You pick four weapons from a roster of 40+, drop into a map with an opponent or team, and win five rounds by eliminating the other side before they eliminate you.
Rivals is a first-person shooter on Roblox developed by Nosniy Games (led by Nosniy and SenseiWarrior), officially released on June 28, 2024. It’s crossed 15 billion visits, holds a 94% approval rating, and won the 2025 Roblox Innovation Award for Best Shooter Experience. Playable on PC, mobile, Xbox, and PlayStation 5 — all in the same matchmaking pool.
Contents
- Loadout System
- Controls
- Maps
- Game Modes
- Keys, Contracts, and Progression
- How to Play Better
- Similar Games
- FAQ
Loadout System
Every player brings four weapons into each match — one primary, one secondary, one melee, and one utility. You pick these before entering a duel and they don’t change mid-round. The Shooting Range in the lobby lets you test every weapon for free before spending keys on it — an important detail since weapons cost anywhere from 0 to 350+ keys and feel very different from each other.
| Slot | Examples | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Assault Rifle, Sniper, Shotgun, SMG, Burst Rifle | Main damage source |
| Secondary | Handgun (free), Flare Gun, Revolver, Exogun | Backup / situational |
| Melee | Katana, Scythe, Chainsaw, Daggers, Spear, Grapple | Close-range or utility movement |
| Utility | Grenade, Molotov, Medkit, Warhorn, Trowel, Subspace Tripmine | Area denial / support |
Two weapons have mechanics most players miss. The Katana can deflect bullets — swinging it blocks incoming projectiles, making it more than just a melee tool. The Spear (added Season 3) can be thrown and pinned into a wall, then used as a launch pad to jump over obstacles — but once thrown, it’s unavailable until you retrieve it. The Grapple (also Season 3) either pulls you toward a surface or drags opponents toward you depending on how it’s aimed.
Controls
| Action | PC | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Move | WASD | Left side drag (thumb) |
| Aim | Mouse | Right side drag |
| Shoot | Left click | Tap shoot button |
| Jump | Spacebar | Jump button |
| Slide | Crouch while sprinting | Crouch button while moving |
| Reload | R | Reload button |
Sliding is done by crouching mid-sprint, not a separate key — new players often miss this entirely. You can also gain significant vertical height by using explosives on ramps, which launches the character upward for surprise aerial angles. Controls are fully customizable in the settings menu. Mobile players should enable max aim assist in settings — without it, touch aiming is significantly harder than mouse aim in cross-platform lobbies.
Maps
There are 17+ regular maps plus big variants of most of them for larger team modes. Map knowledge directly informs loadout choice — this is the biggest skill gap between new and experienced players.
| Map Type | Maps | Best Loadout Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Open / Long Range | Docks, Chess, Crossroads, Shooting Range | Sniper primary, close-range backup, mobility utility |
| Close Quarters | Backrooms, Playground, Bridge, Construction, Onyx, Splash | Shotgun / SMG, melee, area denial (Molotov) |
| Balanced | Arena, Battleground, Graveyard, Station, Village, Dimension | Assault Rifle or Burst Rifle — works at any range |
A few maps have specific traits worth knowing. Backrooms is deliberately dark and maze-like — visibility is low, which reduces sniper value drastically. Station has destructible windows that change sightlines mid-round. Battleground has a central bridge with buttons that, when hit, close off the middle section and slow enemy approaches. Arena is the default map, symmetrical and used most in duel queue — it’s the best map to start learning on because every fight position is mirrored.
Game Modes
| Mode | Format | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Duel | 1v1 to 5v5 | First to 5 round wins. Step on lobby pads or use global matchmaking. Leaving early is recorded as a Rage Quit. |
| Team Deathmatch | 8v8 | Score the most kills before time expires. No round structure. |
| Free For All | Multi-player | Every player for themselves. No teams. |
| 1v1v1 / 2v2v2 | 3-team format | Multi-team duels where alliances are impossible — everyone is an enemy. |
| Ranked | 3v3 | Competitive queue with rating at stake. Accessible via private server map pool settings. |
Keys, Contracts, and Progression
Keys are the main currency. They’re earned by completing contracts — weapon-specific challenges that require getting a set number of kills with a particular weapon. Every weapon has its own contract. Completing a contract unlocks extra items for that weapon (skins, charms). Keys are then spent to unlock new weapons and cosmetics from the shop.
The Handgun is free — every player starts with it. The Flare Gun costs 10 keys. The Assault Rifle costs 20. The Sniper costs 75. Higher-tier weapons cost hundreds of keys. The Shooting Range in the lobby is free and gives you hands-on time with any weapon before committing keys to unlock it. Promo codes (entered in-game) give free key bonuses — active codes include COMMUNITY20, COMMUNITY19, BONUS, BOOST, MERRYMERRYXMAS and roblox_rtc, though availability changes over time.
How to Play Better
▸ Match your primary to the map before queuing
The single biggest mistake new players make is bringing an Assault Rifle to Backrooms or a Sniper to Arena. Check the map before a duel starts and adjust — the weapon slot screen is accessible before the round begins. A mismatched primary on a close-range map means you’re fighting at a structural disadvantage every engagement.
▸ Spend 5 minutes in the Shooting Range before ranked play
The Shooting Range lets you use every weapon with no cost. Practice crosshair placement and recoil patterns here before competitive matches, not during them. Each weapon has a distinct feel — the Sniper’s 3x headshot multiplier means very different timing from the SMG’s spray.
▸ Pre-aim entry points, don’t swing-peek
Place your crosshair at head height on the angle where an opponent will walk through before they appear. If your crosshair is already at the right height, you’ve cut your reaction time in half. Swing-peeking (jumping around a corner into someone’s crosshair) is one of the most common ways to die in Rivals.
▸ Use melee and utility together, not as backup plans
The Scythe and Chainsaw have dash-forward abilities that close distance instantly. The Warhorn speeds up your whole team. These aren’t emergency fallbacks — they’re part of a planned sequence. Dash with the Scythe to close in, swap to primary, finish the fight. Using utility reactively wastes its timing advantage.
▸ Leaving a duel early is logged as a Rage Quit
This is a stat that persists on your profile. Beyond the social aspect, quitting a losing match gives your opponent a win they didn’t have to finish earning. In ranked, it affects rating. If a match isn’t going well, finish it — the loss is less damaging to progression than a logged Rage Quit.
