Overwatch 2: New Gameplay and third-person mode are highlights for 2025!

It's not news for anyone seeing Overwatch 2 suffer a drop in active players, getting to negative records on Steam and audience in the Esports scene. The Hero Shooter was not only harmed by repetitive events and broken expectations with PvE but also, more recently, by the explosive launch of Marvel Rivals, a direct competitor.

However, fortunately, Blizzard recognized the need for drastic changes to the game, which had been receiving criticism from the monetization system to the gameplay. Thus, Overwatch 2: Spotlight was born, an event where fans were informed of news and a “roadmap” for the year of 2025.

Hero Perks, the return of Loot Boxes and a new mode with 3rd person gameplay are just some of the many updates coming to the Hero Shooter. In this article, we will mention each of them, with the aim of informing you, as well as analyzing the possible impacts on the community. Check it out!

The perks are the main change to quality of life in traditional Overwatch gameplay. The idea is that your hero can level up during combat, and at each level two buffs will appear; choose one to receive the benefit.

At the first level you’ll receive two basic and subtle advantage options, but at the second level, the buffs will really be designed to change your playing style. Some examples of these advanced level 2 perks are the ability to place Torbjörn's turret on walls or ceilings, another case is Ana, where her Ultimate will not only benefit an ally but also yourself.

This mechanic will not only innovate Overwatch 2 matches, but also promises to make them more unique. Since you need to give up one advantage to choose another, you can change your playing style depending on the map or matchup. This change will come with season 15, on February 18th.

New rewards

A new reward system for Overwatch 2 ranked matches has been announced for the next update. The first highlight is Galactic Weapons, a new skin given to competitive players.

Other cosmetics given to fans are keychains/pendants that represent your last rank with that class. The example below illustrates a Damage player who has reached the Grandmaster rank.

In addition, we’ll have the return of the rank icons, which accompany your profile.

All the additions were excellent, a large part of the community always criticized the removal of Player Portraits, so their return together with the innovative cosmetics are a good step forward to encourage consistency in ranked mode!

Rank reset and new 6v6 queue

With all these new features, nothing more fair than a “Reset” in the Hero Shooter’s ranked queues. From what the announcement indicates, the idea is to make fans feel the excitement of climbing the competitive ladder again, instead of just staying in the same rank.

Alongside this, a new ranked queue will appear: 6v6! Blizzard highlighted that they analyzed all the feedback received in testing this format so far, and that they intend to carry out more tests little by little. A competitive 6v6 queue is a big step towards the return of a mode so requested by fans, it’s a sign of care for the community which we’re excited to see.

Hero Bans and Map Voting

Despite not being scheduled for Season 15, like the other systems already mentioned, the hero ban and map voting are scheduled for mid-2025 and will be exclusive to competitive modes.

It’s a fact that these have been necessary and requested mechanics for years, and that Overwatch 2 delayed them, especially when compared to its competitors, such as Marvel Rivals, which already launched with a ban system. But “better late than never”, it’s clear that this is an improvement to the game and will do good for the community.

In Season 15, on February 18, Blizzard will resume using item boxes to remove cosmetics. I know how controversial and criticized they are by many, but I see this situation as being different in Overwatch 2, we were even able to make an analogy with League of Legends.

Riot Games' MOBA worked for almost a decade with Hextech Chests, a system which provided free skins to all players, and now the company is suffering several reprisals on social media for deciding to remove the mechanic.

Personally, I see Loot Boxes in Overwatch 2 having the same role as Chests in League of Legends, of providing free rewards to the community.

Of course, there will be paid ways to open even more boxes, such as premium battle passes, but Blizzard has ensured that there will be several possibilities to receive them, many of them will be accessible as in weekly events, for example, in addition to a Legendary Loot Box in the free battle pass, being a way for free-to-play users to acquire cosmetics.

Up until then, it was always very difficult for anyone who didn't invest money in the game to get a skin, as they depended on a specific event or completing several battle passes.

How will Loot Boxes work in Overwatch 2?

Not many details have been provided yet, but we know that we’ll guarantee a Rare or superior item in each box, as well as an Epic item for every five consecutive boxes and a Legendary item for every twenty consecutive boxes. We were also provided with all the chances below:

Seasonal events such as Lunar New Year and Halloween will still show up in Overwatch, with exclusive modes. In addition to Overwatch Classic - GOATS, unlike the first version, this one aims to portray one of the most memorable moments in the Hero Shooter meta.

Honestly, Overwatch Classic wasn't as glorious a mode as expected, and many of the events feature gameplay that's been the same for years. Let's hope it will be different in 2025; otherwise it will be a reason for unpleasant comments in social media.

