Blizzard Entertainment has revealed an exciting roadmap for Overwatch 2's Stadium mode, set to unfold in 2025. This roadmap includes a detailed look at the heroes and features coming to Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond. In a Director’s Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller shares insights into the mode's past, present, and future, alongside a surprise summer roadmap just over a week after its launch.
Stadium Gets 7 New Heroes This Summer -------------------------------------The Stadium mode is set to expand with the introduction of new heroes starting with the mid-season patch for Season 16, featuring the new Damage hero, Freja. However, it's Season 17 in June that promises a significant boost, with the addition of Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta. Alongside these heroes, the Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map will be introduced, enhancing the strategic depth of the mode.
Blizzard plans to enrich the Stadium experience further in Season 17 by introducing Unranked Crossplay, new all-star rewards, custom games, additional example builds, and the ability to save and share builds. While it's not clear if all these features will be available at the start of the season or rolled out progressively, the anticipation is high.
Moving into Season 18, players can look forward to the addition of Winston, Sojourn, and Brigitte as playable characters. This season will also see the introduction of the Route 66 and London maps, along with a new Payload Race game mode, which will come with two new maps and a Stadium trials feature. Players will also have the option to Endorse their teammates, fostering a more positive community environment.
Blizzard has committed to adding "multiple new heroes" to Stadium every season, including both existing Overwatch 2 characters and new ones yet to be revealed. For Season 19 and beyond, a new China map and a Draft Mode feature are planned, along with consumables, item system tweaks, and more, ensuring continuous evolution and excitement for 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 on Stadium's performance, revealing it as the most played mode in the game. During its launch week, Stadium saw 2.3 million matches played over 7.8 million hours, surpassing the engagement seen with Quick Play and Competitive modes. This performance is more than double that of Overwatch Classic's launch week.
Notable statistics include Lucio having the highest win rate yet the lowest pick rate, and players spending a staggering 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds. These figures highlight the mode's popularity and the community's engagement with its unique features.
In his Director’s Take, Aaron Keller clarified that Stadium was in development before Overwatch 2's launch, dispelling rumors that it was created to compete with Marvel Rivals, which launched in December 2024. Keller also promised continued communication about Stadium, with more insights to be shared in the following week.
AnswerSee ResultsKeller emphasized Blizzard's commitment to maintaining the core experiences of Overwatch, such as Quick Play and Competitive, alongside the new Stadium mode. He stated, "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."
Looking forward to Season 18, Keller teased, "It's going to be a banger!" encouraging players to enjoy Stadium and contribute to making the game great.
Stadium was introduced with the launch of Season 16 last week, as part of Blizzard's efforts to reinvigorate its player base. This initiative began with an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February, leading to the return of loot boxes and an improved Steam rating, with many players feeling that this is the best Overwatch experience in years.
As we await further updates, you can explore our guide to learn more about how Stadium works and check out our recommendations for the best Tank Builds, DPS Builds, and Support Builds to enhance your gameplay experience.
