Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled its roadmap for Overwatch 2's Stadium mode, highlighting exciting updates and new heroes planned for Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond in 2025. This ambitious plan was detailed in a Director’s Take blog post by game director Aaron Keller, which also included a surprise summer roadmap for the mode, which has been live for just over a week.
Stadium Gets 7 New Heroes This Summer -------------------------------------The Stadium mode is set to expand with the introduction of new Damage hero Freja in a mid-season patch for Season 16. However, it's Season 17 in June that promises significant enhancements. This season will see the addition of heroes Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta, alongside the new Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map. Blizzard plans to enhance the mode further with features like Unranked Crossplay, new rewards, custom games, additional example builds, and options to save and share builds. While the exact timing of these additions within Season 17 remains unclear, fans can expect a robust update.
Moving into Season 18, Overwatch’s beloved gorilla hero Winston, along with Sojourn and Brigitte, will join the fray. This season will also introduce the Route 66 and London maps, and a new Payload Race game mode, complete with two new maps and a Stadium trials feature. Players will also have the option to Endorse their teammates, adding a social layer to the competitive gameplay.
Looking ahead to Season 19 and beyond, Blizzard has teased the inclusion of a new China map, a Draft Mode feature, consumables, and tweaks to the item system. The commitment to regularly introducing new heroes, both from the existing roster and yet-to-be-revealed characters, underscores Blizzard's dedication to keeping Stadium fresh and engaging.
Overwatch 2 Stadium summer 2025 roadmap. Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.
How has Stadium Performed so Far?
Since its launch, Stadium has become Overwatch 2's most played mode, surpassing Quick Play and Competitive with 2.3 million matches played over 7.8 million hours in its debut week. This is more than double the engagement seen during Overwatch Classic’s launch week. Interesting statistics also highlight Lucio as the hero with both the highest win rate and the lowest pick rate, with players spending a staggering 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.
In the 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 debuted in December 2024. Keller promised continued transparency and more insights into Stadium's future in the coming week.
AnswerSee ResultsKeller emphasized Blizzard's ongoing commitment to the core modes of Overwatch, stating that Stadium is not competing for resources but rather providing new ways to enjoy the game. He teased that Season 18 will be particularly exciting, encouraging players to enjoy Stadium and contribute to making Overwatch a great game.
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.