We were introduced to the two new 2025 heroes in Overwatch, one in Season 16 and one in the 18th.

The first will be Freja, a bounty hunter possibly from the Damage class. She has an explosive crossbow in her hands and will require, apparently, immense skill to move and perform quick combos!

Some of her skills are:

Bola Shot: Tie them up and drag other unlucky enemies, creating the perfect play for a group kill.

The character has everything to become extremely popular in any type of match. The developer has done many things right in recent releases, continuing to create this robust cast with great gameplay and personality is essential to keep the player base active!

Freja will have a testing period at the end of Season 15, similar to what happened with Hazard. But remember that her official launch will take place on the 16th.

Another hero mentioned in the broadcast was codenamed Aqua, we clearly don't have as much information about him as his launch is something more distant. But he’s a Chinese character who has water manipulation skills.

Stadium: Overwatch 2's new third-person mode

Certainly the biggest mode ever created since the launch of Hero Shooter, bringing a new experience upon entering Overwatch. One of the biggest points of attention from the press and content creators of the game are the modes that don't innovate and have been repeated for years, but I'm excited to announce that Stadium is coming!

Basically, Stadium is an arena where two teams of 5 players face each other in a match through quick rounds, to a best of seven. At the end of each one, you’ll receive an amount of coins based on your team's performance. With this, you’ll buy modifiers to increase your damage, defense or acquire new skills which will change the course of the game, such as one that gives Reaper the ability to fly.

This mode doesn’t reward those who only know how to shoot, but rather those who also know how to think and build an effective strategy with the mods. You can also choose between a first-person or third-person view to further alter your Overwatch experience.

Cosmetics

Season 15 Mythical Skins

Some of the mythical skins for 2025 have already been released, the first of which is Zenyatta Pixiu, based on the Golden Dragon Pixiu, a great protector and a symbol of safety and good luck in China. The look portrays this air of divinity well.

Ad

One of the most popular heroines couldn't be left out either, Widowmaker will have a new weapon cosmetic in the next update.

Season 16 Mythical Skins

On this occasion, the costumes will focus on the DokiWatch theme, where you can get a mythical Juno skin, as well as a weapon for Mercy.

Season 17 Mythical Skins

A skin has finally been designed for D.Va, one of the heroines who received the most requests to obtain a mythical look. The costume is inspired by the Siberian Tiger, a national animal of South Korea, the character's country of origin.

Finally, a new weapon look for Reaper was mentioned, but without many details.

Le Sserafim Group returns to Overwatch 2

After a successful campaign involving these two worlds two years ago, the K-Pop group Le Sserafim announced, in a video, the return of the collaboration with Blizzard's Hero Shooter, bringing more cosmetics and game modes in Season 15.

The first partnership between them was already responsible for bringing several of the game's best collab skins, let's hope they manage to maintain, or even increase, the quality!

Esports

Some new implementations in esports will bring more quality and entertainment to expand the Overwatch Champions Series audience in 2025. The first is to increase the number of stages with live events from two to three, they promise to double the number of broadcasts compared to last year.

The creation of a new league, called Faceit, is also on the way and will be fully connected to the OWCS. The intention is to be a division below the main championship, increasing the chances of players reaching the competitive level. The top-placed teams from the Faceit League Masters will compete with the bottom two from the OWCS for places in the elite competition.

I have always highlighted the importance of relegations and promotions in Esports leagues, which bring greater competitiveness to players, as well as excitement and entertainment for fans. It will definitely generate more views and is a great change to the Overwatch scene.

Ad

Overwatch returns to China

It’s impossible to mention the Esports scene without mentioning China, one of the largest countries in terms of audience for esports competitions. And Overwatch servers are returning there after two years.

New Maps

At the end of the announcements, we were informed of one last new feature, a redesign of the original Flashpoint mode maps: Suravasa and New Junk City.

New scenarios will also appear in the game, such as Atlantic Arcology and another one based in Tokyo. However, these changes are only expected after Season 19.

Conclusion

We received a flood of content on this day, of course, not all of it will come now, but I am immensely happy to see the company's dedication to innovating and listening to the community.

I hope that 2025 will be the year of glory for Overwatch 2, a charming game that deserves love to keep the huge community active for many more years. Unlike other occasions when we are introduced to the same modes and events, this year the news really is innovative and deserves our attention.

After a melancholic end to the year with negative records on Steam while Marvel Rivals attracted hundreds of thousands of players on the same platform, Blizzard finally seems to be innovating in Overwatch 2, bringing anticipation and excitement to the community at an intensity that I haven't seen in a long time.

I'm available in the comments to answer any questions or suggestions.