A Ban Wave Is Hitting Modded Marvel Rivals Players

Marvel Rivals is cracking down on configs. A massive ban wave is affecting many modded Marvel Rivals players, and it seems like the anti-cheat is getting wise to sneaky client-side activities. Let’s recap everything to know about the situation.

Modded Marvel Rivals Players Are Getting Banned

Marvel Rivals Season 9 is one of the game’s biggest updates yet. With a new map, two new Heroes, a full team-up overhaul, and a Black Widow rework, the community can experiment with plenty of new features. In addition, the game has released fresh summer cosmetics, like Swimsuit skins for White Fox, Captain America, and Loki.

Some modded Marvel Rivals users are taking things one step further by customizing their own graphics. These players use in-game configs, which bypass NetEase’s anti-cheat to change Hero sprites and game mechanics. However, as of July 31, modded Marvel Rivals players are noticing a major ban wave crackdown on their activities.

User @botPRISM warned fellow players, “Do not queue up with a config right now. You will be banned!”

The update arrives two days after the game‘s latest Patch Notes, which dropped on July 29. The official Patch Notes release did not include any public ban policy or anti-cheat changes. However, it’s entirely possible (and likely) that the system had some unlisted changes resulting in a higher amount of bans.

What Happens if I Mod Marvel Rivals?

When modded Marvel Rivals users try to enter games, they are encountering a Penalty pop-up. This includes a message that says, “Unauthorized modification to your client detected […] please repair your client immediately and remove all unauthorized modifications before attempting to log in again.”

The pop-up also warns players that “if further abnormal modifications are detected,” the game will punish them with suspensions and other actions.

After revealing the pop-up, the game logs users out entirely. Anyone who believes their client has falsely detected a config can appeal to Marvel Rivals through customer support.

What is a Marvel Rivals Config?

A Marvel Rivals config is basically a customized settings file that tweaks how the game runs on your PC. This takes things to another level above the in-game Options menu, unlocking changes that are hard-coded into the program. Players usually edit files within the engine to unlock deeper control over graphics, performance, and input behavior. Sometimes, these changes can provide a competitive advantage. Examples include pushing rendering quality down to boost frame rate, disabling mouse smoothing for more precise aim, or turning off view acceleration so your sensitivity feels consistent every time you move.

In other scenarios, players just want to replace their Hero sprites with silly skins or experiment with different visuals. This isn’t a new concept: League of Legends players have done this for a while, though they’ve also received bans for it. Some players turn Pyke into SpongeBob, hitting enemies with his iconic spatula instead of a hook. Others have redesigned Graves as Peter Griffin from Family Guy. In other cases, configs can let you access paid skins for free, which definitely violates most games’ TOS.

It’s worth knowing that config files only affect your own game client, so nothing changes for other players in your match. That said, the developers have gone back and forth on how much tampering they’re comfortable with, occasionally warning that certain edits could look like tampering to the anti-cheat system even though they aren’t full-blown cheats. You also run the risk of accidentally getting a virus if you download modded Marvel Rivals configs from shady places. If you must make these changes (which, to be clear, we do not endorse, so don’t come after us, NetEase!), stick with configs shared by trusted community sources and stay updated on whatever the current rules are for your season.

Are Mods Against the Marvel Rivals TOS?

All Marvel Rivals mods are against the game’s Terms of Service (TOS). This means players are not allowed to use them under any circumstances and could face punishments for doing so. There’s a reason for this, as even well-intentioned quality-of-life changes can have an impact on competitive performance at best. At worst, players could mod the game to outright hack and cheat their way to its top ranks.

That said, client-side cosmetic mods are generally in an ethical gray area. If they change character sizes or add brighter colors, they could have an impact on the player’s win rates, but it’s much less severe than scripts. In the past, Marvel Rivals hasn’t been extremely strict in banning these customizations. They typically fly under the radar unless an anti-cheat detects them, in which case they can trigger bans.

Stay tuned for more Marvel Rivals esports and in-game news. Also, check out our Season 9 roadmap and guides to specific Heroes like Black Cat.