In Overwatch 2, players will take on the roles of the world’s heroes in cooperative missions that challenge them to team up, power up, and stand together against an overwhelming outbreak of threats around the globe. Players will also battle each other in the next evolution of competitive Overwatch play, which carries forward existing players’ accomplishments and loot collections and features the current complete Overwatch roster, a new generation of heroes, new internationally recognizable maps that widen the scope of the world, a new Push map type, and more.

In the sequel’s action-packed cooperative Story Missions, players will experience the advent of a new Overwatch as Winston, Tracer, and other members of the original Overwatch join forces with a new generation of heroes. Players will take an active role in the Overwatch saga as a new global crisis unfolds through a series of intense, high-stakes four-player missions. As the story progresses, players will team up as different sets of heroes and fight to defend the world from the omnic forces of Null Sector, uncover the motives behind the robotic armies’ attacks, and come face-to-face with rising new threats around the globe.

Overwatch 2 is a joyful escape for millions of players worldwide. We always set out to create a futuristic world that is worth fighting for, where everyone feels seen and celebrated. This game is only worthy of that hopeful world if people can connect with our heroes and see themselves in the universe.   We want Pride to be that for our players. And just as important, we want that for ourselves. One thing we have heard from both players and Overwatch team members alike is that seeing themselves in the game over the years has helped them find the strength and courage to show the world who they are. We are a diverse development team and it's important to us that the universe we are creating–the world that we pour our passion and energy into–represents us, and represents a world that we want to be a part of. The work that we are putting in front of the world is an extension of ourselves.    A core tenet of Overwatch 2 is giving everyone a chance to play the way they want, by choosing between different roles, unique playstyles, and diverse heroes that best fit each person’s individuality. Outside of matches, we want people playing Overwatch 2 to have a way to proudly celebrate who they are. Cosmetics such as Player Icons and Name Cards are a means to represent that for those who want a reflection of themselves in our universe.    Beginning on June 1, everybody that logs into Overwatch 2 will receive an extensive collection of profile Player Icons and Name Cards celebrating the many diverse identities that make up the tapestry of this fantastic community.

Name Cards allow you to choose how you identify within the game, and you’ll notice specific ones dedicated to some of our LGBTQ+ heroes. You’ll find a lesbian card for Tracer, a gay card for Soldier: 76, a pansexual card for Lifeweaver, as well as a bisexual card for Baptiste and a lesbian card for Pharah. For years, players have speculated on the sexual orientations of Baptiste and Pharah, and we are thrilled to not only include them in these Pride cosmetics but to also publish a brand new short story focusing on their identities, each other, and themselves.

Pride’s emphasis on expressing everyone's true self is beautiful, and we want it to feel like it’s not only a celebration for our players but an event recognized within the Overwatch universe as well. In honor of what this event means to so many people–and for the original Stonewall riots that inspired this annual celebration–for the whole month of June, you’ll play on an updated Midtown map taking place shortly after a fantastic Pride parade. Watchpoint: Gibraltar will also see the addition of a new photo in the barracks of Tracer and her partner Emily (this is also included as a new spray that can be equipped for Tracer). We hope this provides some connection to these celebrations for any players who have always wanted to take part in real-world events but are unable to.

For those wondering “why now”: we love our characters and their lore, and in expanding the OW2 experience to include the upcoming PvE lore, we realized how much more we can do in exploring our character identities and relationships.  With our first Overwatch 2 Pride event, we knew that we wanted to celebrate the diversity that makes the world worth fighting for. This is just the beginning of Pride in Overwatch 2. Over the coming Seasons and years, we’ll have more to share as the deeper lore of the Overwatch universe unfolds.

Beyond what we are doing in-game, Pride is an opportunity for us to give back and support the LGBTQ+ community. We invite you to head to the Blizzard Gear Store to explore a range of Pride-themed apparel, curated by the Blizzard LGBT+ Employee Network, with Blizzard’s net proceeds* from the sales from May 16 through June 30, 2023 being donated to the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). NCTE’s mission statement speaks to the core of what we are striving to do in making a better world within the Overwatch universe: “The National Center for Transgender Equality advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice.” For more information about NCTE, please visit http://transequality.org/.

There is power in ensuring we all feel welcome not only in this game, but in the community that has rallied around it, and through that power we hope every person who ever logs in feels acceptance and comradery with Tracer, Soldier: 76, Baptiste, Pharah, Lifeweaver, and every other hero in unique and personal ways. The world is worth fighting for, and in the words of Lifeweaver, “our strengths mingle” so we are honored to fight alongside all of you.

Love,

The Overwatch Team

*Blizzard will donate the net proceeds that Blizzard receives from Blizzard’s e-commerce store operator.

To help realize these missions, the sequel also introduces significant engine upgrades that support larger maps for co-op (PvE) play, as well as the wide variety of new enemies and factions that players will encounter on their missions. The game also introduces visual enhancements designed to bring players’ favorite heroes—and their new looks for Overwatch 2—to life in greater detail.

Overwatch 2 also represents the beginning of a new era for the series’ world-renowned competitive 6v6 play. In addition to carrying forward all of the original game’s heroes, maps, and modes—as well as existing Overwatch players’ accomplishments and loot collections—the sequel adds multiple new playable heroes to the ever-growing roster; widens the scope of the world with even more maps and locations; and adds a new Push map type, in which two teams compete to make a robot (that happens to be pretty good at pushing things) push the map’s objective to their opponent’s side.

Overwatch 2 also renews Blizzard’s commitment to continue supporting the existing Overwatch community. Current Overwatch players will battle side-by-side with Overwatch 2 players in PvP multiplayer. In addition, current Overwatch players will be able to play Overwatch 2 heroes and maps, ensuring the core PvP experience remains dynamic and vital for today’s community in the Overwatch 2 era.

Overwatch 2 is available for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.