Overwatch 2 Teases First New Hero of 2026

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A recent video released with Overwatch 2 strongly hinted at a new hero, Anran, and leaked voice lines seem to confirm her arrival. Although Blizzard hasn’t officially announced future heroes, Anran is very likely to be one of them.

Since its release, Overwatch 2 has typically added three new characters each year. In 2025, those were Freja, Wuyang, and Vendetta, who recently became available in Season 20. While the new heroes for 2026 haven’t been revealed yet, players expect three more to be released throughout Seasons 22, 24, and 26.

Overwatch 2 Hero 46 Is Probably Anran Ye

Blizzard may have just hinted at the next hero coming to Overwatch 2. A new short story called “The Invitation,” narrated by Winston’s voice actor, Crispin Freeman, focuses on Winston sending invitations to potential Overwatch recruits, specifically Wuyang and Anran Ye from Wuxing University in China. Wuyang is already a playable support hero, but his sister, Anran, has only appeared in backstory and trailers. The new story features both characters in artwork, but fans noticed the camera spends more time on Anran, leading many to believe she’ll soon be a playable hero herself.

Shortly after, a leak seemed to confirm the rumors were true. Thanks to information from Portaloverwatch, OverFire found new voice lines for the character Echo in Overwatch 2. In both English (“Scorch the sky!”) and Chinese (“Flaming feathers scorch the sky!”), these lines were shared on Twitter. The fact that these lines have already been translated into several languages suggests that development on this content is well underway.

Gamers have received several hints about the new character, Anran, in Overwatch 2. Not only was she specifically asked to join the organization in the “Elemental Kin” cinematic trailer featuring Wuyang, but she also appeared in official artwork shared last Christmas – and she was the only character in the image not yet available to play.

Okay, so everyone’s buzzing about Anran possibly coming to Overwatch 2, but let’s be real – it doesn’t guarantee she’ll be here in Season 22, or even sometime in 2026. It’s totally possible someone read into things wrong, or maybe she won’t show up for a long time. But honestly, with all the clues popping up, I’d be more surprised if she didn’t end up as a playable hero soon. It’s looking pretty likely at this point!

What Other Heroes Might Come to Overwatch 2 in 2026?

Beyond the heroes already announced, several others have been hinted at recently. Emre Sarioglu, a former Overwatch agent, made a quick appearance in Freja’s trailer and comic. We’ve also seen Maximilien, a leader within Talon, featured prominently since late 2024. Plus, a recent discovery in Busan suggests that MEKA Squad, D.Va’s team, might be getting involved, potentially bringing one of her allies to Overwatch 2 as a playable hero.

Overwatch 2 players won’t have to wait long for updates. A recent blog post hinted at a busy early year for the game, suggesting major announcements are coming soon. Plus, there’s space for more content within the game’s Story section after the recent “The Invitation” release, meaning we can expect additional stories, videos, or comics to be added in the future.

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2026-01-15 05:04