Marvel Rivals developer NetEase Games will overhaul how the hero shooter handles texture compression in the upcoming season 9.5 update, tackling the game's steadily growing file size without any loss of visual quality. The change matters because storage space remains a persistent concern for live-service games, which tend to balloon in size as content is added over time, so a significant reduction is likely to be welcomed by players on both console and PC.

Marvel Rivals currently takes up around 73GB on consoles and about 100GB on PC; season 9.5, due out on 7 August, will cut roughly 15GB from the console version and 40GB from the PC version, a near-50% reduction on PC. This brings both versions close to, or below, their file sizes at the game's 2024 launch, when it required about 40GB on consoles and 70GB on PC. The update, which also adds new hero The Hood and a fresh batch of skins, will require a larger-than-usual download since the game's assets must be fully repackaged, but NetEase says this one-off inconvenience will deliver lasting long-term savings.