Overwatch 2 is setting the stage for its most ambitious year yet, with Blizzard revealing an extensive roadmap that promises to revolutionise the hero shooter experience throughout 2025. Having gotten an early preview of what’s coming, I can tell you there’s plenty to be excited about – from the introduction of hero-specific Perks to an entirely new game mode called Stadium.
Part of me is scared though. These are definitely really fun, having played them before last season. However, this separates Overwatch 2 even further as skill-based games and I know some will not like it (especially since this is the way going forward for Competitive too). I only play Overwatch 2 casually for fun, so this is definitely going to the right direction to make the game more addictive to play. But I hope that it can drag Overwatch 2 players back from Marvel Rivals.
But anyway, let’s summarise what’s coming in Overwatch 2.
The most immediate change coming to Overwatch 2 is the Perks system, launching with Season 15 on February 18. This new feature adds a layer of strategic depth to matches, allowing players to enhance their heroes’ abilities as they level up during gameplay. Players will get two opportunities to upgrade their hero during each match – first with a minor Perk that might reduce cooldowns or add passive abilities, followed by a major Perk that can significantly alter how the hero plays.
Take Torbjorn, for instance. His minor Perk choices include either having his Forge Hammer restore teammates’ armour or getting Rivet Gun ammo refills when activating Overload. For his major Perk, players can choose between mounting turrets on walls and ceilings (for those cheeky placements – I’d love this) or upgrading to a more powerful level 3 turret (Overwatch 1 players know how powerful and game-changing this is). These choices will be available in both Competitive and Quick Play modes.
Perhaps the most intriguing addition is Stadium mode, coming in Season 16 this April. This best-of-7 format introduces an in-game economy where players earn Stadium coins to purchase and customise hero abilities. What makes this particularly interesting is how dramatically it can transform familiar heroes – imagine Reinhardt charging through the air before unleashing lava-spreading Firestrikes, or a battle Mercy with a shield to protect allies during resurrections. It’s kind of similar to Perks although it’s more unbalancedly fun. We’ve had a taste of this last season in one of the modes we could play and I loved it.
Stadium also introduces an optional third-person perspective, giving players a wider view of the battlefield and better visibility of their upgraded abilities in action. The mode will launch with 14 core heroes, with Blizzard promising to expand the roster and add new maps over time.
On the new hero front, Season 16 will introduce Freja, a former search and rescue operative turned bounty hunter. Her kit revolves around an explosive crossbow and includes abilities like Take Aim for precision shots, Quick Dash for mobility, and an Updraft for vertical positioning. Players can try her out during a free trial weekend in Season 15. Looking further ahead, Season 18 will welcome Hero 44, codenamed Aqua, a Chinese hero specialising in water-based abilities. Not much details on Aqua was revealed yet.
Season 15 marks the beginning of the 2025 Competitive Season, bringing several notable changes including a ranked reset, new Galactic Weapons rewards, and the return of 6v6 competitive queue. Interestingly, Blizzard is also reintroducing loot boxes, with guaranteed drops for Rare or better items and improved odds for Epic and Legendary cosmetics.
The loot boxes were taken out last time – I believe they were banned in some countries because they constitute as gambling. Since you can’t technically buy lootboxes this time, I guess that’s that.
The cosmetics department isn’t holding back either, with impressive Mythic skins planned including Pixiu Zenyatta (yes!), Juno, and a Siberian tiger-inspired D.Va skin. Collaboration events are also in the pipeline, starting with the return of LE SSERAFIM in Season 15.
For competitive players, Hero Bans will be implemented in Season 16, followed by a Map Voting system later in the year. These additions aim to give players more control over their competitive experience while maintaining strategic depth.
The Overwatch 2 development team appears to be going all-in on 2025, with these updates representing just the first few seasons of content. While it’s ambitious, these changes could significantly refresh the core gameplay experience while maintaining what makes Overwatch unique in the competitive FPS space.
Overwatch 2’s 2025 updates begin rolling out with Season 15 on February 18. Players can watch the full OW2 Spotlight video for more details on these upcoming features:
