Overwatch (short for OW) is a video game series with other media created by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game was released in 2016. A new version called Overwatch 2 came out in 2022, and the original game was taken offline at that time. However, Blizzard changed the name back to Overwatch in 2026. In the game, two teams of players fight using different characters to complete goals, and there are other types of gameplay modes.

The first Overwatch game did not have a story mode. Instead, Blizzard shared the game’s background through comics, books, and short films. The game was well-received by critics and players, and many fans created content such as art, costumes, stories, music videos, internet jokes, and other media.

Blizzard helped create competitive play for the game, including an annual international tournament called the Overwatch World Cup, a professional league named Overwatch League, and a competition series inspired by traditional sports leagues called the Overwatch Champions Series.

Gameplay

The Overwatch series includes team-based hero shooter games. Players choose a hero from a large list (50 by 2026), divided into three classes: Tanks, who have more health and protect teammates but are larger and easier to hit; Damage, who attack enemies; and Support, who heal teammates or weaken opponents. During a match, players can switch heroes in their spawn room based on team strategies. In Overwatch 2, each team has one Tank, two Damage, and two Support players, unlike the previous game, which had two of each class. Players pick a class before a match and can only choose heroes from that class during the game. Some game modes allow players to use any class throughout the match.

Each hero has abilities: a primary attack, skills that need time to recharge, skills that are always active, and a special Ultimate ability that can be used once the Ultimate meter fills. This meter fills by damaging enemies, blocking attacks, healing teammates, or over time.

In 2025, each hero received four unique abilities called perks. Each hero has two small perks and two large perks. Small perks make minor changes, while large perks have bigger effects. At the start of a match, all heroes are level 1. As the match continues, players can level up their heroes. Small perks unlock at level 2, and large perks unlock at level 3. Players can only choose one of each perk type, and once selected, the perk stays with the hero for the rest of the match. If a player switches heroes mid-match, the previous hero keeps their level and perks.

Overwatch games are divided into standard matches, competitive play, and arcade modes. Standard matches pair players based on skill level. Competitive play matches are stricter, using a ranking system that changes based on wins or losses. Arcade modes do not use rankings and often test new ideas.

Standard and competitive matches randomly select game types that focus on objectives. These include:

• Assault: Attackers must capture two points in order, while defenders stop them. This mode is no longer in main gameplay but is available in arcade and custom modes.
• Escort: Attackers move a payload to a target before time runs out, while defenders stop them. The payload moves faster with more attackers and slows if defenders are nearby.
• Hybrid (Assault/Escort): Attackers capture a payload and then escort it to a destination, while defenders block them.
• Control: Teams compete to capture a control point until they reach 100% ownership. This is a best-of-three match on symmetric maps.
• Push (introduced in Overwatch 2): Teams push a robot to move a barrier across the map. The team that pushes the barrier farthest wins.
• Flashpoint (introduced in Overwatch 2): Teams capture control points on large maps. The first team to secure three points wins.
• Clash (introduced in Overwatch 2): Teams compete on symmetric maps with five control points. The team that captures the point closest to the opponent’s base wins.

Arcade modes may include variations of these games, as well as experimental rules or modes like:

• Elimination: Teams compete in rounds, trying to eliminate the other team. Players can be revived by certain abilities. Some rounds use "lockout" rules, where winning heroes cannot be chosen again.
• Total Mayhem: A chaotic mode where all heroes have double health and skills recharge faster.
• Mystery Heroes: Players are randomly assigned heroes that change after each death.
• Stadium (introduced in Overwatch 2): Played in a best-of-seven or best-of-five format. Players earn in-game currency to upgrade heroes between rounds. Modes include Control, Push, and Clash. A recent update added a "Payload Race" mode.

Premise

Overwatch is set sixty years into the future of a fictional Earth, thirty years after the Omnic Crisis ended, and six years after the Petras Act was signed.

