Overwatch 2 Summer Roadmap Revealed by Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled its exciting Overwatch 2 Stadium roadmap for 2025, giving fans a sneak peek into the heroes and features planned for Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond. This roadmap promises to enhance the gaming experience with a series of thrilling updates and new content.

In a detailed Director’s Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller delved into the past, present, and future of the new Stadium mode. Released just over a week ago, Stadium has already captivated players, prompting Blizzard to share a surprise summer roadmap. Keller also shed light on the mode’s origins and its impressive performance so far.

The rollout of Stadium will continue to evolve with the addition of new Damage hero Freja in a mid-season patch for Season 16. However, it’s Season 17 in June that will truly elevate the experience. This season will introduce Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta to the mode, alongside the new Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map.

Blizzard plans to enhance Stadium further by adding features such as Unranked Crossplay, new all-star rewards, custom games, additional example builds, and the ability to save and share builds. While it's unclear whether all these heroes and features will launch at the start of Season 17 or roll out throughout the season, the updates are eagerly anticipated.

Season 18 will see the addition of Winston, Sojourn, and Brigitte as playable characters, along with the Route 66 and London maps. A new Payload Race game mode will be introduced, complete with two new maps, a Stadium trials feature, and the option to Endorse teammates, adding a social element to the gameplay.

Blizzard's commitment to Stadium's development includes the promise of "multiple new heroes" each season, drawn from both the existing Overwatch 2 roster and new characters yet to be revealed. Looking ahead to Season 19 and beyond, a new China map is on the horizon, accompanied by a Draft Mode feature, consumables, and item system tweaks.

Overwatch 2 Stadium summer 2025 roadmap. Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

How has Stadium Performed so Far?

The Overwatch 2 team has shared compelling statistics that showcase Stadium's success. The mode has quickly become the most played in Overwatch 2, with 2.3 million matches played across 7.8 million hours during its launch week. This figure surpasses the performance of Overwatch Classic’s launch week by more than double.

Noteworthy statistics also highlight Lucio as the hero with both the highest win rate and the lowest pick rate, while players have spent a staggering 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.

Keller’s Director’s Take provides insight into Stadium's development, confirming that the mode was in the works before Overwatch 2's launch. This clarification dispels fan theories suggesting that Stadium was created to compete with Marvel Rivals, which debuted in December 2024.

Keller emphasized Blizzard's ongoing commitment to communicate with the community, promising more insights into Stadium in the following week. He reassured fans that while Stadium has been a massive success, Blizzard remains dedicated to maintaining the core experiences of Quick Play and Competitive modes.

“Before signing off, I'd like to reiterate the team’s commitment to the Core modes of Overwatch," Keller stated. "We’re still pouring as much time, energy, and passion into these as we always have. Stadium isn't competing for those resources: it’s giving us more opportunities to deliver Overwatch in a new, exciting way.

"We can't wait for you to see what's coming there, especially Season 18. It's going to be a banger! Have fun with Stadium and, as always, let’s make a great game.”

Stadium was introduced to players with the launch of Season 16 last week, as part of Blizzard’s broader initiative to reinvigorate its player base. This initiative began with an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February, leading to the return of loot boxes and an improved Steam rating, which players have celebrated as what some feel is the best Overwatch experience fans have seen in years.

As we await further updates, you can explore our comprehensive guide to learn more about how Stadium works. Additionally, check out our recommendations for the best Tank Builds, DPS Builds, and Support Builds to optimize your gameplay experience.