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.

The first anniversary of Overwatch 2 is here! Millions of players have already answered the call, and we’re celebrating with lots of fun rewards.  For three weeks, you’ll be able to play returning modes from past events throughout the year in the Arcade, along with the chance to earn Overwatch Credits, which can be spent on fan-favorite skins in a limited-time Anniversary Shop. Keep reading to find out more about everything coming in the Overwatch 2 Anniversary event!

Week 1 – Winter Wonderland and Battle for Olympus

During the first week of the event, stay frosty with the return of Winter Wonderland event game modes. Join in the ultimate snowball fight with Mei’s Snowball Offense, both in Elimination and Deathmatch versions. Try your hand at the epic 1v5 Yeti Hunt, or the challenging Flash Freeze elimination game modes.

If you prefer more godly challenges, Battle for Olympus also returns in Week 1 with both Free-For-All Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch game modes. Battle for Olympus features eight heroes who have been buffed with god-like ultimates to create a frenzied battle that will rock the heavens.

Week 2 – Assault, Catch-a-Mari, and Starwatch: Galactic Rescue

It’s a blast from the past! Classic Overwatch Assault maps are back to play in the Arcade.  Assault maps require teams to either capture or defend two static objective points. Often considered the most challenging to play because of intense and long team fights, you’ve got to have exceptional coordination and teamwork to win. Do you think you have what it takes to cap both points?

We’re also bringing back the chaotic fun of Catch-A-Mari, our elimination-confirm style game mode where you pick up the Pachimari toys dropped from defeated opponents to score points for your team and win. Plus, save the galaxy with the return of Starwatch: Galactic Rescue. In Starwatch, a team of Watchers (attackers) work to liberate 3CH-O (played by Echo) from the clutches of the Infinite Empire (defenders) in a four-objective point map.

Week 3 – Summer Games and Mischief & Magic

In the third and final week of the Anniversary event, break out the sunscreen and hit the beach with the comeback of your favorite Summer Games event modes, including fan favorites like Lúcioball, and Winston’s Beach Volleyball.

We’re also bringing back Mischief & Magic, the prop hunt style game mode, where Knight Genji chases down the mischievous Rogue Kiriko as she transforms and hides as everyday objects.

Earn Credits to redeem Returning Shop Skins

Earn up to 3,000 Overwatch Credits when you complete all of the challenges that appear throughout the event. Use them to purchase returning premium skins in the Anniversary Credit shop, including Space Raider Cassidy, Beekeeper Sigma, Hermes Lucio, and more! You’ll also be able to save your credits for new opportunities on other popular skins coming in later seasons.

Don’t delay—the Overwatch 2 Anniversary 2023 event is live now through October 9, and the Anniversary Shop will disappear on October 16.

Be on the lookout for new experiences to the future, including an all-new crossover event starting in Season 7 and lots of exciting news coming this BlizzCon. The adventure is just beginning, and you are not going to want to miss it!

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.