Overwatch (initially released as Overwatch 2) is a 2023 first-person hero shooter video game by Blizzard Entertainment. As a sequel and replacement to the original 2016 Overwatch, the game includes new game modes and a reduction in team size from six to five. The game is free-to-play on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and features full cross-platform play.
Overwatch 2 was announced in 2019; it released in early access in October 2022 before officially releasing in August 2023. The game was planned to feature more story-based cooperative modes, but these were scrapped in 2023 to focus on its player versus player (PvP) elements. The game was rebranded as simply Overwatch in February 2026 with a renewed focus on narrative elements tied to new heroes and seasonal content. The game received generally favorable reviews from critics.
Gameplay
Overwatch 2 is a hero shooter, where players are split into two teams of five characters known as "heroes" from a roster of over 40. Heroes are organized into a "damage" role, responsible for offensive efforts; a "support" role, responsible for healing and utility; and a "tank" role, responsible for creating space for their team. Each character has a unique skill kit, made up of active, passive, and ultimate abilities. Overwatch 2, like its predecessor, primarily centers on player versus player (PvP) combat across a variety of different modes and maps, and includes both casual and ranked competitive matches, as well as non-matchmade arcade modes.
All heroes available in Overwatch remained available in Overwatch 2 along with new heroes introduced for the sequel. The original Overwatch was designed for six-on-six team combat, with two of each role on a team. In Overwatch 2, the number of tank slots in role queue was reduced by one, bringing the total number of players per team to five. According to game director Aaron Keller, developers hoped that losing a tank would speed up gameplay, as they believed that the original six-player teams rendered gameplay slow. It was also intended to ease the amount of things players and spectators need to watch out for. New maps were designed to include more cover options to compensate for reduced tank-based protection. To support this type of gameplay, damage heroes were buffed with increased movement speed, support heroes were given passive health regeneration, and tanks were redesigned to be able to take a more offensive role. Two characters received significant changes in their skill kit to fit the five-on-five format; tank hero Orisa had several defensive abilities replaced with offensive ones, in addition to increased self-sustainability, while Doomfist, a hero formerly in the damage role, was reworked to be a fast-moving tank.
Most of the team-based game modes and their corresponding maps from Overwatch remain in Overwatch 2, including Control, Escort, and Hybrid. Assault maps were considered unbalanced by the player community and were removed from standard play matches but remain available within arcade modes and custom games.
New game modes have been added with Overwatch 2: Push was introduced with the launch of Overwatch 2. In Push, teams vie for control of a robot pushing one of two blockades towards the opposing team's goal on a symmetric map, similar to a tug of war. The robot only moves towards the opponent's goal while at least one teammate is near while no enemy team member is close. Flashpoint was introduced with Season 6 in August 2023. Flashpoint maps feature one central capture point and four additional points around the map. After teams vie for control of the central point, one of the other four points becomes the next objective. The match continues until one of the teams has captured three points. Clash was introduced with Season 12 in August 2024. Clash maps have five objectives laid out in a sequential order between the teams' spawn rooms. Teams first fight to capture the central objective; when one team wins, the point closer to their opponents' spawn room becomes the next active objective. The objectives closest to each team's spawn room can be captured in three capture periods. The match continues until one of the teams completes five captures. In 2026, Clash was removed from core game modes and is currently only available in Stadium. Stadium was launched with Season 16 in April 2025. Stadium had been in development since the release of Overwatch 2, as the development team explored ideas for the game's next major core mode. Stadium matches are played by two teams of 5 in a best of 7 series, where each round takes place on a smaller version of a Control, Push, or Clash map. After each round, players receive Stadium Cash based on how well they played, which they can use to purchase upgrades to their character. Stadium is played in a third-person view by default. Originally, the mode was treated as a competitive-only mode, providing players that advance up through competitive ranks with cosmetic rewards. A quick-play version of the mode was released later on.
Among other quality of life improvements, Overwatch 2 includes a ping system to direct teammates' attention to specific points on the map.
Overwatch 2 was released as free-to-play as opposed to the premium monetization model of its predecessor. It also discontinued loot boxes in favor of a battle pass system which is offered on a seasonal basis and corresponds with the introduction of new maps and heroes. The game also includes an in-game store where players can purchase cosmetics directly. Blizzard stated that new heroes will be introduced as rewards on the free track of the battle pass, and players who fail to make the associated tier will have other routes to obtain the hero for free in later seasons. In addition to battle pass cosmetics, players can purchase seasonal cosmetics through the in-game store. Further, special events lasting two to three weeks have been offered, offering new cosmetics for completing various challenges as well as new cosmetics available for purchase. With Overwatch 2, Blizzard has also created collaborations with other franchises, including Blizzard's own Diablo IV, as well as content from third parties such as the anime series One-Punch Man and Cowboy Bebop and the Korean idol group Le Sserafim.
