Overwatch 2 Season 16 Midseason Update

Patch Notes & Key Changes

The Season 16 midseason update for Overwatch 2 has arrived, bringing hero balance changes, Stadium updates, and a Street Fighter collaboration. Blizzard has introduced tweaks to several heroes, a new playable character in Stadium, and fresh Twitch Drops for players to earn.

Hero Balance Changes

Several heroes have received buffs and nerfs to improve gameplay balance:

• Reinhardt: Fire Strike projectile speed increased, recovery time reduced.
• Genji: Shuriken ammo reduced, projectile speed increased.
• Pharah: Movement speed while using Barrage reduced, Concussive Implosion pull distance halved.
• Sombra: Translocator fade-in time increased, stealth reveal duration extended.
• Widowmaker: Primary fire spread reduced, damage slightly increased.

Stadium Mode Updates

• New Hero Addition: Freja joins the Stadium roster as a playable damage character.
• Item Price Adjustments: Several in-game items have been rebalanced.
• Mercy Rule Tweaks: The cash disparity threshold for triggering the rule has been lowered.

Street Fighter Collaboration & Twitch Drops

• Blizzard has partnered with Street Fighter to introduce themed skins and cosmetics.
• Players can earn Epic Loot Boxes by watching Overwatch 2 streams on Twitch.

Preload & Release Details

• The midseason patch was released on May 20, 2025.
• Players could pre-download the update starting May 15 via Battle.net.

With these updates, Overwatch 2 continues to evolve, refining its competitive balance while introducing exciting new content. For full patch notes, check out Blizzard's official announcement.