NetEase Games announced that Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 will launch on August 7, bringing a massive texture compression overhaul that slashes file sizes by up to 40 GB on PC and 15 GB on consoles while introducing the supervillain The Hood voiced by WWE’s Damian Priest.
Storage bloat is a persistent headache for modern gamers, with live-service titles steadily swelling past the 100 GB mark after months of continuous updates and fresh events.
Texture Compression Overhaul and File Size Reductions
When the team-based PvP superhero shooter initially launched in December 2024, it carried a manageable baseline install size of roughly 50 GB to 60 GB depending on the platform, according to industry reporting. Subsequent content drops pushed the footprint well past 100 GB. To combat this, the development team is rolling out sweeping space-saving measures.
Creative Director Guangyun Chen detailed the upcoming technical changes in a video presentation, explaining how the studio managed to shrink the game’s overall footprint without compromising on asset quality.
“In season 9.5, we are implementing a massive texture compression overhaul. Without sacrificing a single pixel of visual fidelity, we are drastically shrinking the game’s footprint on your hard drives.”
Photo: psu.com
Guangyun Chen, Creative Director
The storage savings vary by platform, with PC users seeing the most dramatic relief. On PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles, the install size will shrink by roughly 15 GB—down from a previous PS5 baseline of about 73 GB. Meanwhile, the PC version will drop by an astonishing 40 GB. These adjustments translate to a roughly 20 percent reduction on consoles and a markdown of over 57 percent on PC.
This optimization follows earlier minor tweaks, such as a 15 percent reduction tied to Season 6, though subsequent patches quickly inflated the size again. Unlike those incremental fixes, the Season 9.5 update completely repackages in-game assets for a permanent footprint reduction.
Initial Download Trade-Offs and Season 9.5 Additions
Reorganizing and replacing every asset on the drive comes with a temporary catch. Players must clear enough breathing room on their SSDs for the initial patch process before the final space savings take effect.
Photo: Bleacher Report
“Note: Because we are completely repackaging these assets, the initial Season 9.5 update will be larger than usual, but the final install size will be much lighter.”
Guangyun Chen, Creative Director
Beyond storage optimization, the August 7 release brings significant gameplay additions. WWE Superstar Damian Priest announced that he is lending his voice to the supervillain character known as The Hood, who joins the roster as a new Vanguard functioning as a unique ranged tank.
The update also arrives amid a busy content calendar. NetEase confirmed that the game crossed 40 million players worldwide in February 2025, supported by a roster of over 35 iconic comic characters including Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, and Wolverine.
Community Reception and What Lies Ahead
While storage optimization is a welcome relief for hardware-conscious players, recent community feedback on Steam has been complicated by separate user interface changes introduced in prior patches. Developers have historically maintained active communication with the player base regarding feedback.
How to Install Mods for Marvel Rivals Season 9 EASY GUIDE!
Looking forward, storage improvements will likely benefit upcoming hardware transitions as well. Marvel Games confirmed back in March that a version for the Nintendo Switch 2 is in development, though an official release date has not yet been announced.
