Overwatch 2 is Blizzard's free-to-play team shooter, played five against five with a roster of heroes divided into tank, damage and support roles.
Heroes are the game rather than a layer on it. A sniper, a shield-carrying tank, a healer who flies between teammates and a hero who rewinds her own position all play so differently that switching mid-match is an expected tactic — countering the enemy composition is as much a skill as aiming. Each hero has a small ability set and an ultimate that charges over the match.
Modes are objective-based rather than deathmatch: escorting a payload along a route, capturing and holding positions, or Push, where a robot advances whichever side controls it. Matches are short and swing on team fights won or lost around an objective.
The move to five-a-side from the original six removed one tank, which made individual play more decisive and the pace noticeably faster than the first game.
Free on Windows. Heroes unlock through play or the battle pass, with cosmetics as the main revenue. Competitive play has its own ranked ladder alongside quick play and rotating arcade modes.
Blizzard Entertainment develops and publishes Overwatch 2, succeeding the 2016 original and converting the series to a free-to-play live service with seasonal content.
