Blizzard is officially treating the next Overwatch like a complete relaunch moment. On February 10, 2026, the game kicks off a new year-long narrative arc called The Reign of Talon, and it does it with the kind of swing the series almost never takes: a total of five new heroes arriving at once, plus sweeping role structure changes, a competitive reset, UI and social upgrades, and a faction-driven meta event designed to make the season feel like it has stakes beyond cosmetics.

Overwatch (2026) | Photo Credit: Blizzard

Overwatch 2 drops the “2”

The most visible change lands before you even queue. Blizzard is moving away from the “Overwatch 2” label and returning to Overwatch as the main title, framing it as a turning-point rebrand tied to bigger seasonal storytelling and a long-term content plan.

That reframing carries a little weight too, because it’s attached to a very specific promise: 2026 becomes a connected “story" rather than a string of themed seasons—and the game will now shift into annual season arcs moving forward.

Season 1 Includes five New heroes

Blizzard’s own Spotlight post lays out the spine of the season: Season 1 begins February 10, and it introduces five heroes who are explicitly positioned as key pieces of The Reign of Talon’s storyline.

Those five heroes are:

Domina (Tank)

A Vishkar executive who isn’t formally Talon, but partners with Talon’s new leader for redevelopment rights in territories under Talon control. Mechanically, Blizzard positions her as a long-range “poke tank” with hard-light barrier play and zone control.

Emre (Damage)

A former Overwatch strike team member whose body has been altered with cybernetic modifications, now aligned with Talon’s leadership. His kit reads like a run-and-gun DPS with a burst rifle, a life-steal pistol stance, and an ultimate designed for explosive team wipes.

Mizuki (Support)

A Hashimoto clan member aligned with Talon and tasked with infiltration, with Blizzard already teasing the push-pull of whether he stays loyal or gets pulled toward Overwatch. His kit mixes bouncing damage, a healing toss that can chain, movement “return” tech, and a sanctuary ultimate that heals allies and absorbs incoming projectiles from outside the zone.

Anran (Damage)

Introduced as Wuyang’s older sister, using fire-based attacks and a risk-reward design that includes two ultimate states, one of which triggers if she’s dead (reviving with an explosion). Blizzard is also letting players test her early via a Hero Trial beginning right now.

Jetpack Cat (Support)

Yes, the real name is Jetpack Cat, and Blizzard is leaning into the absurdity on purpose. She’s described as a stray found in Gibraltar with permanent flight, ally towing in “transport mode,” (a real ultimate combo killer) and an ultimate that dives to knock down enemies and tether the nearest target.

The biggest gameplay shake-up is the new sub-role system

Season 1 also takes antoher big swing by changing how the existing roster is categorized. More specifically, Blizzard is splitting the three core roles into sub-roles with built-in passives, effectively layering a second identity on top of Tank, Damage, and Support. Examples from the Spotlight post include:

Tank
- Bruiser: reduces critical damage received; grants movement speed at critical health
- Initiator: staying airborne lightly heals you
- Stalwart: reduces knockbacks and slows received
Damage
- Sharpshooter: critical hits reduce movement ability cooldowns
- Flanker: health packs restore more health
- Specialist: eliminations briefly increase reload speed
- Recon: after damaging them, you can detect low-health enemies through walls
Support
- Tactician: excess ultimate charge can carry over after using your ultimate
- Medic: healing allies with your weapon also heals you
- Survivor: using a movement ability activates passive health regeneration

This is the kind of systemic change that can reshape everything from hero viability to team comp logic. Even if you never touch a new hero, your main may effectively play with different assumptions around survivability, mobility, ult economy, and tempo.

Conquest is a lore-driven meta event with real rewards

To keep the season from feeling like “big patch, then business as usual,” Blizzard is adding Conquest, a five-week meta event where players align with Overwatch or Talon and complete weekly missions tied to lore outcomes. Rewards are substantial and explicitly framed as faction progress, including piles of loot boxes, cosmetics, voice lines, and a faction-themed legendary Echo skin.

The interesting part here is the structure. You can switch allegiance only after completing your current week’s faction pass, which makes faction choice feel less like a menu toggle and more like a short commitment. Whether it plays out as a meaningful community competition or just a better-themed event track will depend on mission design and how visible the faction “score” is in-client.

Competitive resets, UI refresh, and a push toward better vibes

Season 1 marks the start of a new competitive year, including a competitive reset and the introduction of a new competitive weapon called Crimson Wolf, tied to Talon’s new leadership. Blizzard also notes rewards for high-tier players, including a Doomfist competitive skin for those who reach Diamond or higher.

Outside ranked, Blizzard is shipping a noticeable UI/UX refresh, including a 3D lobby that displays your selected hero (with plans to expand to full group display later). A new Notification Hub is also meant to centralize “what matters” so players are not chasing tiny icons across menus.

There’s also a surprisingly pointed social systems addition: a Praise feature that lets players use hero voice lines as positive feedback. It’s a small thing, but Blizzard is positioning it as part of “joy and positivity” being more central to the universe this year.

Later in 2026, Blizzard says it’s bringing back a modernized version of Post-Match Accolades using full 3D hero models and new recognition types like multi-endorsements and heroic endorsements.

Stadium changes, Hello Kitty skins, and what’s next

If you play Stadium, Season 1 is tuning match pacing with power rounds now set to 1/2/4/6 and adding a Hero Builder that surfaces starter packs and recommends build continuations or counters based on global player data.

Cosmetics are being used as a headline, too. Blizzard confirmed an Overwatch x Hello Kitty & Friends collab running February 10–23, with themed skins for heroes including Juno, Kiriko, Mercy, D.Va, Widowmaker, and Lucio.

If you want a full visual breakdown, make sure to check out the entire reveal below and get ready for a revamped Overwatch on February 10.