Overwatch 2 drops ‘2’ as year-long narrative arc begins with 10 new heroes; coming to Switch 2 this spring

Okay, so Blizzard is basically ditching the ‘2’ from Overwatch 2 and just calling it Overwatch again. They’re saying it’s a big shift with a whole year of story content planned, and they’re adding a whopping ten new heroes! Season 1 kicks off February 10th, and five of those new heroes will be available to play right away. Plus, they’re even working on a version for the new Switch 2 console, which should be out this spring. It sounds like a fresh start for the game!

Blizzard Entertainment announced that Overwatch isn’t just a game, but a constantly evolving world that connects players globally. They stated that this year represents a major shift in the game’s direction, and as a result, they are abandoning the ‘2’ and simply continuing with Overwatch.

Here is a summary of the announcements:

The future of Overwatch looks promising! Overwatch Spotlight 2026 kicks off a new era for the game with “The Reign of Talon,” a big, year-long story. Starting February 10th, players will experience a growing storyline filled with new heroes, fun in-game events, and ongoing updates that will change the game throughout the year.

What to Expect in the Reign of Talon

10 New Heroes in 2026, with Five Launching on February 10 – Dive into combat with the highly anticipated debut of five new heroes, including Talon-aligned Domina, Emre, and Mizuki, alongside Overwatch-aligned powerhouses Anran (Hero Trial: February 5 to 10) and Jetpack Cat. An additional Hero will launch each Season (2 to 6), bringing innovative abilities and captivating gameplay to shake up every fight, with each driving the ongoing narrative forward.
Ongoing Story Evolution – Follow Talon’s global supremacy unfold in Season 1 through in-game events, hero trailers, animated comics, short stories, and map updates. Experience live storytelling in real-time, as a yearlong narrative arc begins to unfold starting now!
Meta Event: Conquest – A faction war like no other! Align with Overwatch or Talon across five weeks to fight for rewards, including 66 lootboxes, Legendary Echo skins, faction-themed titles, and more.
User Interface and User Experience Overhaul – Players will see a major interface redesign featuring modernized menus, faster navigation, and an all-new 3D hero lobby—crafted to ensure an epic user experience.
Hello Kitty and Friends Collaboration (Feb 10-23) – The Overwatch x Hello Kitty and Friends collaboration brings a whole lot of adorable to the game. The crossover pairs Overwatch Heroes with iconic Hello Kitty and Friends characters like Hello Kitty, Kuromi, and Cinnamoroll, because nothing says friendship like jumping into action alongside your favorite team.
Dropping the “2” – Overwatch is more than just a digit: it’s a living universe that keeps growing, keeps surprising, and keeps bringing players together from around the world. This year marks a huge turning point in how the development team envisions the future of Overwatch, so we are officially dropping the “2” and moving forward as “Overwatch.”

And here is a full overview:

Launch Details

Season 1 Launch – February 10, 2026
Hero Trial (Anran) – February 5 to 10, 2026
Year-Long Storyline -“The Reign of Talon”

I. Overview

Overwatch Spotlight 2026 kicks off a new, story-focused chapter for Overwatch. Throughout the year, a continuous narrative called ‘The Reign of Talon’ will unfold across Seasons 1 through 6. This is the first time Overwatch will have a fully connected storyline lasting a whole year, with everything – from the game’s world-building and events to new heroes and visual style – revolving around the growing power of Talon.

The first season launches on February 10th with a record-breaking five new playable characters. Over the course of 2026, a total of ten new heroes will be added to the game.

II. Narrative: The Reign of Talon

Talon is gaining power worldwide thanks to its ‘Vendetta’ plan, and Overwatch is having trouble stopping them. The story will unfold for players as events happen, revealed through:

In‑game events
Cinematics and Hero Trailers
Short stories and comics
Live map and visual updates
New voice lines and character interactions
A fully integrated Narrative Viewer

The story will conclude in Season 6, with the next story arc beginning in Season 1 in 2027.

