5 things Overwatch needs to do in 2022
Overwatch faces a tough task heading into 2022, with fans worried about the state of the game and the delayed sequel. But there are five things the game can do to survive and even thrive next year.Overwatch’s
fans know it best, yet the game is in a serious content drought as developers work hard to ship the highly anticipated sequel, Overwatch 2. In April of 2022, it will have beentwo yearssince the last hero was released to the roster (Echo) and the last non-Deathmatch map was added to the game (Havana). With such a brutal stretch of thin content, Overwatch is going to have to work hard in 2022 to win players back. We’ve got some ideas…
#5: New seasonal event structure
Lucioball in the Summer Games is a great example of this kind of idea. A limited-time-only game mode that’s completely unique and can give players rewards all its own. The same can be said of Archives PvE content. We’d like to see events shaken up in 2022. Give us more to do (other than just winning standard games for rewards) and more to play for. The rotation itself is fine, but even shaking that up to start some fresh new events would likely spark some interest from players that have dropped the game for a while.
#4: Release a new map (Hybrid or Control)
With Assault (2CP) being canned in Overwatch 2, there’s certainly no need for more of those in the game. However, it has been four years since a new Hybrid map was added and over three since we’ve gotten a new Control map. Something’s got to give. Hybrid maps have been teased in early gameplay of OW 2, so we know more are on the way, but saving them for a release that may be over a year away doesn’t seem like the best course of action at this point.
Overwatch 2 Season 18 start date, new hero & Sojourn Mythic
How many people play Overwatch 2? Player count tracker (August 2025)
When is Overwatch 2 Season 16? Freja, Stadium mode, hero bans, more
#3: Take more risks
#2: Release a new hero before the Overwatch League returns
The obvious choice here would be Sojourn, a hero that debuted in November 2019 when OW 2 was first announced. The mysterious DPS hero has sat in the devs vault for over two years, presumably being saved for the sequel. Scrap that whole idea, especially with the steady stream of delays, and get Sojourn on Overwatch as soon as possible. Save other new heroes for OW 2 and give fans something to get excited about in the interim.
#1: Release an Overwatch 2 beta
Halo Infinite pulled this off with flying colors, releasing a free-to-play multiplayer beta that sparked a ton of interest before officially launching the game with a campaign. Devs were able to work out a ton of issues, the game got tons of publicity, and the release was spectacular. Overwatch, as a brand name and identity, needs momentum desperately heading into 2022. And, fine, if devs are going to put most of their energy towards the future and Overwatch 2, at least give players the ability to be a part of that journey. If they can do that and spice things up a bit, 2022 could be a massive year for Activision Blizzard’s hero shooter.
