I've always lamented not playing more of Overwatch 2. Blizzard's iconic hero shooter was one of the first games I really worked with when I ed this industry, and after a (very brief) stint playing semi-professionally, it feels like I should have stuck out more of the sequel. In a world bursting with ability-driven FPS games, I've struggled to find a reason to return to Overwatch 2, but Stadium might just be the push I've needed. Now live and accompanied by the highly requested hero ban system, this feels like a turning point for the classic shooter – and the Steam numbers agree.
Overwatch 2 got "too conservative," a sentiment that many no doubt agree with.
But all of that's changed over the past couple of months. Season 15 saw the Stadium, a brand-new seven-round, third-person brawl mode. You'll pick up various hero-specific power-ups as you progress towards victory, adding a fresh layer of strategy to the game.
But, while Stadium is Season 16's headliner, there's a whole slew of content dropping alongside the shiny new mode. After years of asking, hero bans have finally arrived, allowing you to yeet your most-maligned matchup into the abyss in competitive play. Similar to other multiplayer games like League of Legends, this really is a huge change, and hopefully it'll make matches feel even more exciting.
New DPS hero Freja has also ed the fight, and she reminds me somewhat of Jett from Valorant. With Widowmaker's headshot potential and the ability to dash around the map and quickly stack her Ultimate, she looks like she's going to be an absolute beast.
As someone who hasn't played for quite a while, all of this sounds amazing – especially the hero bans, I can feel my competitive blood pumping. But it's not just me that's intrigued; in the past 24 hours Overwatch 2 has peaked at 60,127 concurrent players on Steam, its third-highest peak behind its debut on Valve's platform and the release of Season 10. Given that the entire world has been eclipsed by Bethesda shadowdropping the long-rumored Oblivion remaster, I'd say that's not half bad.
While the game still sits in the 'mostly negative' category in of long-term reviews, recent responses rank it as 'mixed' at 46% versus a harrowing 23%. "This game is finally starting to feel like a proper sequel and not just a reskin!" writes one player, while another states that "Season 16 and Stadium are some of the best updates this game has received in a while."
It's also worth noting that this is still a fraction of the game's playerbase, with most probably still logging in via Battle.net or, now, using Xbox Game .
Season 16 feels like the rebirth that the shooter has sorely needed, so check out our Overwatch 2 characters and their abilities to help you choose a new main.
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