Omnics are artificial intelligence (AI) robots created to help humans with manufacturing and economic equality. During this time, humans and omnics worked together, and society became more stable.

The Omnic Crisis began when large factories called "omniums" started producing hostile omnics, including dangerous units called bastion units. These hostile omnics attacked humans, starting in Russia. At first, individual countries tried to solve the crisis on their own. The United States created the secret Soldier Enhancement Program, which changed soldiers into mercenaries. Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes were two important people tested in this program. Germany used the Crusaders, a group of heavily armored soldiers inspired by knights who used weapons like hammers. The Crusaders were led by Balderich von Adler, who later passed leadership to Reinhardt Willhelm after a battle in Eichenwalde.

Meanwhile, scientists on the Horizon Lunar Colony, a moon-based research station, tested genetically modified animals for space living. One of these animals was an ape named Winston. Other apes on the colony rebelled and killed the scientists. Winston built a rocket and escaped to Earth.

Russia tried to handle the omnic threat alone, but no single country could stop the crisis. The United Nations (UN) then formed Overwatch, a team led by Reyes and Morrison. Reyes became Overwatch's Strike Commander, leading a group that included Morrison, Reinhardt Willhelm, Egyptian sniper Ana Amari, Swedish engineer Torbjörn Lindholm, and Singaporean scientist Dr. Mina Liao. Within a few years, the Omnic Crisis ended, and Overwatch became a peacekeeping force.

After the crisis, a peaceful era called the "Overwatch Generation" began. However, conflicts between humans and omnics later occurred in Korea and Australia. Meanwhile, the Indian-based Vishkar Corporation developed a technology that allowed users to create objects from light. Vishkar used this technology in Rio de Janeiro, but later mistreated the local population. A group of omnics called the Shambali also emerged. Led by Tekhartha Mondatta, they believed omnics had souls and wanted to improve human-omnic relations.

A disagreement grew between Morrison and Reyes after Morrison became Strike Commander. Reyes left Overwatch and joined Blackwatch, a secret unit. American hunter Cole Cassidy, Irish scientist Moira O'Deorain, and Japanese cyborg Genji Shimada became members of Blackwatch. Genji was part of the Shimada Clan, but after a conflict with his brother Hanzo, he was nearly killed. Overwatch doctor Angela Ziegler saved his life by turning him into a cyborg.

A terrorist group called Null Sector formed in London. After the Omnic Crisis, omnics in England were denied rights and forced to live in the Underworld, a hidden city beneath London. Null Sector attacked King's Row, and Morrison ignored orders from the British Prime Minister to deploy Overwatch agents Wilhelm, Lindholm, Ziegler, and Lena Oxton. The mission was successful in stopping Null Sector.

Blackwatch was later used to fight Talon, a terrorist group. During a mission in Italy, Reyes killed Talon's leader, exposing Blackwatch to the public. This caused distrust in the organization. The UN investigated Blackwatch after the incident, and tensions between Morrison and Reyes worsened. A fight between them at Overwatch's headquarters in Switzerland ended in an explosion, and both were presumed dead.

After these events, the UN signed the Petras Act, which banned Overwatch from operating. Overwatch disbanded as a result.

Morrison survived and became a vigilante known as Soldier: 76. Reyes was temporarily made invisible by Moira O'Deorain and joined Talon under the name Reaper.

Six years after the Petras Act, a new Omnic Crisis began in Russia. Winston, who had been living at Watchpoint, a former Overwatch base in Gibraltar, tracked the situation. Reaper attacked Winston at Watchpoint, prompting Winston to call former Overwatch agents back into action. The first to respond was Lena Oxton, known as Tracer, followed by Genji, Reinhardt, Torbjörn, Cole Cassidy, and Angela Ziegler, known as Mercy.

After the recall, Reaper and Talon sniper Amélie Lacroix (Widowmaker) tried to steal a weapon from Talon's leader, Akande Ogundimu. Winston and Tracer stopped them. Later, Widowmaker killed Mondatta during a speech in London.

