Overwatch Dev Tracker

The familiar transforms into the unexpected when you embark on a journey through the looking glass with Mirrorwatch, Overwatch 2's latest limited-time event, now available through May 13. You’re invited to explore this parallel reality where the line between good and evil blurs as heroes and villains switch sides.

Glimpse into the Mirror

In this limited-time, non-canon event, Overwatch 2 introduces players to a mirrored universe where familiar faces adopt new personas, alignments, and abilities. You’ll be playing a 5v5 role queue in a world where Mercy leads Talon with a powerful rocket launcher, and Doomfist rallies Overwatch with a new Power Block shield. Try out the new Mirrorwatch event, where heroes swap teams and players must adapt to a whole new dynamic of gameplay.

In Mirrorwatch, not only are heroes swapping sides, but they’re also equipped with entirely reimagined abilities to reflect their new alignments. Experience your favorite char...

Hey everyone! Senior game producer Adam Massey and lead gameplay engineer Daniel Razza here, subbing in for Aaron this week. We’re going to share some updates on fair play for console players in Overwatch 2 regarding the issue of unapproved peripherals.

What are Unapproved Peripherals?

Our goal is for Overwatch 2 to be a great experience no matter what platform you play on. The game feels best when matches are close and competitive, and everyone plays on a level playing field. To help achieve this, we’ve tailored the game experience on console by adding console-specific features such as aim assist, which helps bridge the difference in precision of aim between a mouse and a controller.

Unfortunately, some players on console have been using devices that allow them to use a mouse and keyboard while tricking the console into thinking that the inputs are coming from a controller. While some use different peripherals for accessibility purposes, some pl...

We’re thrilled that Venture is finally in the hero lineup, and it’s been fun to see you get your hands on their groundbreaking kit and mechanics. Today two developers who were part of our newest hero's strike team will share a behind-the-scenes look at how Venture, became Venture.

Hero strike teams consist of many different disciplines across Team 4. There is no one formula for how heroes come to life, but it always starts with assembling a group of developers who will embark on the journey of creating a new hero together. Today, we’re going to hear from two of those developers – one concept artist and one narrative designer - to talk about how Venture’s art and aesthetic were created, as well as how their character and personality came to life.

Let’s get into it!

Venture’s Concept Art

Hi! I’m Daryl Tan, Lead Character Concept Artist on Team 4.

Being on the team that brought Venture to life was an incredibl...

Mythic hero skins are the ultimate customization for heroes in Overwatch 2. Every Mythic hero skin is uniquely crafted to push the limits in artwork, animation, and effects. Players have had the chance to Dragon Blade in high-tech style with Cyberdemon Genji, conquer the galaxy with Infinite Emperor Sigma, and save Overland with Adventurer Tracer. Now, whether you are coming back for a new season or are a brand-new player, you can collect the Mythic hero skins for your favorite heroes and level up with the customizations you want in the all-new Mythic Shop. We’re excited to give you the choice of what Mythic skins you want to collect, and this update is just the start as we continue to evolve Mythic cosmetics.

Keep reading how you can progress through the Premium Battle Pass and earn your way to your next Mythic skin.

Collect New Mythic Prisms in the Premium Battle Pass

We’re giving you the choice to select your own Mythic Hero skin. Whether you ...

As we dig into Season 10 of Overwatch 2, we're thrilled to introduce our newest hero, Venture. We also have a first look at our new game mode, Clash, and updates to how you acquire new Heroes. So, get ready to embark on an epic excavation of greatness!

You Can’t Spell Adventure without Venture

Break ground with the newest Damage hero, Venture, a spirited archaeologist who channels their passion for history into daring acts of heroism. Armed with a massive drill and an arsenal of seismic abilities, Venture brings a fresh dynamic to the battlefield (and underneath it). Outwit your adversaries and unearth victory as you dive, dig, drill, and deliver massive damage in the process.

