Overwatch 2 Stadium Summer Roadmap Unveiled by Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled an exciting roadmap for Overwatch 2's Stadium mode, detailing the heroes and features planned for Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond in 2025. In a comprehensive Director’s Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller shares insights into the mode’s past, present, and future, along with a surprise summer roadmap, just over a week since the mode's launch.

The rollout of Stadium will continue with the introduction of the new Damage hero, Freja, in a mid-season patch for Season 16. However, it's Season 17 in June that promises to elevate the experience significantly. Players can look forward to the addition of Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta to the mode's roster, alongside the introduction of the Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map.

During Season 17, Blizzard aims to enhance the Stadium mode with features such as Unranked Crossplay, new all-star rewards, custom games, additional example builds, and the ability to save and share builds. It remains unclear whether all heroes and features will be introduced at the start of Season 17 or gradually throughout the season.

Moving into Season 18, fans will see the inclusion of Overwatch's beloved gorilla hero, Winston, along with Sojourn and Brigitte. This season will also introduce the Route 66 and London maps, as well as a new Payload Race game mode, complete with two new maps, a Stadium trials feature, and the option to Endorse teammates.

Blizzard has committed to adding "multiple new heroes" to Stadium each season, both from the existing Overwatch 2 roster and new characters yet to be revealed. For Season 19 and beyond, a new China map is planned, along with a Draft Mode feature, 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 shared impressive statistics for Stadium, which has quickly become the most played mode, surpassing Quick Play and Competitive. During its launch week, players engaged in 2.3 million matches over 7.8 million hours. These numbers are more than double those seen during Overwatch Classic’s launch week.

Notable stats also include Lucio having the highest win rate but the lowest pick rate, while players have spent a staggering 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.

In the Director’s Take, Aaron Keller clarifies 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 promises continued transparency and plans to share more insights into Stadium next week.

Keller emphasizes Blizzard's ongoing commitment to the core modes of Overwatch, 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."

He also teases exciting developments for Season 18, promising it will be a "banger." As Blizzard continues to innovate and expand Stadium, they remain focused on delivering a great gaming experience to their players.

Stadium was introduced with the launch of Season 16 last week, as part of Blizzard’s efforts to reinvigorate the player base. This initiative started with an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February, which has led to the return of loot boxes and an improved Steam rating, with many players feeling that this is the best Overwatch experience in years.

While awaiting more updates, players 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.