Following Mondatta's death, his daughter Marzia Bartalotti was supposed to lead Talon but was replaced by Doomfist. Disappointed, Marzia secretly trained as a swordmaster in coliseum battles and became known as Vendetta. Ten years later, she challenged Doomfist in a Talon meeting, defeated him, and took control. Under Vendetta's leadership, Talon launched attacks on Overwatch bases as revenge for her father's death.

Development

Before the original game was announced, Blizzard had wanted to create a team-based multiplayer shooter for some time. Overwatch began as part of a canceled project called Titan, which Blizzard worked on until 2013. Ideas from Titan were used to develop Overwatch, which was officially announced at BlizzCon in November 2014. Overwatch was Blizzard’s first new game series since launching Diablo in 1996 and their first attempt at making a first-person shooter (FPS) game. After the announcement, a website called Polygon noted that the game appeared to have Blizzard’s typical bold and slightly cartoonish look. A beta version of the game was released in 2015.

Jeff Kaplan, Michael Chu, and Scott Mercer were the game’s lead director, lead writer, and principal game designer, respectively. In 2018, Blizzard added Alyssa Wong to the game’s writing team. Kaplan left Blizzard in April 2021, and Aaron Keller took over as lead director after that.

After Overwatch was released, Blizzard continued to update the game for free, adding new characters, maps, game modes, and cosmetic items, often as part of seasonal events. The abilities of individual heroes were adjusted based on player feedback and game statistics. Kaplan believed that the balance of the game should reflect how players perceived it, stating that if the community felt the game was unfair, it actually was, and vice versa. This approach continued until 2019, when Blizzard announced Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon, introducing a sequel with a new story-based PvE game mode that explored a new Omnic Crisis and other PvE modes focused on leveling characters.

As development for Overwatch 2 continued, the release of new content for the original Overwatch slowed. Overwatch 2 was finally released in August 2023, but faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Blizzard could not fully deliver on the promise of a complete PvE story mode, shifting focus back to PvP gameplay. This decision was controversial, with many people questioning the need for a sequel. After its release, Overwatch 2 continued the cycle of adding new heroes, maps, and game modes. In February 2026, as part of a new story and seasonal approach, Blizzard rebranded Overwatch 2 as simply Overwatch.

Games

The original Overwatch game was released by Blizzard on May 24, 2016, for PC platforms and eighth-generation consoles, including PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A version of the game developed by Iron Galaxy for the Nintendo Switch was released on October 15, 2019. Blizzard closed the game’s servers on October 3, 2022.

Blizzard released Overwatch 2 in early access on October 4, 2022. The game became free-to-play on PC, as well as on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X platforms. Players can now play across all these devices. As of December 2025, there are 44 playable heroes in the game. In February 2026, Blizzard renamed Overwatch 2 to simply Overwatch. This change reflects the team’s new focus on adding more story elements through seasonal updates and treating the game as a long-term project.

A mobile version of the game, called Overwatch Rush, was announced in February 2026. It is being developed by a separate team within Blizzard, not Team 4. The game uses a top-down perspective to make it easier for mobile players. Details about its release date and available features are not yet known.

Before the release of Overwatch, Blizzard was unsure about including Overwatch characters in Heroes of the Storm, their team-based online game. About a month before Overwatch launched, Blizzard added Tracer to Heroes of the Storm. Tracer was designed by Marc Brunet, who originally worked on the game Titan. PC Gamer described this addition as a marketing effort for Overwatch. Later, other Overwatch characters and map elements were added to Heroes of the Storm. By July 2022, when Heroes of the Storm entered maintenance mode, nine Overwatch characters were playable, and two maps based on Overwatch locations were included. In May 2021, special Overwatch-themed skins were introduced for Heroes of the Storm’s "Overwatch cosplay" event.

