Overwatch 2 Stadium Summer Roadmap Revealed by Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled an exciting roadmap for Overwatch 2 Stadium, outlining the heroes and features set to be introduced from Season 17 through Season 19 and beyond in 2025. In a detailed Director's Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller not only shared the summer roadmap but also delved into the history and performance of the new mode, which has been available for just over a week.

The journey of Stadium will continue 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 to elevate the experience with the addition of Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta to the playable roster. Alongside these heroes, the Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map will enhance the strategic gameplay. Blizzard plans to enrich the mode further by introducing Unranked Crossplay, new all-star rewards, custom games, additional example builds, and the ability to save and share builds. While it's unclear if all these features will be available at the start of Season 17 or rolled out throughout the season, players have much to look forward to.

Season 18 will see the beloved gorilla hero, Winston, join the fray, accompanied by Sojourn and Brigitte. The Route 66 and London maps will also be added, along with a new Payload Race game mode featuring two new maps. The Stadium trials feature and the option to Endorse teammates will further enhance the player experience.

Looking ahead to Season 19 and beyond, Blizzard promises multiple new heroes from both the existing Overwatch 2 roster and unrevealed characters. A new China map, a Draft Mode feature, consumables, and item system tweaks are also in development, ensuring continuous evolution of the mode.

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

How has Stadium Performed so Far?

The Overwatch 2 team has shared impressive statistics about Stadium, highlighting its popularity. Since its launch, Stadium has surpassed both Quick Play and Competitive modes, becoming the most played mode with an astonishing 2.3 million matches played in 7.8 million hours during its first week alone. This performance is more than double that of Overwatch Classic's launch week. Notable statistics include Lucio boasting the highest win rate yet the lowest pick rate, and players spending a total of 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.

In the Director's Take, Aaron Keller clarified that Stadium's development began before Overwatch 2's launch, dispelling rumors that it was a response to Marvel Rivals, which debuted in December 2024. Keller also assured continued communication about Stadium, with more insights expected next week. Despite Stadium's success, Blizzard remains committed to its core modes like Quick Play and Competitive, emphasizing that Stadium complements rather than competes with these experiences.

Keller concluded by reaffirming Blizzard's dedication to the core modes of Overwatch, 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. We can't wait for you to see what's coming there, especially Season 18. It's going to be a banger! Have fun with Stadium and, as always, let’s make a great game."

Stadium was introduced with the launch of Season 16 last week as part of Blizzard's efforts to rejuvenate its player base, following an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February. This initiative has led to the return of loot boxes and an improved Steam rating, with many players feeling that this is the best Overwatch experience they've had in years.

As we await further updates, you can explore our comprehensive guide to understand how Stadium works and check out our recommendations for the best Tank Builds, DPS Builds, and Support Builds to optimize your gameplay.