Overwatch 2’s new mode, Stadium, is the game’s 3rd pillar, Blizzard says

Provided by Blizzard Entertainment Overwatch 2 This week’s second big shakeup in 2025 will launch a new game mode on Tuesday, fundamentally changing the standard rules of team play, and introducing a whole new power to the game’s heroes. The stadium also adds a new optional third-person camera view, abandoning the game mid-game hero switching mechanics essential for other modes, giving the heroes a wild new variation. Reinhard can fly now.

Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller describes the stadium as the third pillar of the hero shooting game. This is not just a new mode that can stand with quick play and competitive modes, but not just as a new mode. The game’s development team is made up of this with this in mind. In an interview with Roundtable, Keller told the press that “there are “a completely independent team of people who are just dedicated to working in the stadium.” They add new heroes to the mode – the stadium will be released with 17 playable heroes. Overwatch 2 Currently, there are 42 stadium-specific maps and game modes per season.

“We really want to focus our time and attention on supporting the stadium as much as the rest of the game,” Keller said.

The stadium has been developed in some way for years, Keller said – Overwatch 2 It was released in 2022. The goal of the new mode was to explain that he would explain. Overwatch 2 Players have more tactical gameplay, allowing players to strategize hero builds and have downtime between rounds that can compete with opponent builds. “The reason people play hero shooters is to get a power fantasy in the meaning of playing that particular character, and the stadium allows us to push it more than ever in the game,” Keller said.

The stadium is the top 7 round-based modes. Before each round, players spend a mode-specific currency called Stadium Cash on items that will enhance existing abilities and powers that dramatically rethink those abilities. Heroes first gain corrective abilities to increase damage and healing, and reduce cooldown times. As the stadium game advances, players will acquire more currency to spend on new forces in the wild, like the aforementioned option to fly Reinhard when using the charging capabilities of Rocket Boost.

Some of the other heroes’ powers can become even more rough. ANA can unleash the ability of Nano to boost the entire team or shoot Nano boost darts from the wall. Moira can fire “multiball” orbs. May can turn into a giant rolling ball of ice. Kiriko can clone herself when teleporting towards her allies using the Swift Step.

These available hero powers are an alternative to hero switching, as stadiums need to lock their hero selection from the start of the game. But, for example, if the team has Genji, he can buy power that provides beam reflection to counter the nasty Zarya and symmetra. And as teams accumulate items and power over the course of the stadium game, things can become quite confusing and busy. But that’s also when the stadium is the most enjoyable time.

The first lineup of the Stadium Heroes includes characters who have been in the game since the beginning, such as Reinhardt, Soldier: 76, Genji, Reaper, and Zarya. Some veteran heroes like Tracer and Hanzo will come in later seasons. Also on the stadium’s release roster, Juno, Kiriko and the last member are the game’s latest damage class heroes. She’ll make her Overwatch 2 Season 16 will be released on April 22nd and her stadium debut.

A complete list of Overwatch 2 The Heroes are expected to come to the stadium in time, but adding them will require a lot of work, said senior game designer Dylan Snyder and lead level designer Ryan Smith. Building dozens of powers for each hero on the roster and trying to balance them all is difficult, and even more difficult for certain characters, Snyder said.

“We have a hero whose kit is already very tight and fully finished. As soon as you start expanding it, you’re playing with the fire,” Snyder said. “Mercy was actually one of them. It has such a powerful ability as a resurrection, so you need to be very careful about what you do to expand on such things.”

“Many of the highly mobility characters are dangerous characters,” Smith said.

Snyder said the Alpha Test Stadium, which has thousands of players in recent months, has helped to solve some of the mode balancing issues. “Cassidy was very early for us, but it was tricky,” he said. “We knew we wanted to pursue something with Fan the Hammer, and we could definitely have gone a little too far with it. (We) learned very quickly how bad it was for our enemies in the hands of skilled marksmen.”

Like other modes of Overwatch 2Expect a fairly quick response to issues that address holes in the Heroes kit, and in some cases new items and powers. “We expect a lot of player bases to move to the stadium,” Keller said, ensuring players will place a new mode through that pace.

Overwatch 2 Available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The game’s new stadium mode will launch on April 22nd on all platforms.