Esports

Overwatch, a video game not originally designed for esports, quickly developed a strong esports scene after its first game was released. According to Kaplan, Blizzard, the game's developer, had success with esports while creating Starcraft II. However, they learned that "it is dangerous to be overly committed to esports too early in a game's life." To avoid making the game too difficult for new players, as happened with Starcraft II, Blizzard waited to see how the Overwatch community would grow around esports. They introduced the game's competitive mode several months after its launch, after observing how players interacted with Overwatch. Blizzard used a ladder system to help skilled players reach high ranks and be noticed by esports teams. ESPN and Gamasutra noted that Overwatch had a strong foundation for success as an esports title, citing its differences from other esports games, variety of maps and characters, support from its developers, and fast, short matches.

The first organized, prize-winning Overwatch esports competitions began in mid-2016, a few months after the game's release. ESL, an esports organizer, held the first international Overwatch competition in August 2016, called the Overwatch Atlantic Showdown. This event included four open qualifiers starting in June, followed by regional qualifiers and a final online qualifier. Eight teams competed for a six-figure prize at Gamescom 2016 from August 20 to 21. ELeague, a division of Turner Broadcasting, announced the first Overwatch Open tournament in July 2016, offering a total prize pool of $300,000. The finals were planned to be broadcast on TBS in September 2016.

Overwatch became very popular as an esports game in South Korea, surpassing League of Legends in player numbers and dominating gaming cafés in the country. The game also inspired the creation of an esports tournament in South Korea under the name "APEX," which operated until January 2018.

In August 2016, Blizzard announced its official Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) tournament. The first annual OWWC was held in November 2016 at BlizzCon 2016, where Blizzard also announced the formation of the Overwatch League (OWL).

The OWL borrowed ideas from traditional sports leagues like the NFL, including a developmental league called Overwatch Contenders (OWC). Unlike some esports leagues, the OWL used permanent teams instead of promotion and relegation. The OWL secured billionaire sports team owners to become OWL team owners and established 12 franchises worldwide by September 2017, with plans to expand further in later seasons, reaching 20 franchises at its peak. Players on these teams received guaranteed minimum salaries, benefits, and revenue sharing. Preseason games for the first OWL season took place in December 2017. The first regular season game was played between the Los Angeles Valiant and San Francisco Shock in front of a sold-out crowd at Blizzard Arena in January 2018. To support viewership, Blizzard released an Overwatch app in November 2018, allowing fans to watch matches through a spectator mode. However, by 2023, the Overwatch League faced challenges, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of interest from team owners.

In 2024, the Overwatch League was replaced by the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS), a partnership between Activision-Blizzard, ESL, and WDG Esports. The OWCS resembles traditional esports circuits. It includes three regions: North America and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) as single regions, with tournaments featuring Swiss-style Open Qualifying, followed by a group stage and double-elimination knockout stage twice per season. Asia is divided into Korea, Japan, and Pacific subregions, with top teams from these areas qualifying for the OWCS Asia Championship each season. The best teams from all regions will compete in two international events: the OWCS Major in spring for the first split and the OWCS Season Finals in fall for the second split.

Other media

Overwatch was created without a traditional story or campaign mode. Instead, Blizzard shared story elements using a method called transmedia storytelling. Voice lines and map details in Overwatch show some parts of its story, but most of the characters' stories are told through animated short films and written stories. Blizzard also published character biographies and fake news reports on their website. Chu said Blizzard's storytelling method with Overwatch showed a "gameplay first" approach.

When Overwatch was first announced, Blizzard released an animated "cinematic trailer" on November 7, 2014. They used this method again to announce Overwatch 2, releasing the Zero Hour cinematic trailer in 2019.

Blizzard made animated short films to explain the main parts of Overwatch's story. These films used 3D computer-generated animation and were praised by video game journalists, with some comparing their quality to works from Disney and Pixar. The first short, called "Recall," was released on March 21, 2016. It focused on Reaper's attack on Winston at Gibraltar and Winston's effort to bring back former Overwatch agents. Blizzard released nine more shorts by 2018, with "Reunion" being the last until "The Wastelander" was released in 2022.

