Overwatch 2 Season 18 will have biggest Stadium evolution yet, new support Hero, and more

Overwatch 2 Season 18 is right around the corner, with Blizzard teasing that the developer has the biggest Stadium evolution for the game yet, a new support Hero called Wuyang, a full PvP refresh with Perks update, and so much more.

Stadium will continue to level up with new Hero additions, new ways to and places to play, fresh features, and a new Item pool. Team comps will change with the introduction of Winston, Brigitte, Pharah, and (later in the season) Tracer, which joins the Stadium Hero rotation.

Blizzard is changing things up with Stadium and its new Quick Play Queue speeds that increase the action with a faster, lighter version of Stadium, which results in shorter matches, a rapid-fire economy, and Backfill + Cross Play support. Draft Mode works like a pre-game huddle, where your team can counter-pick and out-think the opponents before the first shots are even fired.

One of the bigger new things inside of Season 18 of Overwatch 2 is the new support Hero "Wuyang" who is an aquatic prodigy from Wuxing University's Water College. Wuyang will bend the rules of healing with a kit that Blizzard says is "built for sharp aim, quick thinking, and fluid movement".

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Wuyang has his "Xuanwu Staff" which fires a damaging orb, or you can hold it to control its trajectory and empower its explosion. There's also the "Restorative Stream" that places a passing healing stream on an ally, hold onto the target to manually heal at an improved rate, consuming more resources. Wuyang's abilities include the "Guardian Wave" that sends a wave of water forward that increases the amount of healing received by your teammates, and knocks back your enemies, as well as "Rushing Torrent" that lets Wuyang ride water to move faster, and jump higher.

Onto the Perks for Wuyang, with the Minor perks including "Overflow" that gains 10 ammo and 33% healing resource when Rushing Torrent is activated, and "Balance" which when you deal out damage with water orbs, increases your Restorative Stream's passive healing by 40% for two seconds. The Major perks are "Ebb and Flow" which sees your Guardian Wave rewinding to its starting location, dealing 50% less damage while rewinding, and "Falling Rain" that simultaneously controls 3 water orbs that deal 60% less damage and have 25% decreased empowered explosion radius.

Overwatch 2's upcoming Season 18 will begin with a full-system refresh that resets the Competitive landscape, and supercharges strategy with over 50 new Hero-specific Perks, and "numerous" other changes. Every single Hero gets at least one fresh Perk to play with, while updated and rebalanced options for Heroes like Lucio, Winston, and Pharah "open the door to smarter team comps and more creative builds".

Blizzard explains that a full rank reset means everyone starts with fresh placements for a fair shot at their climb, backed by a "soft MMR reset" that tightens matchmaking from the very first game of Season 18. Adjusted rank thresholds (especially in the higher tiers) better reflects true skill, and tighter MMR ranges make it easier to squad up with friends in ranked.

Built for experimentation, shifting strategies, and unexpected plays, Blizzard says that Overwatch 2 Season 18 and its Competitive refresh "sets the stage for a whole new meta".

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Summer Games returns with Season 18, with a slick new POV and a "few extra tricks". Lucio Ball and Lucio Ball Remix will kick into third-person mode for the first time, with the high-flying Winston Volleyball back into the fray. You can earn a new summer-colored World Cup Lucio skin and other seasonal rewards just by logging in and getting your reps. The Summer Games run between September 2 and September 15.

• Hero Skill Rating: Hero Skill Rating means to measure your performance on individual Heroes in Competitive, separate from your overall rank. Each Hero earns their own Skill Rating from 0 to 5000, complete with visual tiers and feedback after every match. You'll unlock a Hero's SR after playing five placement matches with them, and you'll see your progress represented by both a numeric score and a tier bracket from Bronze to Champion. Even before your rating is official, Predicted SR gives you a preview while you place. After each Competitive match, your Top three most-used Heroes will show SR gains or losses, so you can track improvement in real time. Integrated directly into your Competitive Overview and Career Profile, Hero SR makes it easy to compare, refine, and grow. This system is for personal mastery, helping you sharpen your best picks or discover new favorites with data that keeps you climbing.
• Hero Progression 2.0: Hero Progression 2.0 rebuilds the leveling system from the ground up with faster progress, a cleaner UI, and a permanent prestige feature that shows off your dedication. Each Hero now levels up individually, letting you track your growth and see exactly where you've invested your time. The new Ascended system awards animated portrait borders at milestone levels 20, 40, and 60, and these borders automatically display in Hero Select for everyone to see. Once you earn an Ascended border, it's yours forever. Early levels come quickly, then settle into a steady pace of about 100 minutes per level after level 21. Along the way, you can earn Loot Boxes at key milestones, starting with a base Loot Box at level 5, Epic Loot Boxes at levels 25, 35, and 45, and Legendary Loot Boxes at levels 30, 40, and 50. While Ascended isn't tied to Hero-specific cosmetics, it delivers lasting visual prestige across your roster, making every match part of a visible legacy. Level up. Stand out. Become Ascended.

Overwatch 2 Season 18 kicks off on August 26, 2025.