A Blizzard Battle.net account is required to play Overwatch 2, regardless of platform. Overwatch 2 features cross-progression, with in-game cosmetic items and progress being shared across PC and console versions. Unlocked cosmetic items, in-game currency, and player statistics from any Overwatch profile linked to such an account are merged, and are available on all platforms. Competitive skill ratings on console and PC remain independent of each other.
Post-release updates
With the start of Season 6, in August 2023, three story-based PvE missions were added to the game, with more planned to be released in the future. These advance the lore and narrative of Overwatch. These missions generally include multiple objectives, and are similar to previous limited-time event missions that were periodically available in the first Overwatch. Players are required to pay for access to these missions, and they were previously available within a battle pass bundle.
Hero Mastery courses were introduced in September 2023. These courses aim to help the player learn and improve their skills with a given character by requiring them to complete hero-specific maps as fast as possible while completing various objectives, scoring the player based on their performance. Courses are available for a limited number of heroes, with additional Hero Mastery courses added with new seasons. Hero Mastery courses were phased out of the game by Season 19 in late 2025, as Blizzard found the mode did not have the popularity of the other Overwatch 2 game modes.
With Season 9, starting in February 2024, a major overhaul of combat and the competitive system was introduced. All heroes gained a boost in health and passive healing, while buffs were applied to all characters with guns or similar weapons. This was intended to improve survivability, lessening the likelihood of being killed by a quick burst of fire, as well as preventing damage from being healed away too quickly. In contrast to the approach since Overwatch 2s launch, which updated a player's rank after winning 5 games or losing 15, the new ranking system resembled the approach of the original Overwatch, where a player's competitive ranking is adjusted after each game, with additional information provided about the aspects of the match that contributed to the change. With these changes, Blizzard announced that all players would have their competitive ranking reset and would need to perform ten matches to gain their starting competitive rank.
Blizzard reversed its decision to launch new heroes on the battle pass with the start of Season 10 in April 2024, instead making new heroes free for all players. The existing heroes added from Overwatch 2 launch to this point were also made available for all players, though those that had not yet unlocked them via the battle pass had to complete tutorial missions to unlock them fully.
Blizzard experimented with bringing back six-on-six team combat, gauging the playerbase's response through limited-time tests during Season 14 in December 2024. Additionally, special "Overwatch Classic" limited-time events have featured six-on-six gameplay with the rosters, skill kits, and maps from various periods in Overwatchs history. Since Season 15, in February 2025, a 6v6 competitive mode has been available to further assess the players' response to this format.
With the launch of Season 15 in February 2025, a new gameplay feature called perks was introduced across the standard play game modes. Perks impact gameplay by modifying existing abilities, like making Pharah's concussion blast pull opponents inward instead of pushing them away from the blast. Players earn experience points throughout a match, and can level up twice, getting to choose one of two perks with each level gained. Lead gameplay designer Alec Dawson said the idea behind perks was to avoid stagnation and allow the game to evolve instead of trying to achieve a perfect balance between all characters.>
Season 15 also reintroduced loot boxes, which can be earned through gameplay, the battle pass, weekly challenges, and other mechanisms. Loot boxes can contain nearly any of the previously released cosmetic items, excluding those featured in the current season's battle pass or limited-time promotions. To address concerns about gambling, loot boxes are not directly purchasable. Each box is guaranteed to contain at least one Rare item, with Epic and Legendary items guaranteed within every 5 and every 20 loot boxes opened, respectively. Keller said the intent behind the new iteration of loot boxes was to make players feel rewarded for simply playing the game, rather than using them as a driver for microtransactions.
With the release of Season 16 in April 2025, a hero ban system was added to the game's standard competitive modes. Before the start of each match, the system allows players to vote for up to three heroes to be banned, with their votes weighted by order. Each team can ban two heroes, and the banned heroes are disabled for both teams for the duration of the match.
With the launch of Season 17 in June 2025, a map voting system was introduced to standard game modes. Before each match, players are presented with three maps selected by an algorithm, and may vote for one of them. The map for the match is then randomly chosen from among the votes cast.
With the introduction of Season 18, Blizzard will allow console players to use mouse and keyboard controls rather than a controller, though players will be queued in the "Mouse and Keyboard Pool" with players on computers, rather than the console queue.