Harnessing the power of their Smart Excavator, Venture primarily launches unstable seismic energy that explodes, and deals burst damage. With their Burrow ability, they can become invulnerable underground while gathering momentum for a calculated ambush upon re-emergence. T...

We’re back with a new Defense Matrix update on our efforts to keep Overwatch 2 a fun, safe, and inclusive experience for everyone. Our latest Developer Update revealed new features that aim to bring friends together while protecting you from disruptive players, so let’s dive a bit deeper into these changes and what you can expect in the coming seasons.

Playing Competitive with Friends

Overwatch 2 has always been a game best played with friends. However, in Competitive Play, it may not always work to group up if your friends are too far from your rank. That’s why we’re introducing “Wide Groups” in Season 10, and you’ll now be able to play with your friends in Competitive no matter their rank.

So what, exactly, is a Wide Group? A Wide Group is when the highest and lowest ranked players are too far apart in Skill Tier and Divisions. Any groups with Diamond or lower ranked players that are more than five Skill Divisions apart are a Wide Group. Any groups with...

Hello! It’s been a while since my last blog – but we’ve been hard at work! Let’s get right into it!

First off, I am thrilled that you have welcomed our newest hero, Venture, to the line-up. Venture’s ecstatic personality has charmed many of you, and you have already asked us so many questions about their backstory and personality. While I am unsure if they like to munch on rocks, they have drilled their way to being the top-picked hero in Quick Play this past weekend. We’ll be revealing more about Venture’s story and how they were developed shortly after Season 10 launches.

One of the biggest reasons so many of us instantly fell in love with Venture is the incredible voice talent of Valeria Rodriguez. We instantly knew they were a hit when we saw how much energy they could put into their voice and how they matched Venture’s personality perfectly. We are also thrilled that many of you have welcomed Valeria into our community.

Watching all o...

Let’s get ready to go on a new adventure!  Log onto Overwatch 2 and play the newest Damage hero, Venture, now available to play in a limited-time hero trial starting today through Sunday, March 31 PDT. A member of the Wayfinder Society archaeological research group, this charismatic and enthusiastic archeologist changes the game with their ability to drill underground. Outwit your adversaries and unearth victory as you fight with your powerful Smart Excavator drill.

Here’s everything you need to know to jump into Overwatch 2 right now and play Venture this weekend before they land in Season 10.

Explore Venture’s Seismic Abilities

Venture is the newest Damage hero to join the roster, wielding their powerful drill that adds unique mechanics to your gameplay. Using Smart Excavator, you’ll fire a seismic charge that will burst and damage opponents at a short distance. You can escape danger or sneak up on opponents by drilling into the ground using Venture’s n...

Greetings, heroes! We have big updates on the horizon we're excited to share with you.

Hero Releases

Let's kick things off with the stars of our game – the heroes.

Starting Season 10, all new heroes will be immediately unlocked when they launch. All existing heroes will also be unlocked for players. This means that heroes will no longer need to be unlocked through the Battle Pass to be playable in all game modes.        

New players will still need to complete the first-time user experience to unlock heroes as they learn the ropes. Once the heroes from the original Overwatch roster have been unlocked, all Overwatch 2 heroes will also become available.

Last year at BlizzCon, we gave a sneak peek at our 40^th hero, Venture, showcasing their unique underground mechanics and daring, adventurous spirit. We’re excited to share that all players will have immediate access to Venture when they officially join the Overwatch 2 line...

Celebrate the legendary crew of Bebop in Overwatch 2! Immerse yourself in the iconic saga of Cowboy Bebop with an array of new skins found exclusively in the Overwatch 2 shop. From now until March 25, you can also tackle in-game challenges to answer the call of the bounty hunter and snatch up your cosmic cosmetic rewards. Keep reading to find out how you can claim these legendary bounties of this limited-time event.