In addition to short films, Blizzard released "origin story" videos for Soldier: 76 and other characters added to Overwatch's roster after the game launched. An origin story for King's Row Uprising, tied to an in-game event, was also released. These videos explain the backgrounds of new characters. Origin stories are animated in the style of motion comics and are shorter than Blizzard's 3D-animated short films.

An animated series based on Overwatch was planned after Netflix acquired the rights from Blizzard in early 2020. However, the project was canceled later that year after Blizzard sued Netflix over the "poaching" of their chief financial officer, Spencer Neumann.

From 2016 to 2018, Blizzard published a 16-issue comic series titled "Overwatch," starting with "Trainhopper." Some issues, like "Uprising," were linked to in-game events. Motion comic versions of the series were also released by Madefire Studios. These motion comics included sound effects and music from the game. Originally a digital series, Blizzard partnered with Dark Horse Comics to publish a hardcover anthology in 2017, collecting the first 12 issues. An expanded edition of the anthology was released in December 2021.

From 2020 to 2021, Blizzard and Dark Horse Comics published "Tracer – London Calling," a five-issue limited series. The series was written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Babs Tarr. Print versions of each issue were released, and Rachael Cohen and Deron Bennett worked as the colorist and letterer, respectively. A graphic novel collecting the five issues, with cover art by Bengal, was released on September 28, 2021.

Another five-issue limited series, "New Blood," was released from November 2021 to March 2022. Similar to "London Calling," the series followed Cassidy after the Zero Hour event as he recruited members for the revived Overwatch. Both "London Calling" and "New Blood" were connected to in-game seasonal events.

A graphic novel titled "Overwatch: First Strike" was planned by Blizzard in 2016 but was later canceled. On Overwatch's official forums, Chu explained that the decision to cancel the novel was due to major changes made to the game's story and characters since the novel was first planned. The novel was to be written by Micky Neilson and illustrated by Ludo Lullabi.

Before publishing the first volume of their Overwatch comic anthology, Dark Horse Comics released "The Art of Overwatch" on October 24, 2017. The 100-page book showed concept art and illustrations from Overwatch's development team, along with commentary from the artists.

In 2019, Blizzard released three short stories: "Bastet," "What You Left Behind," and "Valkyrie," which focused on Soldier: 76, Baptiste, and Mercy, respectively. Additional short stories, "Stone by Stone" and "Code of Violence," centered on Symmetra and Reaper. In 2019, Blizzard also released an official Overwatch cookbook. Before the early access period for Overwatch 2, they released "Yōkai," which explored story elements about Kiriko. Later, they released "Ramattra: Reflections" and "As You Are," with the latter linked to the game's 2023 Pride event and establishing Pharah and Baptiste as LGBTQ+ characters.

On June 2, 2020, a young-adult novel titled "The Hero of Numbani" by Nicky Drayden was published. The story loosely followed Orisa's origin and focused on Efi Ofadele, an 11-year-old inventor who created Orisa to protect the fictional country of Numbani. A second young-adult novel, "Deadlock Rebels" by Lyndsay Ely, was released on June 1, 2021. The book centered on Cassidy and Ashe during their teenage years.

The popularity of Overwatch led to the creation of merchandise featuring its characters. Funko produced figurines as part of their "Pop!" line. Tracer was prominently featured in Good Smile Company's merchandise, including Nendoroid and Figma figurines. Good Smile also released other Overwatch characters in their lines. Lego created an Overwatch set of figurines, and Nerf designed Overwatch-stylized toy guns as part of their Rivals line. Hasbro, Nerf's parent company, later released a set of action figures featuring Overwatch characters.

