Overwatch 2 Stadium Summer Roadmap Revealed by Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled its ambitious roadmap for Overwatch 2 Stadium for 2025, giving fans a sneak peek at the heroes and features set to be introduced in Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond. In a detailed Director’s Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller not only shared a surprise summer roadmap for the recently launched mode but also delved into its origins and performance to date.

The rollout of Stadium continues with the introduction of the new Damage hero, Freja, during a mid-season patch for Season 16. However, it's Season 17 in June that promises to significantly enhance the mode. Heroes like Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta will join the roster, accompanied by the Esperança Push map and the Samoa Control map. Blizzard aims to enrich the Stadium experience further by adding Unranked Crossplay, new all-star rewards, custom games, example builds, and the ability to save and share builds. It's not yet clear whether these additions will be available at the start of Season 17 or rolled out progressively throughout the season.

Season 18 will see the iconic gorilla hero, Winston, become playable, alongside Sojourn and Brigitte. The Route 66 and London maps will also be introduced, alongside a new Payload Race game mode with two new maps. The Stadium trials feature and the ability to Endorse teammates will further enhance the gameplay. Looking ahead to Season 19 and beyond, Blizzard plans to introduce a new China map and a Draft Mode feature, alongside consumables and tweaks to the item system.

Overwatch 2 Stadium summer 2025 roadmap. Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

How has Stadium Performed so Far?

The Overwatch 2 team has released impressive statistics showcasing the popularity of Stadium. Since its launch, it has surpassed Quick Play and Competitive to become the most played mode, with 2.3 million matches played over 7.8 million hours in its first week alone. This is more than double the engagement seen during the launch week of Overwatch Classic. Notably, Lucio has emerged as the hero with the highest win rate and the lowest pick rate, while players have spent a staggering 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.

In his Director’s Take, Aaron Keller clarified that Stadium's development began before Overwatch 2's launch, dispelling rumors that it was created in response to Marvel Rivals, which debuted in December 2024. Keller promised continued transparency and more insights into Stadium in the coming week, emphasizing Blizzard's commitment to maintaining core experiences like Quick Play and Competitive.

Keller reiterated the team's dedication to Overwatch's core modes, stating, "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. We can't wait for you to see what's coming, especially in Season 18. It's going to be a banger! Have fun with Stadium and, as always, let’s make 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 started with an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February, leading to the return of loot boxes and an improved Steam rating, which many fans consider to be the best Overwatch experience in years.

While 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.