Key takeaways
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Are Marvel Rivals mods bannable? | Yes, they can be. NetEase's Terms of Use rule out mods, and NetEase says continued use of balance-breaking mods "will still be penalized". |
| Who got unbanned? | Only players suspended for those mod types in the two days before NetEase's October 15, 2026 statement. |
| Are skin mods allowed? | NetEase hasn't said so. |
| What should I delete? | All mod files and their changes, especially pystubber.asi and MarvelRivalsUnmountBlocker.asi. |
| What else changed? | Permanent cheat bans (May 25), heavier AFK, throwing and leaving penalties (September 17), chat and voice bans of up to 365 days (October 16). |
So what happened this week? Between roughly October 13 and 15, NetEase Games suspended Marvel Rivals players who used certain mods. On October 15 it lifted those suspensions, listed the mod types it counts as balance-breaking and named two files to delete. A day later it toughened chat and voice penalties as well. Here's what it actually wrote, and what it didn't.
What NetEase said about Marvel Rivals mods on October 15
The statement, "Use of Mods and Violation Management", went up on NetEase's October 15 announcement page. The official account posted the same statement on X at 17:00 UTC.
Why were mods getting people suspended at all? NetEase says some mods "involve memory injection and modification behaviors", and because they use "the exact same or similar technical maneuvers as cheat engines, they instantly trigger our Anti-Cheat detection mechanisms." Some also change the game's original visual, audio and combat presentation, "severely jeopardizing the fairness of the game."
The four banned mod types
The banned characteristics "include, but are not limited to" these four, so it's a floor, not the full rulebook:
| Banned mod type | Why NetEase calls it unfair |
|---|---|
| Changing structural models or textures | Creates an asymmetrical line of sight between players and an unfair vision advantage |
| Removing weapon recoil and VFX (screen shake, bullet trajectories, impact effects) | Makes aiming and tracking targets easier |
| Altering in-game audio, such as footsteps | Makes enemies easier to locate |
| Enlarging character models | Makes enemy heroes easier to spot, identify and target |
NetEase also named two files outright. It says to "pay special attention" to deleting .asi files such as pystubber.asi and MarvelRivalsUnmountBlocker.asi, because "These files execute operations that directly trigger the Anti-Cheat system's detection for unauthorized client modifications."
Who got unbanned, and who didn't
Was everybody unbanned? No. Only accounts suspended "over the past two days" for these mod types, so roughly October 13 to 15.
Lifted isn't the same word as allowed. NetEase says lifting the suspensions "does not mean we are permitting the use of these Mods or their modifications," and "any continued use of these violating Mods will still be penalized according to our rules."
The statement leaves a lot out: no platforms, no number of suspended accounts, no suspension lengths, and no mod listed as allowed.
Are Marvel Rivals skin mods safe now?
Short answer: NetEase hasn't said they are. A widely shared fan summary on X on October 15 ended with "Cosmetic mods that don't affect fairness are still allowed." NetEase's statement doesn't say that. Its nearest line is the ending:
Our goal has always been to strike a balance between player customization and a fair competitive environment. As long as the fairness of the game is not compromised, we want to preserve the space for our players to freely choose how they play.
Is that a yes for skins? Not really. It's a goal, not a list of approved mods. FandomWire's report reads it the same way: the statement "stops short of declaring every cosmetic mod safe".
Then there are the written rules. Section 4.5(a) of NetEase's Terms of Use, last updated December 15, 2024, has players agree not to "use cheats, automation software (bots), hacks, mods, or any other unauthorized third-party software purporting to modify, tamper with, scrape information from, copy, or reverse engineer any part of the Services and Software". No asterisk for cosmetics.
Why a looks-only mod can still trip anti-cheat
NetEase's wording covers two separate problems: what a mod changes on screen, and how it gets into the game. For skin mods the second one matters most. NetEase says memory injection triggers detection "instantly", and that the two named .asi files "directly trigger" detection for "unauthorized client modifications". Our reading: a skin mod that relies on those files or on memory injection is doing exactly what NetEase says sets off anti-cheat, however harmless the outfit looks.
Our advice: if your account matters to you, the only setup NetEase hasn't warned about is an unmodified game.