New Cowboy Bebop Legendary Skins

Collect four brand-new Legendary skins that tip their hat to the beloved Cowboy Bebop anime series, including Spike Cassidy, Faye Ashe, Ed Sombra, and Jet Mauga. Each bundle includes the Legendary skin along with additional cosmetics, including name cards, victory poses, emotes, and more. If you're aiming for the big haul, then pick up the Cowboy Bebop Mega Bundle and get all four in one!

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Gather your teammates and jump into the Gauntlet today! Hero Mastery: Gauntlet is an all-new 3-player cooperative game mode with tower defense-style gameplay. Your objective is to protect your three towers from 10 rounds of enemy training bot attacks. Purchase powerful upgrades and collect Emblems along the way to boost your score.

Fight to Survive

Gather your friends to form a squad of three players and play in a unique tower-defense game mode. First, choose any hero from the entire roster, then face ten waves of training bots, ranging from the simple attack bot to the deadly sniper bot, along with explosive bots that will rush the towers.

There are four levels of difficulty to pick from, ranging from the causal co-op fan to the ultimate survival squad. You can also queue up with trained AI to learn the ropes before  competing with teammates.

Protect Your Towers

With three towers across the course, you’ll need to coordinate with your te...

In Season 10, we’re joining Porsche for a new in-game collaboration, featuring a Legendary D.Va skin inspired by the all-new Macan Electric!

This collaboration will feature multiple new cosmetics and two Legendary skins, with the D.Va skin unveiled today. D.Va is not only incredibly cool, but with her mech’s functional and immediately identifiable design, she felt like the perfect Hero to kick-off Overwatch 2’s next collaboration.  And as a character in-universe, her love for engineering and constantly improving Tokki connected her right away with attention to detail and care of Porsche. We know you’ll love her new skin as much as we do!

The back of D.Va’s mech is inspired by the design language of the all-new Porsche Macan Electric.

Beyond the in-game collab...

Hello, wonderful people, and welcome to the mid-Season 9 Director's Take! This season had the most significant changes to the game that we've made in a long time. When we launched Season 9 in February, we wanted to make sure to keep an eye on your feedback and react to what we saw. We've had two patches so far, and we have another one, which is quite the stunner, coming up next week. Let's get into that… no, wait! ...Let's talk about where we're at… and then get into that.

The changes made this season were designed to address multiple issues in the game, based largely in part on your feedback. We're happy with how these modifications have shifted the game, but there are two areas we want to improve a bit: the Damage passive, and how some individual heroes have landed after the shakeup. We think the direction we’re heading in is correct but agree that some changes still need to be ironed out.

Let's start with the Damage passive. It's had quite a big impact on the ga...

Hi everyone, and Happy Friday! :)

It's been a very exciting week and a half for Overwatch 2! Season 9: Champions shipped with a new and improved version of our Competitive system and a pretty comprehensive set of changes to the core mechanics of our game.

We're incredibly invested in these changes having a positive impact on the game and are committed to making rapid iterations to them to make that happen. In fact, earlier this week, we made our first pass at tuning with a set of refined projectile sizes and health changes for some of our heroes. We'll keep an eye on how these play out in order to inform you of our next set of changes.

Let's talk about the reworked Competitive Play system, which also launched with Season 9. There's been a lot of excitement around it. In fact, there's been a pretty sizeable shift in our player population because of it. Previously, Quick Play was the most popular mode in Overwatch. It accounted for roughly 40% of the...

An unknown horror lurks beneath the ruins of Ecopoint: Antarctica. It will be up to you to solve the mystery of...Cosmic Crisis! Starting today with Overwatch 2 – Season 9: Champions, this new 4-player Co-op event explores a non-canon story that will test your loyalty to your teammates. Read on to learn more about Cosmic Crisis, and the new rewards and ways to play that will keep you coming back to this limited-time event.

