We're seeing a million different "spooky modes" in our favorite games, but this one has the potential to be special as Marvel Zombies are entering Marvel Rivals starting Oct. 23. If you're not familiar with these storylines, they are exactly what it says on the tin. Your favorite Marvel heroes get infected with a zombie virus, becoming the ultimate threat to humankind and the rest of the universe. After all, if you thought Galactus had an insatiable hunger before...
In the Rivals storyline, the vengeful Egyptian god Khonshu has unleashed the zombie virus on midtown New York. It's Marvel, where else would it hit? Now your ragtag band of misfits must track down the Queen of the Dead and put a stop to this nonsense. Thor, Blade, Majik, Jeff the Land Shark,, and The Punisher take on endless waves of zombies, with Zombie Namor and The Queen of the Dead as bosses.
This is no ordinary battle, so Marvel Rivals gave your heroes some even more powerful abilities. Jeff can charge through the hordes, Blade's bouncing Moon Blades can slice through the horde you can, shock zombies with Thor in his persistent Awakened state, or Magik can get an unlimited Darkchild form! Here's a trailer:
This is Rivals' first PvE mode, and players are excited. Remember, Overwatch 2 was supposed to launch with a PvE mode, but that got scrapped. This is why it's good to have competition in these spaces.
Rivals obviously needs something new as well. The game has lost 85 percent of its player base on Steam since its peak in January 2025.