Overwatch 2’s Most Banned Heroes: Shocking Stats Revealed!

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Summary

  • Sombra is the most banned hero on PC and console in Overwatch 2.
  • Freja has a high ban rate on PC at almost 40%.
  • Hero bans in Overwatch 2 have added depth to gameplay and affected player strategies.

In a recent disclosure, it’s been unveiled that Overwatch 2 has showcased the most frequently banned characters since the feature was implemented. This data, sourced from Blizzard, sheds light on the prevalence of hero bans across various Overwatch 2 servers, tiers, and gaming platforms.

The sixteenth season of Overwatch 2 kicked off on April 22nd, introducing new elements to the popular hero shooter game. One major inclusion was the introduction of hero bans in Overwatch 2’s competitive mode, responding to feedback from players over a long period. In this update, players can select their preferred character first, indicating their desired hero for play. Subsequently, each player chooses three heroes to prohibit, and the system tallies the votes to determine the four characters that will be unavailable during the game. Approximately a month after the start of Season 16, Blizzard shared insights on the impact of hero bans in Overwatch 2.

In the release of Overwatch 2, the ban rates for various characters on multiple platforms and servers have been disclosed. Across all PC player ranks, Sombra was banned an astonishing 85% of the time, solidifying her reputation as one of the most despised characters in the eyes of the Overwatch 2 community. Despite being frequently praised for her strength, Zarya still has a 59% ban rate. In contrast, Ana, a highly esteemed support character, was banned less than 20% of the time. Among console players across all ranks, Sombra and Zarya were the most banned heroes in their respective roles, with rates of 93% and 57%, respectively. Mercy, among the support characters, had the highest ban rate at 20%.

Overwatch 2 Reveals the Most Banned Heroes of Season 16

  • Top 3 banned heroes on PC (across all ranks)
    • DPS: Sombra, Freja, Pharah
    • Tank: Zarya, Doomfist, Wrecking Ball
    • Support: Ana, Mercy, Moira
  • Top 3 banned heroes on console (across all ranks)
    • DPS: Sombra, Symmetra, Widowmaker
    • Tank: Zarya, Wrecking Ball, D.Va
    • Support: Mercy, Moira, Ana
  • Freja ban rate
    • On PC – 40%
    • On console – under 10%
  • Top 3 heroes banned by Server (rank Masters+)
    • Korea
      • DPS: Freja, Sombra, Pharah
      • Tank: D.Va, Zarya, Doomfist
      • Support: Ana, Zenyatta, Brigitte
    • Europa
      • DPS: Freja, Pharah, Sombra
      • Tank: D.Va, Wrecking Ball, Zarya
      • Support: Ana, Mercy, Zenyatta
    • Americas
      • DPS: Freja, Widowmaker, Pharah
      • Tank: D.Va, Zarya, Wrecking Ball
      • Support: Ana, Mercy, Zenyatta

The article further reveals that Freja, the latest character introduced in Overwatch 2, has a ban rate of nearly 40% among PC gamers, compared to less than 10% amongst console players. Interestingly, Blizzard disclosed regional ban rates as well, indicating that Freja, D.Va, and Ana are consistently among the most banned heroes in America, Europe, and Korea at Master rank and above. It’s worth noting that Sombra consistently ranks within the top five most banned Damage dealers on all three servers, whereas Mercy falls outside the top three most frequently banned supports in Korea.

Introducing hero bans has introduced an extra dimension to Blizzard’s shooter game, Overwatch 2. This change has prompted players to devise fresh strategies and adapt to playing without their preferred characters. As Season 16 unfolds, the gaming community eagerly anticipates discovering which heroes will see the highest ban rates and how players will utilize this feature in future seasons.

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2025-05-24 06:37