Since 2016, the Overwatch franchise has released six soundtracks:

• Overwatch Soundtrack (2016)
• Synaesthesia auditiva (2018)
• Overwatch: Cities and Countries (2020)
• Overwatch: Animated Shorts (2021)
• Overwatch: Heroes and Villains (2022)
• Overwatch 2: Original Game Soundtrack (2023)

Reception

The original Overwatch received high praise from critics and players before and after its release. Before the game launched, media outlets covered its beta version, which had more than 9.7 million players. The PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions of the game received "universal acclaim," according to Metacritic, with each version scoring 90/100 or higher. However, the Nintendo Switch version received "mixed or average reviews," with a score of 73/100 on Metacritic. Since its release, Overwatch has been listed by many sources as one of the best video games of all time, especially within its hero shooter genre and among games from the 21st century. In a 2018 poll by Game Informer, readers ranked Overwatch 29th among the best video games of all time. Critics praised the game for its welcoming and inclusive multiplayer environment, which appealed to both new and experienced players. The game’s colorful world, characters, and team-based gameplay were mentioned as important factors behind the positivity of its player community. While reviewers initially noted the game’s accessibility, later reports said that some players became more negative, especially in competitive mode. A developer named Kaplan agreed with this and worked to reduce such behavior.

The game also had significant commercial success, becoming the 7th-best-selling video game of all time. Although Blizzard did not share an exact number of copies sold, it reported over 60 million players by 2021. In 2022, Bloomberg estimated that the game sold more than 50 million copies. Fans of the game created a lot of content, including art, cosplay, fan fiction, anime-style music videos, internet memes, and pornography featuring Overwatch characters.

The original game’s announcement trailer, released in 2014, was praised for its exciting and beautiful visuals, which sparked strong fan interest. Players appreciated the game’s bright designs, well-developed characters, and optimistic setting. The game’s launch and follow-up cinematics helped grow its fan base, as players enjoyed imagining character relationships, missions, and future stories. The game became so popular that it influenced the Rule 34 scene, where fan-created content featuring characters became widespread.

Before Overwatch 2’s release, fans worried about changes to the game’s 5v5 format. Critics and players also questioned whether the sequel would feel like a true follow-up to the original. Some criticized the sequel’s beta visuals for being too similar to the original and noted that support players were not given enough attention. In response, Blizzard made changes to make the support role more appealing. Shortly after the beta, the game introduced Kiriko, the first support hero announced in over three years.

While the original game was well-received, some aspects of its related media faced criticism. In 2022, a writer for Polygon noted that Overwatch’s story had not advanced significantly, and fans had created more detailed versions of characters than official sources. Another writer for PC Gamer said that the series’ narrative had become stagnant, with little development in character relationships or the world’s state. The writer also mentioned that the lack of progress in the game’s story, along with inconsistent updates from 2018 to 2022, contributed to the game’s declining popularity. Other games, such as Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, and Apex Legends, gained more interest from Overwatch players. Changes in the game’s media also affected in-game behavior; for example, after a comic revealed that Soldier: 76 was gay, his use in matches dropped significantly before returning to previous levels after three months.

Overwatch 2 received positive reviews from critics, though not as strongly as the original. The PC version of the sequel scored 79/100 on Metacritic, with all versions receiving "generally favorable reviews." Some critics questioned whether the sequel felt like a true follow-up, comparing it more to a remix or update. Players had mixed reactions to the sequel’s launch, with criticism directed at its battle pass feature and a previously required "SMS Protect" system. Changes to online character bios after the game launched also faced backlash from fans.

On August 10, 2023, Overwatch 2 was released on Steam, where it received the lowest possible rating, described as "overwhelmingly negative." IGN’s Wesley Yin-Poole noted that most negative reviews focused on monetization issues, including Blizzard’s decision to make the original Overwatch free-to-play and auto-update it into a free sequel, which made the original unplayable. Yin-Poole also highlighted criticism of the battle pass, its heroes, and Blizzard’s new approach to cosmetics as changes that upset players. Studies on Overwatch fandom have shown that Blizzard’s policies toward fan-created content have varied, alternating between support and restrictions.