III. Season 1 Heroes (Five Launch Heroes)

Domina: Tank (Talon‑Aligned) – Heiress and vice president of Vishkar Industries. An elegant battlefield controller with long‑range precision and defensive zone control.
- Photon Magnum (Primary Fire) – Medium-range beam that culminates in a high impact shot.
- Barrier Array – A segmented hard‑light barrier deployed in front of Domina. Each segment must be individually destroyed, creating dynamic defensive angles.
- Crystal Charge – Project an explosive crystal and reactivate to denotate it.
- Sonic Repulsors – Push enemies back, stunning them if they hit a wall.
- Ultimate: Panopticon – Fire a hard-light projectile that imprisons enemies and detonates on expiration.
- Passive: Reconstruction – Dealing damage with abilities restores shields.
Emre: Damage (Talon‑Aligned) – Once a model Overwatch agent, now aligned with Talon. A fast‑paced, mobile soldier archetype with conflicting identity due to cybernetic modification.
- Synthetic Burst Rifle (Primary Fire) – Three-round burst weapon.
- Take Aim (Secondary Fire) – Hold to zoom in, tightening accuracy and increasing fall off range.
- Siphon Blaster – Temporarily wield a semi-automatic pistol with life stealing explosive rounds. Move faster and jump higher while wielded.
- Cyber Frag – Throw a grenade that detonates shortly after bouncing.
- Ultimate: Override Protocol – An override initiates, transforming you into a living weapon. Fires rapid explosive blasts or charged mega‑shots capable of wiping teams.
- Passive: Altered Vitals – Passive health regeneration activates sooner and instantly restores 30 health when activated.
Mizuki: Support (Talon‑Aligned) – Member of the Hashimoto clan, allies of Talon.
- Spirit Glaive (Primary Fire) – Throw a spinning blade that can bounce off walls, impacts enemies and deals damage.
- Healing Kasa – Throw your hat to heal an ally, bouncing to nearby allies and healing you when it returns.
- Katashiro Return – Leap forward, leaving behind a paper doll. Reactivate to return and gain increased movement speed while active.
- Binding Chain – Launch a tethering chain that hinders the first enemy hit.
- Ultimate: Kekkai Sanctuary – Create a sanctuary that heals allies and absorbs enemy projectiles from outside the area.
- Passive: Remedy Aura – Heals nearby allies. Healing scales with resource generated by dealing damage and healing.
Anran: Damage (Overwatch-Aligned) – A high‑mobility assassin who manipulates fire. Hero Trial runs February 5 to 10!
- Zhuque Fans (Primary Fire) – Hand fans that shoot fiery projectiles.
- Fan the Flames (Secondary Fire) – Hot wind blast that amplifies burning damage.
- Inferno Rush – Propel yourself forward and damage enemies you impact.
- Dancing Blaze – Strike nearby enemies while dodging all damage.
- Ultimate: Vermillion Ascent (Alive) – Charge forward, exploding on impact and instantly igniting enemies.
- Ultimate: Vermillion Revival (Dead) – When dead, revive yourself in a fiery explosion.
- Passive: Ignition – Hit enemies with fire attacks to burn them.
Jetpack Cat: Support (Overwatch-Aligned) – A long‑teased hero delivering airborne ally‑transport utility.
- Biotic Pawjectiles (Primary Fire) – Mid‑range projectile spread that heals allies and damages enemies.
- Lifeline – Toggle into transport mode, allowing an ally to be towed. Increases movement speed and heals your ally.
- Frenetic Flight – Accelerate in your movement direction. Fuel recovery is slower while carrying another player.
- Purr – Pulsing area heal that increases in frequency over time. Knockback nearby enemies when activated.
- Ultimate: Catnapper – Dive towards a ground location, knocking down enemies and tethering the nearest one to you.
- Passive: Jetpack – Permanent flight.

