What is the Marvel Rivals x Marvel Cosmic Invasion collaboration?

Marvel Rivals stands out from most other similar games by releasing all sorts of awesome cosmetics for its ever-increasing roster of playable heroes. While it hasn’t done this much before, the game is now slated to bring two unique costumes from a different Marvel game into the mix.

The game Marvel Rivals is collaborating with is Marvel Cosmic Invasion, a beat 'em up game developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu. The collaboration is in the form of two awesome costumes for Spider-Man and Venom.

Here’s everything to know about the Marvel Rivals ^[1] x Marvel Cosmic Invasion collaboration, including what it brings and when it starts.

What’s in the Marvel Rivals x Marvel Cosmic Invasion collaboration?

The Marvel Rivals x Marvel Cosmic Invasion collaboration brings two awesome skins to Marvel Rivals, with both of them being based on Marvel Cosmic Invasion. The first skin is for Spider-Man, while the second one is for Venom.

Those who have played Marvel Cosmic Invasion will likely know that the game’s graphics are very strongly inspired by retro arcade games. Because of this, the two skins coming to Marvel Rivals are also 8-bit. Some players have also started the joke that their characters already look like that on the PS4 because of the blurry visuals compared to the PS5 and strong PCs.

The Spider-Man skin is just how most would expect it to be, with the skin taking a much more retro look. The actual Spider-Man costume is extremely faithful to the classic costume, making many comment that this is the closest to the classic costume players will get in Marvel Rivals.

As for Venom, he’s also the exact same as in his base model, but with retro visuals. One nice touch of detail that players added is that the skin has the classic Venom “Chomp” sound that the villain is known for making in arcade games. 

Of course, one look at the skins is enough for anyone to tell that their FPS are supposed to imitate playing the characters on retro machines. Because of this, inspiring the characters results in them performing their idle animations in what seems to be low FPS, which is a nice touch too.

When does the Marvel Rivals x Marvel Cosmic Invasion collaboration start?

The good news is that players don’t have to wait too long for the two Marvel Rivals x Marvel Cosmic Invasion collaboration skins to come out. Both the Marvel Cosmic Invasion Spider-Man and Venom skins will be made available on January 16, 2026, alongside the Season 6 update that’s scheduled for the same day.

FAQs

What is the Marvel Rivals x Marvel Cosmic Invasion collaboration?

The collaboration brings special Marvel Cosmic Invasion–themed skins to Marvel Rivals, featuring retro 8-bit–style costumes for heroes like Spider-Man and Venom inspired by the beat-’em-up game Marvel Cosmic Invasion.

When do the Cosmic Invasion skins release in Marvel Rivals?

The Marvel Rivals x Marvel Cosmic Invasion skins for Spider-Man and Venom are set to launch on January 16, 2026, as part of the Season 6 update.

How do the Cosmic Invasion skins look in Marvel Rivals?

These skins adopt a pixel-inspired retro arcade aesthetic that pays homage to Marvel Cosmic Invasion’s classic arcade art style, giving characters old-school visuals and animations.

References

1. [1] "Official Marvel Rivals website". www.marvelrivals.com. Retrieved January 16, 2026