Overwatch turns 10 years old in 2026, and Blizzard Entertainment is celebrating that major milestone accordingly. The studio is going big this year, with what effectively feels like a major expansion of Overwatch, dropping the “2” from the game’s title and adding 10 new heroes.
On Wednesday, during its Overwatch Spotlight showcase, Blizzard revealed what’s in store for Overwatch in 2026, and for the next decade. From new heroes, to a new overarching story told in and out of the game, to new Stadium item icons(!!!), and a batch of new cosmetics, Overwatch is getting some major updates this year as the game heads into its second decade.
Here are the biggest announcements from Blizzard’s Overwatch Spotlight, and what those changes mean for the game’s future.
A new cinematic kicks off a yearlong story: The Reign of Talon
Overwatch‘s newest character, Vendetta, takes her place at the top of the Talon organization by overthrowing Doomfist in a new animated short that kicks off a big narrative push from Blizzard called The Reign of Talon. Across in-game events, cinematics and hero trailers, short stories and comics, and map updates, Blizzard promises to tell a six-story arc that kicks off in February and will span six seasons.
In-game, players will battle in a new five-week faction war in which players align with either Overwatch or Talon in a global conflict. This meta event, called Conquest, will reward players with dozens of loot boxes and cosmetics, including one of two faction-themed Legendary Echo skins.
10 new Overwatch heroes, including 5 dropping at once
For the 10th year of Overwatch, 10 new heroes are joining the roster. That includes newcomers Domina (Tank), Anran (Damage), Emre (Damage), Jetpack Cat (Support), and Mizuki (Support), all of whom drop on Feb. 10. Five more heroes are planned for 2026, rolling out one per season.
To learn more about the five new heroes coming to Overwatch imminently, read our hands-on story that includes their in-game bios and ability kits and how the long-awaited Jetpack Cat finally came to be.
Also on the hero front: Vendetta is being added to Stadium mode in season 1 of Overwatch.
New Overwatch hero sub-roles and passive abilities
The Overwatch roster is currently divided into three roles: Tank, Damage, and Support. Those roles will soon be split further into sub-roles that better reflect each hero’s place among their peers and gives them sub-role-specific passive abilities.
For example, Tanks are now split into the sub-roles Bruiser, Initiator, and Stalwart. Bruisers (Mauga, Orisa, Roadhog, Zarya) receive reduced critical damage and gain movement when at critical health. Initiators (D.Va, Doomfist, Winston, Wrecking Ball) heal when they are airborne. Stalwarts (Domina, Hazard, Junker Queen, Ramattra, Reinhardt, Sigma) have reduced knockback and reduced slowness.
The addition of sub-roles will give Blizzard more flexibility in balancing and designing heroes, since role-specific passive abilities can be tweaked (or heroes assigned to other sub-roles) in future updates. Alongside Perks, Blizzard now has one more dial to adjust in pursuit of hero balance.
New cosmetics, including new Mythics
A huge number of new skins are coming to Overwatch this year, including a new Mythic hero skin for Mercy (yes, another one) with Soldier: 76, Ana, Illari, Mauga, and Genji on the docket. Plus, we’re getting a big Hello Kitty collab. Here’s everything else coming to Overwatch‘s battle pass, in-game shop, and through in-game events.
Loot boxes are being refreshed. All regular shop skins (meaning no third-party IP collabs) from the past six seasons of Overwatch are coming to loot boxes, letting players unlock many previously paid-only cosmetics. That includes Dokiwatch skins.
A big UI/UX refresh
Overwatch‘s user interface and menus are getting a big overhaul, which Blizzard describes as the largest redesign in franchise history. That includes a new 3D hero lobby, a new notification hub, faster navigation and reduced friction (meaning less time backing out of menus), and a revamped hero gallery.
Blizzard is also adding a Praise feature to the in-game communication wheel, which will let players activate new voice lines that offer compliments to their teammates.
Additionally, Overwatch‘s Stadium mode is getting a big icon overhaul, with more than 70 redesigned icons. Hopefully, that change will make it easier for players to identify which items, powers, and gadgets they’re purchasing when browsing the armory.
Finally, Stadium is also getting a new Hero Builder feature, which will offer “smart recommended builds based on global player data.” In other words, you might not need to rely on external sites like stadiumbuilds.io when you need to know which hero builds are popular or effective.
Overwatch is coming to Nintendo Switch 2
Overwatch is currently available on the original Nintendo Switch, but soon, Switch 2 players will get a native version of the game. Blizzard says that the Switch 2 version of Overwatch will arrive when season 2 launches sometime this spring.