Marvel Rivals prohibited software: the February 2025 list
Is any of this new? Not really. NetEase's Prohibited Software & Hardware List is dated February 26, 2025, and it's still live as of October 16, 2026. Under "Prohibited While Running Marvel Rivals", it names:
| Category | What NetEase lists |
|---|---|
| Hardware | DMA, Kmbox, monitor splitters, fusers, synchronizers, hardware macros |
| Keyboard-and-mouse adapters | XIM series, Cronus Zen series, Titan Two series, KeyMander series, Brook Sniper series |
| Hacking software | Cheat Engine, YDArk, PCHunter, PowerTool, APIMonitor, ProcessHacker, ProcessMonitor, SystemInformer, x64dbg, WinDbg, OllyDbg |
| Emulation scripts | AutoHotkey |
| Third-party plugins | Blitz |
| Virtual machines | VMWare, KVM, VirtualBox |
| Unauthorized changes to client configuration files | Modifying "xxx.ini" files related to graphics rendering to alter the game's display |
| Unfair mod resources that break balance | Image rendering or scene texture mods; camera-shake reduction or removal mods |
NetEase adds "etc." to most rows, so don't treat the names as complete. Using any of it while the game runs "may result in removal from the game or stricter penalties on violating players, proportionate to the severity of the violation."
Read the last two rows twice. Edited .ini files, texture mods and camera-shake mods were on this list more than a year and a half before this week, so October isn't the first warning. Note the scope too: the list is about using these things while the game runs, and it doesn't say that just having a program installed is banned.
On console? The October 15 statement says nothing about platforms, so check the hardware and adapter rows, where XIM and Cronus Zen are named outright. If you also play Apex, our piece on Apex Legends XIM and Cronus bans covers what happened after Respawn classed XIM, Cronus Zen, Titan Two and Strikepacks as cheating on March 4, 2026.
Four Marvel Rivals penalty systems, side by side
Why does this get confusing? NetEase made four separate penalty announcements in less than five months, each with its own rules.
| Announced | Covers | What NetEase says happens | Published length |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2026 | Cheats, illicit assist programs, client tampering | Permanent bans; device and IP bans possible for repeat offenders | Permanent |
| September 17, 2026 | AFK, throwing, leaving early | Increasingly longer matchmaking suspensions; Quick Match has its own, heavier tier | Not published |
| October 15, 2026 | Balance-breaking mods | Earlier suspensions lifted; continued use penalized | Not published |
| October 16, 2026 | Text and voice chat | Warning, mute, matchmaking restriction, long-term account ban | Chat and voice bans up to 365 days |
May 25: the Marvel Rivals cheat ban wave
After "the weekend update", NetEase's May 25 Zero Tolerance on Cheats post said some players began "promoting and deploying unauthorized third-party enhancements". Its "immediate, targeted purge" then permanently banned accounts confirmed for violations "such as using cheats, illicit assist programs, or client tampering". With the cheat signatures logged in an automated penalty system, any account verified to use related cheats "will be permanently banned immediately."
The post also warned: "DO NOT download, purchase, distribute, or use any cheats, scripts, game modifiers, or illicit third-party tools." Note that "game modifiers" were already on that list in May. It called the rumor that launch parameters can switch anti-cheat off "completely false", since anti-cheat "launches concurrently with the game client and cannot be disabled independently". The parameter just hides a pop-up, that's all.
The post lists all 488 banned accounts with their ranks. Our count on October 16: Bronze 184, Silver 49, Gold 31, Platinum 52, Diamond 65, Grandmaster 65, Celestial 39, Eternity 0, One Above All 3. Bronze, by a mile, at about 38%, and only 3 at One Above All. Every rank but Eternity had at least one ban. Our Marvel Rivals ranks guide explains each tier.
September 17: the AFK, throwing and leaving penalty
NetEase's September 17 post raised penalties for inactivity, throwing and leaving early: "increasingly longer matchmaking suspensions" as violations add up, and stricter measures for repeat behavior. Quick Match no longer shares a tier with Arcade Mode. It has its own, heavier than the old baseline. Exact lengths weren't published. Got penalized after a sudden network or hardware failure? Appeal through Customer Support; NetEase says it revokes the penalty once it verifies the situation.
October 16: Marvel Rivals chat and voice bans
On October 16, NetEase's speech moderation post said it has "further escalated" penalties for speech violations, with "significantly harsher penalties" for severe or repeated offenses, and launched a Moderation Policy page. Detection mixes real-time automated text moderation that reads meaning and context, automated voice checks, player reports and manual review of everything that's flagged, with the automated parts updated weekly from verified reports.
