How to Make an Alt Account Marvel Rivals Without Getting Banned

You've probably been there. You just hit a massive rank wall in Marvel Rivals, or maybe you’re tired of the sweat-fest on your main account and just want to practice Magneto without ruining your win rate. It happens. Honestly, the game is still fresh enough that everyone is trying to figure out the meta, and sometimes you just need a clean slate to test stuff out.

But here’s the thing.

Making an alt account Marvel Rivals players can actually use without running into authentication headaches or "smurf" detection isn't as simple as clicking a "plus" button in the menu. Since NetEase integrated this game so tightly with Steam and the Epic Games Store, your identity is basically tied to your hardware and your platform ID. If you just log out and log back in, you might find yourself staring at a "failed to initialize" error or, worse, a shadowban that puts you in a queue with the most toxic players on the planet.

Why You Actually Need an Alt Account in Marvel Rivals

Most people think alts are just for stomping new players. That’s a bad look. Don't do that.

The real reason most high-level players want a secondary profile is the Role Queue anxiety. In Marvel Rivals, the skill gap between a Vanguard main and a Strategist main can be huge. If you're a Diamond-tier Thor but a Bronze-tier Luna Snow, trying to learn Luna on your main account is basically throwing the game for your teammates. It’s frustrating for them and discouraging for you. An alt account lets you "reset" your internal Matchmaking Rating (MMR) specifically for those off-roles.

There's also the regional factor. NetEase has been a bit finicky with server routing. Sometimes, your main account gets "locked" into a specific data center's logic, and starting fresh on a new ID can sometimes—oddly enough—help with ping issues if you’re playing with friends in different time zones.

How to Make an Alt Account Marvel Rivals (The Steam Method)

If you're on PC, Steam is the easiest route, but it requires some housekeeping. You can't just share the library; you need a dedicated login.

First, you need a fresh email address. Don't use a burner email site because Marvel Rivals often sends verification codes during high-traffic updates, and those burner sites expire. Use a secondary Gmail or ProtonMail. Once that's set, log out of your primary Steam account completely. Do not just "Change Account"—actually log out.

1. Create the new Steam account using your fresh email.
2. Verify the email and log in to the new Steam profile.
3. Search for Marvel Rivals in the store. Since it's Free-to-Play, you can just "Add to Library."
4. Crucial step: Navigate to your Steam installation folder. Sometimes, the LocalData folder for Marvel Rivals stores your previous session tokens. If the game tries to auto-login to your main, you need to clear the cache in %LOCALAPPDATA%\MarvelRivals.

Basically, the game looks for a "SteamID64" identifier. If you stay logged into the same Windows user profile, sometimes the game gets confused. If you’re really serious about it, creating a separate Windows User Account for your alt is the most "bulletproof" way to ensure the game doesn't cross-contaminate your settings or sensitivity.

Epic Games Store Workaround

The Epic Games Store (EGS) version is a bit more rigid. EGS links your NetEase account directly to your Epic ID. To make an alt here, you’ll have to repeat the process: new Epic account, new email, and a fresh install of the launcher.

One annoying detail? EGS often forces a "Link Account" prompt the first time you boot. If you mistakenly link your new EGS account to your old NetEase email, you’ve basically wasted your time. Double-check that you are using a completely unique identity for every single layer of the login process.

The Console Struggle: PS5 and Xbox Series X|S

Consoles are actually the easiest place to run an alt, but the most expensive if you aren't careful. On PlayStation 5, you just create a new User Profile on the console. As long as your "Primary" PS5 has an account with PlayStation Plus (if the game requires it for your region, though most F2P games don't), your alt can play for free.

Xbox is similar. Use the "Home Xbox" feature. This allows any profile on that console to access the games and gold features of the main account. Just swap profiles in the dashboard before hitting "A" on the Marvel Rivals tile.

The catch? Your friends list is empty. Your skins? Gone. Marvel Rivals doesn't currently support Account Merging or "shared skins" across IDs. If you bought that sick Spider-Punk skin on your main, your alt is going to be stuck with the default red-and-blues.

Dealing with the "Smurf" Detection System

NetEase hasn't been shy about their anti-cheat and anti-toxicity measures. They use a system that monitors "Performance Outliers."

If you jump onto a new alt account Marvel Rivals profile and start dropping 40 kills a game as Hela with 90% headshot accuracy, the game’s MMR system is going to skyrocket you. Within three games, you'll be playing against Diamond players again, even if your "rank" says Bronze. The system is designed to get high-skill players out of the beginner pools as fast as possible.

To keep your alt account "healthy," don't try to ruin the game for others. Use it for its intended purpose: learning. If you play at a natural pace while learning a new character, the MMR will settle into a spot that actually reflects your skill with that specific hero. This makes the experience better for everyone.

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

Sometimes, after switching accounts, you'll get the "Internal Error" or "Network Busy" message. This is almost always a credential mismatch.

• DNS Flush: Open Command Prompt and type ipconfig /flushdns. This often clears up the handshake issues between your PC and the NetEase servers.
• The "Verify Files" Trap: Don't waste time verifying game files if your main account works but your alt doesn't. The files are fine; the issue is your local authentication token.
• VPN Issues: If you use a VPN to get into different regions, NetEase might flag the account creation as "suspicious." Try to create the account on your native IP first, then switch to the VPN once the first tutorial match is over.

Practical Next Steps for Your New Account

Now that you've got the account running, you need to be smart about how you use it. Don't just jump into Ranked the second you unlock it.

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• Focus on one role: Use the alt specifically for Vanguards or specifically for Duelists. This keeps the MMR data "clean."
• Settings Sync: Remember that Marvel Rivals doesn't save your mouse sensitivity or keybinds to the cloud—it saves them locally or per account. You’ll need to screenshot your main account's settings so you can manually input them into the alt. Nothing feels worse than playing on the wrong sensitivity.
• Avoid Level 1 Toxicity: You’re going to see some weird stuff in the low-level queues. People won't pick healers. People will jump off the map. Stay calm. The goal of the alt is your own personal improvement, not the win-loss record of a secondary ID.

Once you’ve hit the level requirement for Competitive, play your placement matches with a focus on consistency. If you play like a god in placements, you’ll end up right back where your main account is, which defeats the purpose of having a "learning" account. Use the alt to broaden your hero pool, and you'll eventually find that the skills you pick up there will help you break that plateau on your primary account.

Check your %LOCALAPPDATA% folder now to see if there are old logs cluttering your install—it’s the first step to a clean account swap. After that, get through the tutorial and start practicing those heroes you've been too afraid to touch in high-ranked lobbies.