Overwatch 2 is Cooking Up Something Big for 2026

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Blizzard has announced that big news is on the way for Overwatch 2 in the coming months. They’ve stated their content plan is full for the beginning of the year, and clues like polls, hints from developers, and empty spaces for lore videos within the game suggest a major update is coming to the game’s world of Future Earth soon.

2025 was a fantastic year for Overwatch 2. Despite a difficult beginning marked by issues at Blizzard and reduced promises for the game’s PvE mode, Overwatch 2 really succeeded last year with the introduction of popular and impactful features like Perks, the Stadium map, Map Voting, and Hero Bans.

Overwatch 2 Blog Calendar ‘Booked’ Through Spring

As a big Overwatch 2 fan, I’m excited about the mid-Season 20 update that started things off for the new year! It feels like 2026 is going to be a great year for the game. Blizzard just posted a new Weekly Recall on January 9th, and it includes a poll asking us what we want to see them talk about in future blog posts. They haven’t said when the poll closes, so if you play Overwatch 2, definitely go vote and let them know what topics you’re most interested in learning more about this year!

  • Hero data (Bans, Picks, Wins, Losses, favorite ice cream flavors)
  • Map voting data
  • Hero design processes (like the Vendetta deep dive)
  • Art design processes (Mythic creation, VFX, emotes, etc.)
  • Map design processes
  • Narrative processes
  • Systems design/engineering processes (like the matchmaking blog)
  • Other design processes (like UI/UX, Sound, or data analysis)
  • Competitive systems deep dives (Leaderboards, rank resets, grouping rules)
  • Lore-based blogs (like recaps for those new to Overwatch)
  • Esports and tournament insights (Overwatch World Cup prep, pro player spotlights)
  • Community spotlight series (like fanart showcases)
  • Fun/seasonal thematic blogs (holiday mode variants, goofy dev anecdotes)
  • Other
Image via Blizzard

This blog post also included a hint that might be even more exciting than the poll itself. Towards the end, the Overwatch 2 team mentioned that the topics covered in the poll probably won’t be featured in their Weekly Recall posts until spring, playfully noting their schedule is full for the beginning of the year. While it doesn’t give away specific details, it does confirm a lot of announcements are planned and will be coming soon.

What Does Overwatch 2 Have Planned For 2026?

Image via Blizzard

While much of the 2026 content for Overwatch 2 is still unknown, some details have been revealed. Two new maps—Atlantic Arcology and Tokyo—are confirmed for the main Overwatch 2 game, and more may be added later. Several existing maps will also be updated, starting with Antarctic Peninsula in Season 22. Players can likely expect a new playable hero in Seasons 22, 24, and 26, plus more characters added to the Stadium game mode throughout the year.

Our editorial calendar is booked for the start of the year (cue the eyes emojis).

Recently, Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller has suggested significant changes are coming to the game. In a December livestream, Keller admitted the team held back on fully realizing the potential of Perks – a major addition from last year – because they worried about player reaction. However, he stated that for 2026, they plan to be more ambitious and won’t hesitate to make bolder changes. This promise has created high expectations for what’s next in Overwatch 2.

Overwatch 2 is also putting more emphasis on its overall story. The recent addition of the in-game ‘Story’ feature, which gathers all the cinematics, comics, and lore videos, suggests that major story developments are coming. Season 20’s ‘Vendetta’ looks to be a key part of this, and the addition of five new, currently empty, sections within the ‘Story’ feature hints at the plans the game’s leadership has been hinting at.

Fans won’t have to wait long to learn more. Overwatch 2 Season 21 begins on February 10th, so we’ll likely hear some big announcements in the coming month – possibly through another Overwatch 2 Spotlight broadcast, similar to the one last year. Keep an eye out for updates in the next few weeks!

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2026-01-12 23:34