IV. Role Sub‑Roles and Passives

Tank
- Bruiser – Reduces critical damage received. While at critical health, gain movement speed.
  - Mauga / Orisa / Roadhog / Zarya
- Initiator – Staying airborne lightly heals you.
  - D.Va / Doomfist / Winston / Wrecking Ball
- Stalwart – Reduces knockbacks and slows received.
  - Domina / Hazard / Junker Queen / Ramattra / Reinhardt / Sigma
Damage
- Sharpshooter – Critical hits reduce your movement ability cooldowns.
  - Ashe / Cassidy / Hanzo / Sojourn / Widowmaker
- Flanker – Health packs restore more health.
  - Anran / Genji / Reaper / Tracer / Vendetta / Venture
- Specialist – Eliminating an enemy briefly increases your reload speed.
  - Bastion / Emre / Junkrat / Mei / Soldier: 76 / Symmetra / Torbjorn
- Recon – You detect enemies below half health through walls after damaging them.
  - Echo / Freja / Pharah / Sombra
Support
- Tactician – You can gain excess ultimate charge which carries over after using your ultimate ability.
  - Ana / Baptiste / Jetpack Cat / Lucio / Zenyatta
- Medic – Healing allies with your weapon also heals you.
  - Kiriko / Lifeweaver / Mercy / Moira
- Survivor – Using a movement ability activates passive health regeneration.
  - Brigitte / Illari / Juno / Mizuki / Wuyang

V. Meta Event: Conquest

A five‑week faction war where each week players align with Overwatch or Talon.

Rewards include:

75 Base Lootboxes
12 Epic Lootboxes
Seven Legendary Lootboxes
Nine new Voice Lines
31 2D Cosmetics
Two Weapon Charms
One of two faction-themed Legendary Echo skins
Exclusive new Rare, Epic and Legendary titles (and a secret hidden one!)

VI. Competitive System Updates

Season 1:

Crimson Wolf competitive weapon skin
Diamond+ Doomfist competitive skin
Rarity‑based Competitive titles (Coming in Season 2)
Challenger Tier integration with FaceIt tournament invites

VII. User Interface / User Experience Refresh

A full interface overhaul—the largest menu redesign in franchise history:

New 3D hero lobby (Season 1), expanding to full party in Season 4
New Notification Hub
Faster navigation and reduced friction
Revamped hero gallery, social panel, global navigation

VIII. Stadium

Significant updates include:

Armory icon overhaul (70 redesigned icons)
Hero Builder: Smart recommended builds based on global player data
- Round‑based build suggestions, including counter‑builds
Vendetta joins the lineup!

IX. Cosmetics and Mythics

2026 includes:

New faction‑themed skins
Rainy Day and Valentine’s collections
Lootbox refresh (adds last six seasons of regular shop skins)
Season 1 Mythics:
- Season Launch – Mercy: Celestial Guardian, Juno: Star Shooter
- Mid‑Season – Mei’s first Mythic

X. Hello Kitty & Friends Collaboration

From February 10 to 23:

Juno – Hello Kitty
Kiriko – Cinnamoroll
Mercy – Pompompurin
D.Va – My Melody
Widowmaker – Kuromi
Lucio – Keroppi

XI. Esports

OWCS season begins with Seoul Bootcamp; ends with World Finals in China
Overwatch World Cup returns at BlizzCon
Overwatch Esports Lootboxes

XII. Future Updates

These are just some of the updates coming to Overwatch over the next few seasons!

Overwatch releases on Nintendo Switch 2 in Season 2
Two New Core Maps
One New Hero Every Season (Season 2 to 6)
Post-Match Accolades
Hero Reworks
Some Mythic Skins
- Mythic Hero Skins – Soldier: 76, Ana, Illari, Mauga, and Genji
- Mythic Weapon Skins – Genji, Hanzo, and Sojourn

You can now play Overwatch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC – either through Steam or Battle.net.

Watch a new set of videos below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.