Overwatch 2 new characters teased & announced

Overwatch 2 is on the rise, but a live service game is only as good as the content it promises, and a hero shooter needs to have new and enticing upcoming heroes for fans to look forward to. Overwatch is set on a two-new-heroes-a-year calendar, but the developers are no strangers to dropping hints about heroes coming much later as a part of their worldbuilding.

All these expectations are coming at a time when the sentiment towards the game is generally positive, even amongst critics. 

The past two seasons, 15 and 16, are to thank for most of it as they have introduced perks (a way to evolve a hero during a match), hero bans in competitive (a feature requested since the game’s inception) and Stadium, a new mode similar to a MOBA that radically differentiates the experiences available in-game.

So, who are the Overwatch 2 new characters to watch out for in 2025?

Thanks to the February Spotlight Event, we know the two new Overwatch 2 heroes coming in 2025 to Blizzard’s FPS. Hero 43 is called Freja, a new damage character focused on precision and movement. Her debut happened during a preview weekend at the end of season 15, and now she’s available for everyone to play.

Dubbed “the wind dasher” hero, Freja is Danish and is a bounty hunter. Her crossbow is for hire, and she’s chasing her next big payout after being disappointed by the Overwatch organization. 

Her gun can rapidly fire regular bolts or, by aiming, explosive ones that deal a lot of damage. Her technological cape allows her to remain in mid-air while aiming, an ability at the center of her gameplay loop.

She has two movement abilities, a dash and a jump boost, and each one reloads an explosive bolt. This means that, with the right positioning and timing, Freja can wipe entire backlines. 

Her ultimate ability is a pair of bolas that trap the hit enemies, dealing damage, the perfect opportunity to unleash a flurry of arrows. 

Blizzard said that she is one of the highest skill ceiling heroes in the game, and she will definitely see a lot of competitive play.

Hero 44, codenamed Aqua, is OW2’s new hero in the works and will arrive in season 18 this autumn. 

He’s going to be a support hero that uses water to heal and do damage, and will have Chinese origins. 

According to Blizzard, he’ll be able to manipulate the battlefield (maybe through walls or portals). More details will be revealed in the weeks before launch.

Note that the following combines confirmed details and industry speculation. 

We know about hero 43 (Freja) and hero 44 (Aqua), but what about Overwatch 2’s next hero, hero 45? Overwatch developers are no strangers to dropping hints about their upcoming characters, and in seasons 15 and 16, a few hints about hero 45 have been spotted. 

In the new Stadium Map Arena Victoriae, set inside the Coliseum, there’s a banner with the number 45 in Roman numbers (XLV) along with a motto, La lupa della ritorsione, which translates from Italian as the Wolf of vengeance.

In an interview with content creator FroggerOW, game director Aaron Keller said that the team “is definitely working on a new melee hero,” and the phrase “gladiators gonna gladiate” accidentally leaked by Blizzard in a placeholder description, further solidifies speculation that hero 45 will be an Italian gladiator with a big sword.

Overwatch may not be releasing as many heroes as Marvel Rivals, but the quality of Blizzard’s character design is still among the highest in the industry, and the game has a promising lineup for players to enjoy. 

Moreover, the Stadium mode that was just released doesn’t feature the game’s entire roster, with three new characters in Overwatch 2 coming in each of the next two seasons. In Season 17, the game will receive Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta, along with two new maps (Esperanza and Samoa) and a non-competitive crossplay mode. 

Season 18 will see the arrival of Sojourn, Winston, and Brigitte with two more maps linked to a new mode (payload race) and endorsements. Season 19 has fewer details about Overwatch’s upcoming heroes but will feature a new map set in China and the introduction of consumable items.

Overwatch is on a trajectory well-liked by its players. If it continues down this path, this sentiment will only solidify and spread even more.