Prohibited speech includes:
- promoting bug exploits, unauthorized tools or cheats
- insults, threats, harassment, or abuse over someone's in-game performance
- discrimination, hate speech, doxing, threats of violence, encouraging self-harm
- terrorism, extremism, illegal activities, drugs, sexual content and harassment
- spam, ads, or "promoting third-party services such as boosting or Real-Money Trading (RMT)"
- encouraging others to break game rules
Penalties scale with severity and frequency: a warning, a mute (chat and voice bans can last up to 365 days), a matchmaking restriction for players with multiple violations, and a long-term account ban for particularly severe or repeated offenses, which stops you logging in. Report players through the in-game tool, during or right after a match.
How to clean a modded Marvel Rivals install
Want your game back to stock? Here's the order we'd follow:
- Stop and close the mod and any related programs.
- Delete the mod files, "along with all modifications they have made to your game content," as NetEase puts it.
- Check the two named files. Make sure pystubber.asi and MarvelRivalsUnmountBlocker.asi are gone.
- Verify your game files, as NetEase's Integrity Check and Repair Guide explains:
- Steam: in the game's Installed Files tab, click Verify Integrity of Game Files and let any missing or corrupted files download.
- Epic Games Store: right-click Marvel Rivals in your library, choose Manage, then Verify.
- NetEase's launcher: click the options button, then Verify File Integrity.
- Appeal if a penalty looks wrong, through NetEase's official Customer Support channels.
Our advice: a file check repairs the game's own files. Don't count on it to remove extra files you added, so delete those yourself first. NetEase doesn't publish folder paths, and we won't guess them.
How to appeal a Marvel Rivals ban
Where does a Marvel Rivals ban appeal go? NetEase's May 25, September 17 and October 15 posts all point the same place: its official Customer Support channels. If you were banned for a mod but believe there are special circumstances, or the penalty was a mistake, the October statement says the team will process your case after verifying the details.
Which channel, exactly? On June 3, 2025, the official Marvel Rivals X account told a player to request support on the official Marvel Rivals Discord through the Marvel Rivals Support bot in #game-support. That's the most specific official pointer we found, and it may have changed since. NetEase gives no appeal deadline and no response time.
Our advice: clean your install first, then keep the appeal short and factual: your account name, the date of the penalty and what happened. Don't write an essay.
What this means if you buy a Marvel Rivals boost
Does a boost change any of this? Not on your own PC, and that's worth saying out loud.
Our Marvel Rivals boosting orders are played by hand by a real player, "with no cheats, bots or exploits." A Marvel Rivals rank boost on PC, PS5 or Xbox works one of two ways:
- Piloted: the booster plays on your account through a region-matched VPN, and login details are deleted when the order closes.
- Duo queue: you stay logged in and queue with the booster, so your login stays with you. It runs up to Celestial; above that, rank boosts are piloted.
Our own page says it plainly: these steps lower the risk, but no service can remove it. Account sharing goes against NetEase's terms; section 2.1 says "You may not share, sell or transfer your account ... or share your account information with others without our prior consent." NetEase decides how to enforce that.
The Moderation Policy also lists promoting boosting as prohibited speech, so a stranger offering you a boost in match chat is already breaking the rules. Our guide on how to spot a Marvel Rivals boosting scam lists five more warning signs, starting with prices that look too good to be true.
Our advice: whatever you pick, clean your own install before you queue again. A boost doesn't change what anti-cheat sees on your PC.
Frequently asked questions
Are skin mods bannable in Marvel Rivals?
NetEase hasn't approved any, and its Terms of Use rule out mods in general.
Was my mod suspension lifted?
Only if you were suspended for one of the listed mod types in the two days before the October 15 statement.
Can I still be banned for mods I used before October 15?
NetEase didn't say, but continued use will still be penalized, so delete the files now.
What are pystubber.asi and MarvelRivalsUnmountBlocker.asi?
They're the two .asi files NetEase says trigger anti-cheat detection for unauthorized client modifications. Delete both.
Is Blitz allowed in Marvel Rivals?
NetEase lists it among third-party plugins prohibited while running the game.
Can XIM or Cronus Zen get you banned in Marvel Rivals?
Both are on NetEase's prohibited list, and using them while the game runs can mean removal from the game or stricter penalties.
How do I appeal a Marvel Rivals ban?
Through NetEase's official Customer Support channels. The most specific official pointer (June 2025) is the Marvel Rivals Support bot in #game-support on the official Discord.
How long can a Marvel Rivals chat or voice ban last?
Up to 365 days, and severe or repeated offenses can lead to a long-term account ban.