvel Rivals trophies don't need to bother returning if they've moved on. It might be one of the best free PS5 games, but it just missed out on an easy opportunity for player retention.

Marvel Rivals' Season 1 update could have included new trophies to match competitors

Marvel Rivals was released on December 6, 2024
Season 1 added the Fantastic Four and launched today
Unlike in comparable games, the new characters didn't add new trophies

Marvel Rivals burst onto the scene in December 2024 and has garnered a large fan base who love its hero-based multiplayer mayhem. Season 1 introduces the Fantastic Four to the roster and was released on Friday, January 10, 2025, with an unfortunate lack of new trophies.

While a developer doesn't have to add new trophies to its game with every content update, it doesn't make sense when Marvel Rivals is so clearly competing in the same arena as Overwatch 2. For a long while, Overwatch 2 received new trophies with every hero added to the roster.

While that's stopped since the release of Lifeweaver, other games with ongoing support, like Dead by Daylight, still receive new trophies with their regular content updates. It's not the biggest misstep for Marvel Rivals in the grand scheme of things, but it certainly won't give trophy hunters a reason to stick around and play.

Jamie's Take —

Trophies are fun and give more people a reason to play or return to your game

I'm yet to play Marvel Rivals because I hopped on the Infinity Nikki bandwagon when it was released, and I haven't gotten off since. However, Season 1 adds my favorite Marvel heroes, and I was excited to jump in and play as each member of the Fantastic Four that I've spent dozens of hours reading about or watching.

Without new trophies for Season 1, my excitement for playing as Marvel Rivals' latest heroes has dissipated, and I'm instead left feeling a bit deflated. I know trophies must take a fair bit of work to implement, but having a list of them and the promise it'll grow over time for a free-to-play title that you want to pour hundreds of hours into makes the decision to dive in easier.

For example, Dead by Daylight receives a new set of trophies with every new Chapter that's released. This brings new trophies to unlock for playing as the latest Killer and Survivor and using new Perks. The caveat here is that Dead by Daylight's trophies are linked to content you can buy as DLC unless you've somehow managed to grind enough of the premium currency in-game.

I don't think it's a matter of money, though. Overwatch 2's aforementioned new hero trophies are still being added to the game every time a new character is. But instead of them popping on your PlayStation Profile, they're just in-game trophies. All the work is there and done, but Activision Blizzard decided not to link it with Sony's ecosystem.

I'd have a bit more compassion if games like Wuthering Waves, Tower of Fantasy, Genshin Impact, and Honkai Star Rail weren't getting big new trophy lists with each major expansion. All of these games are free-to-play, they have in-game trophy equivalents, but the effort has still been made to make your time that little bit more worthwhile if you're on a PS4 or PS5.

Marvel Rivals is undoubtedly a title that will soon be added to our list of the best PS5 multiplayer games soon. However, the lack of new trophies with new characters, when so many of them will be firm favorites from other mediums, is baffling and uninviting. Has Season 1 convinced you to play Marvel Rivals? Let us know if so or not and why in the comments!

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Written by Jamie Sharp

Staff Writer Jamie has been playing PlayStation for over 25 years and a games journalist since 2019. He writes about upcoming PS5 games like Monster Hunter Wilds and ongoing shooters like Helldivers II. Jamie’s favorites include Metal Gear Solid and Horizon, horror like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, and indies with unique mechanics that make you appreciate the art form!