Blizzard has announced that Overwatch 2 will now be called just Overwatch. The company also shared big plans for the game that will include free, yearly updates like expansions. The first of these, called The Reign of Talon, starts next Tuesday, February 10th.

The biggest news is that five new heroes will be added at once. This is the most new heroes ever added to Overwatch at one time – two more than when Overwatch 2 first came out. Then, five more heroes will be added throughout 2026, one each season. That means ten new heroes this year, which is a lot for this game.

The five new heroes play different roles in the game:

• Domina, a tank character who is a bit like Zarya,
• Emre, a damage dealer who is similar to Soldier 76,
• Mizuki, a support character who throws a magical healing hat,
• Anran, a damage dealer who sets people on fire and then fans the flames to hurt them more, and
• Jetpack Cat, a support character that can fly all the time and pull teammates and enemies through the air.

Blizzard is also changing how the game’s story works. Instead of small story pieces, they’ll tell bigger stories over the whole year. There will be six seasons for The Reign of Talon, and the game’s season count will start over at one instead of twenty.

The story will still be told through videos and comics, but now you can see this inside the game and feel its effects. Characters will talk about story events in their voices, and some maps will change. Watchpoint: Gibraltar is the first map that will change when The Reign of Talon begins.

There will be a five-week story event called Conquest where players can choose to side with either Overwatch or Talon in a faction war. You pick a team and do tasks for them to earn points for your faction and rewards for yourself.

Overwatch is getting a complete makeover for its menus and screens to make information easier to understand. They’re also adding a 3D hero lobby, which will grow into a full party lobby in Season 4.

They’re adding sub-roles to heroes too. This helps organize the many heroes and gives small gameplay bonuses. For example, a Flanker like Tracer gets more health from health packs, while a Medic like Moira heals herself when healing others.

The Stadium mode, which is like a game where you build your character as you play, is getting new icons and a helper for new players.

Blizzard also said to expect two new main maps during The Reign of Talon year, plus bringing back post-match awards and changes to existing heroes. There will also be a version for the Nintendo Switch 2 that launches with Season 2, probably in April.

These are big changes for Overwatch 2, which had trouble when it first came out. Most importantly, it makes the game exciting again.