Blizzard Entertainment has announced Overwatch 2 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. A release date was not announced.
Current Overwatch players will be able to play with Overwatch 2 players in player-versus-player multiplayer, as well as play as Overwatch 2 heroes and maps.
Here is an overview of the game, via Blizzard:
Overwatch 2 is a supercharged sequel that will send players deeper into the world and story of Overwatch and build upon the original game’s critically acclaimed foundation of world-class player-versus-player competition.
In Overwatch 2, players will take on the roles of the world’s heroes in cooperative missions that challenge them to team up, power up, and stand together against an overwhelming outbreak of threats around the globe. Players will also battle each other in the next evolution of competitive Overwatch play, which carries forward existing players’ accomplishments and loot collections and features the current complete Overwatch roster, a new generation of heroes, new internationally recognizable maps that widen the scope of the world, a new Push map type, and more.
In the sequel’s action-packed cooperative Story Missions, players will experience the advent of a new Overwatch as Winston, Tracer, and other members of the original Overwatch join forces with a new generation of heroes. Players will take an active role in the Overwatch saga as a new global crisis unfolds through a series of intense, high-stakes four-player missions. As the story progresses, players will team up as different sets of heroes and fight to defend the world from the omnic forces of Null Sector, uncover the motives behind the robotic armies’ attacks, and come face-to-face with rising new threats around the globe.
The battle continues in Hero Missions, where the Overwatch team will be called upon to go beyond their limits as they deploy across the planet, defending cities against robot invasions, taking on elite Talon agents, and battling the villainous forces laying siege to the world. In this highly replayable mode, players can level up their favorite heroes and earn powerful customization options that supercharge their abilities in co-op play—such as altering Reinhardt’s Fire Strike to ignite nearby enemies or modifying Tracer’s Pulse Bomb to cause a devastating chain reaction—granting the extra edge they need against the overwhelming odds.
To help realize these missions, the sequel also introduces significant engine upgrades that support larger maps for co-op (player-versus-enemy) play, as well as the wide variety of new enemies and factions that players will encounter on their missions. The game also introduces visual enhancements designed to bring players’ favorite heroes—and their new looks for Overwatch 2—to life in greater detail.
Overwatch 2 also represents the beginning of a new era for the series’ world-renowned competitive six-versus-six play. In addition to carrying forward all of the original game’s heroes, maps, and modes—as well as existing Overwatch players’ accomplishments and loot collections—the sequel adds multiple new playable heroes to the ever-growing roster; widens the scope of the world with even more maps and locations; and adds a new Push map type, in which two teams compete to make a robot (that happens to be pretty good at pushing things) push the map’s objective to their opponent’s side.
Overwatch 2 also renews Blizzard’s commitment to continue supporting the existing Overwatch community. Current Overwatch players will battle side-by-side with Overwatch 2 players in player-versus-player multiplayer. In addition, current Overwatch players will be able to play Overwatch 2 heroes and maps, ensuring the core player-versus-player experience remains dynamic and vital for today’s community in the Overwatch 2 era. More details on Blizzard’s plans, including some of the new heroes joining the fray, will be announced in the future as development continues.
Here are more details, via the Overwatch 2 official website:
Explore Overwatch 2
Reunite and stand together in a new age of heroes. Overwatch 2 builds on an award-winning foundation of epic competitive play, and challenges the world’s heroes to team up, power up, and take on an overwhelming outbreak of threats around the globe.
New Look
Overwatch 2 evolves the look and feel of the world, with more dynamic environments, larger scale battles, additional in-game storytelling events, and improved atmospheric effects and shadows. Heroes in Overwatch 2 will also have a brand-new look, with greater detail and higher fidelity.
Use the slider here to see how we’re transforming heroes from Overwatch to Overwatch 2.
Team vs. Team
- New map type: Push – In Push, a new, symmetrical map type that will launch with Overwatch 2, teams battle to take control of a robot that begins in a central location, then push it toward the enemy base. Either team may take control of the robot at any time. The team that pushes the robot furthest onto the enemy side wins the game..
- Ever-evolving multiplayer.
- A Bigger World: Take the battle to new, iconic international locations (Toronto, Gothenburg, Monte Carlo, and more to come), from the colorful streets of Rio de Janeiro to the scenic splendor of Gothenburg.
- New Faces: Overwatch 2 will add new heroes to the roster, shaking up competitive play and creating opportunities for bold new strategies.
Co-Op Missions
- Action-Packed Story Missions – Play an active role in the next chapter of the Overwatch saga through a series of intense four-player missions. Fight back against Null Sector, uncover the motives behind the omnic attacks, and confront a rising wave of new threats.
- Replayable Hero Missions – The battle continues with Hero Missions. As escalating crises break out around the world, encounter an ever-changing array of scenarios with a range of diverse and dangerous enemies. Level up your favorite heroes and earn powerful customization options to help beat the odds.
- New Factions Arise – It’s up to you and your friends to stop Null Sector, the elite forces of Talon, and other enemies of Overwatch from carrying out their plans. Each enemy faction features a unique mix of units with their own strategies and strengths, challenging you to adapt your approach every time you play.
Story
Catch up on the Overwatch story here.
What’s Next – Your Mission Continues
- Keep Your Collections – Your accomplishments and loot collections will be carried forward to Overwatch 2. That means you’ll keep your skins, player icons, sprays, emotes, and more!
- New Maps and Heroes – Current Overwatch players will battle side-by-side with Overwatch 2 players in player-versus-player multiplayer; they’ll also be able to play Overwatch 2 heroes and maps.
Watch the announcement trailers below. View a set of screenshots at the gallery.
