Does a higher FPS really do more damage in Marvel Rivals?

A technical bug in Marvel Rivals is causing discontent in the community. Your frame rate/FPS determines your attack power and movement range. We have analysed the criticism for you.

2025 01 02 16 35 news 1
Marvel Rivals is a shooter created in collaboration between Marvel Entertainment and the Chinese developer NetEase. | © NetEase

Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 arena shooter that places a strong emphasis on teamwork.

The combination of abilities, agents, and tactical prowess makes it a serious competitor to Overwatch.

However, a technical bug is currently disrupting the gameplay experience and sparking heated discussions within the community.

FPS Bug Gives High-End Hardware Users an Edge

A technical bug in Marvel Rivals causes hero attacks and movements to scale directly with the game’s frame rate.

Players with high-end hardware capable of achieving over 120 FPS enjoy significant advantages compared to those playing at 60 FPS or lower.

The issue is particularly noticeable with heroes like Doctor Strange, Wolverine, Venom, Magik, and Starlord.

Reports indicate that attacks from these characters become faster and more effective as FPS increases.

Additionally, movement range for certain abilities also varies with frame rate.

One example is Magik’s dash ability: at 120+ FPS, the dash covers more distance compared to lower frame rates.

This discrepancy has led to frustration among players, creating clear competitive disadvantages for those with less powerful hardware.

Community Demands Quick Resolution

Social media platforms are flooded with clips documenting the unfair situation.

A popular TikTok video illustrates how damage output and movement range for identical actions differ based on the game’s FPS.

Players have described the issue as “hardware-based pay-to-win” and are urging the developers to address the problem promptly.

“Finally the TRUE pay to win. Paying thousands more dollars on your gaming rig. Now everyone that isn't top 500 is confirmed also lacking in money not just skill.” one Reddit user remarked.

Others echoed the sentiment, demanding that gameplay mechanics be made independent of FPS.

“Nah this is honestly huge. Can't have a competitive game like this. This needs to be addressed as soon as possible.” another player commented.

Some took a lighter approach, joking:

"Okie so i lose everytime solo queuing because of my low fps... Can go to sleep happily now 😪."

Similar Issues in Other Games

This type of FPS-related bug is not unique to Marvel Rivals. Other multiplayer games have faced similar challenges in the past.

For example, in Dark Souls 3, weapon durability degraded faster at higher frame rates.

Similarly, players reported in Battlefield V that the firing rate of certain weapons was affected by FPS.

These issues were eventually resolved through patches, demonstrating that such bugs can indeed be fixed.

Have you noticed the difference yet? Let us know in the comments!

Marlo Brasseler

Marlo is studying journalism in Magdeburg and has been passionate about video games and the German YouTube gaming scene since he was a child. He is particularly interested in survival, strategy and tactical shooter games such as DayZ, Total War and Valorant....