Overwatch 2 Stadium Summer Roadmap Revealed by Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment has recently unveiled an exciting roadmap for Overwatch 2's Stadium mode, detailing the heroes and features to be introduced across Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond in 2025. In a comprehensive Director’s Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller not only shared a summer roadmap but also shed light on the mode's origins and its impressive performance since its launch just over a week ago.

The rollout for Stadium continues 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 significant enhancements. Heroes like Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta will join the fray, accompanied by the new Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map. Blizzard plans to enrich the Stadium experience further by introducing Unranked Crossplay, new all-star rewards, custom games, additional example builds, and the ability to save and share builds. While it's not clear if all these additions will be available at the start of Season 17 or rolled out throughout the season, the anticipation is palpable.

Moving into Season 18, players can look forward to the addition of Winston, Sojourn, and Brigitte as playable characters. The Route 66 and London maps will also be added, along with a new Payload Race game mode featuring two new maps. A Stadium trials feature and the option to Endorse teammates will further enhance the gameplay experience.

Blizzard has committed to adding "multiple new heroes" to Stadium each season, including both existing Overwatch 2 characters and new ones yet to be revealed. For Season 19 and beyond, a new China map and a Draft Mode feature are on the horizon, along with consumables and item system tweaks.

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 on Stadium's performance, revealing it as the most played mode in the game. During its launch week, Stadium saw 2.3 million matches played over 7.8 million hours, surpassing the engagement seen with Quick Play and Competitive modes. This performance is more than double that of Overwatch Classic's launch week. Notably, Lucio has emerged as the hero with the highest win rate yet the lowest pick rate, and 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 a response to Marvel Rivals, which debuted in December 2024. Keller emphasized Blizzard's ongoing commitment to transparent communication, promising more insights into Stadium in the coming week. He also reassured fans that while Stadium is a popular addition, Blizzard remains dedicated to maintaining the core experiences of Quick Play and Competitive modes.

Keller concluded by reiterating 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 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.