Escape or Embrace the Darkness

In the wake of a crash landing, join forces with three unlikely allies to repair your ship, and escape a ruined Ecopoint: Antarctica. Monstrous null sector units have overrun the station, and an ancient threat lurks in the shadows. As you fight back these eldritch horrors, you must stay strong to resist the call of the Ravager.

Cosmic Crisis has unique co-op objectives that change between playthroughs, and each game presents one player with a choice that will determine the fate of your team. Will you work ...

Overwatch 2 Season 9 arrives tomorrow with exciting core gameplay updates, a reworked Competitive game mode, and a season theme that will test the courage of even the bravest heroes as they face a dangerous threat of cosmic proportions. Get your friends together, queue up, and face the unknown that awaits you.

Competitive Play Updates

Thanks in part to your feedback, we’ve updated Competitive Play. Now more transparent than ever, the new Competitive Overview after every match provides clear insights into how your rank changes, including skill modifiers to help you understand your progress through the ranks. At the start of Season 9, we're doing a soft reset of everyone’s rank, giving everyone a fresh opportunity to climb higher while maintaining a standard in match quality. We’re also bringing placements back, which means your performance in these games substantially influences your initial rank placement.

For the truly daring, we're introducing ...

As many of you know, two weeks ago, there were a series of changes made to the Overwatch team, as well as other teams across Blizzard. Writing a public blog is difficult in the wake of these events. I want to express gratitude for the absolutely amazing people who worked on our game that are no longer on our team. I want the community to feel informed, and I want to convey our excitement about what is to come in Season 9. To be honest, it’s a lot to balance – but one of the things we’ve been most proud of is how we’ve kept lines of communication open between the team and our community, and we intend to continue that.

In that spirit, yesterday, we shared the exciting changes you are going to experience with Competitive starting in Season 9. I’d like to give a bit more ...

The newest season of Overwatch 2 is just around the corner, and with it comes some exciting changes. During our Overwatch 2: What’s Next Panel at BlizzCon 2023, we shared a sneak peek at some of the philosophy guiding many of the system changes coming this year: striving to make PvP gameplay more rewarding and fun and providing greater transparency for players in-game. We are introducing major changes to Competitive in the new season—from a new progression system to an all-new skill tier above Grand Master—as well as major gameplay changes to combat and hero survivability. Read for details on what you can expect for Overwatch 2 Season 9: Champions.

Updating the Competitive Experience

We’ve heard your feedback on Competitive Play over the last eight seasons, and we have some big updates coming that will give you the opportunity to build on your skills and see how you progress through the Competitive ranks. We built a better system that’s more acc...

The Defense Matrix Initiative is continuing to go strong in 2024. Previously, we shared our efforts to deter leavers in Overwatch 2, promote positive communication, and show the impact of your reports.  As we head into Season 9, we have more to share on our ongoing improvements to Endorsements and disruptive behavior.

Giving Endorsements More Impact

A common theme of feedback we’ve heard is to give Endorsements greater impact. In the last few seasons, we have already made significant steps to deliver on that. In the Season 7 midseason update, we implemented multiple bug fixes that prevented players from dropping their endorsement rating...

The Year of the Dragon is here, featuring the return of fan-favorite Mischief and Magic prop hunt, past Lunar New Year game modes, new rewards, and all new skins in the shop. Read on to discover what adventures and rewards await when you log onto Overwatch 2.

Prop Hunt Returns

To kick things off, Mischief and Magic, which first premiered in Season 5, is back with an updated ruleset and an additional map to play on. Rouge Kiriko has snuck off to the Lijiang Night Market, and it will be up to Knight Genji to figure out if she’s hiding as a firework rocket, a paper lamp, or over a dozen other possible props. Genji will have to be careful this time though, as he now takes a small amount of damage whenever he uses his melee to check a spot. Careful coordination with your teammates on where to search will be key to your success. Catching Kiriko or using your Dragonblade will help restore your health. The team that wins three rounds will be victorious.

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