Overwatch 2 Summer Roadmap Revealed by Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment has recently unveiled an exciting roadmap for Overwatch 2's Stadium mode, detailing new heroes and features set to be introduced in Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond for the year 2025. In a comprehensive Director's Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller not only shared a summer roadmap but also reflected on the mode's origins and its impressive performance since its release just over a week ago.

The rollout of Stadium will continue to evolve with the introduction of the new Damage hero, Freja, in a mid-season patch for Season 16. However, it's Season 17 in June that promises a significant expansion. This season will see the addition of Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta to the playable roster, accompanied by the new Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map. Blizzard plans to enrich the Stadium experience with features like Unranked Crossplay, new rewards, custom games, additional build examples, and options to save and share builds. While the exact timing of these additions within Season 17 remains unspecified, anticipation is high.

Moving into Season 18, players can look forward to the inclusion of iconic heroes Winston, Sojourn, and Brigitte, along with new maps such as Route 66 and London. A new game mode, Payload Race, will be introduced, bringing two additional maps and a Stadium trials feature, as well as the ability to endorse teammates. Blizzard's commitment to expanding Stadium is evident with plans to introduce multiple new heroes, both existing and unrevealed, in each subsequent season. Season 19 and beyond will introduce a new China map and features such as Draft Mode, consumables, and tweaks to the item system.

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

How has Stadium Performed so Far? ---------------------------------

Since its launch, Stadium has quickly become the most popular mode in Overwatch 2, surpassing both Quick Play and Competitive. In its first week, it saw an impressive 2.3 million matches played, totaling 7.8 million hours. This performance is more than double that of Overwatch Classic’s launch week. Notable statistics include Lucio boasting the highest win rate but the lowest pick rate, and players spending a staggering 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.

In his Director’s Take, Aaron Keller clarified that Stadium was in development before Overwatch 2 launched, dispelling rumors that it was created in response to competitors like Marvel Rivals, which debuted in December 2024. Keller emphasized Blizzard's ongoing commitment to transparent communication and promised further insights into Stadium's development in the upcoming week.

Keller reiterated Blizzard's dedication to the core modes of Overwatch 2, stating, "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." He expressed excitement for Season 18, promising it would be a highlight for players.

Introduced with Season 16, Stadium is part of Blizzard's broader efforts to reinvigorate its player base. This initiative began with an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February, leading to the reintroduction of loot boxes and an improved Steam rating, as players celebrate what many consider to be the best Overwatch experience in years.

As we await further updates, players can explore our comprehensive guide to Stadium and check out our recommendations for the best Tank Builds, DPS Builds, and Support Builds to enhance their gameplay experience.