Overwatch 2 Stadium Summer Roadmap Revealed by Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled its exciting roadmap for Overwatch 2 Stadium for 2025, detailing the heroes and features set to be introduced in Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond. In a comprehensive Director’s Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller shared insights into the new mode's past, present, and future, along with a surprise summer roadmap now that Stadium has been available for just over a week.

The rollout of Stadium will continue with the addition 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. Heroes like Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta will join the strategic multiplayer mode, accompanied by the new Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map.

Blizzard plans to enhance Stadium further by introducing features such as 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 heroes and features will be available at the start of Season 17 or rolled out throughout the season, the anticipation is palpable.

Season 18 will see the addition of Overwatch's beloved gorilla hero, Winston, along with Sojourn and Brigitte. The Route 66 and London maps will also be added, alongside a new Payload Race game mode, which will include two new maps, a Stadium trials feature, and the option to Endorse teammates.

Blizzard has assured fans that "multiple new heroes," both from the existing Overwatch 2 roster and unrevealed characters, will be added to Stadium each season. Looking ahead to Season 19 and beyond, a new China map is planned, along with a Draft Mode feature, 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 Stadium stats, revealing that it has quickly become the game's most played mode. During its launch week, Stadium saw 2.3 million matches played across 7.8 million hours, surpassing both Quick Play and Competitive modes. This performance is more than double that of Overwatch Classic's launch week.

Notable statistics include Lucio having the highest win rate yet the lowest pick rate, and players spending a staggering 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.

Keller's Director’s Take also clarified that Stadium was in development before Overwatch 2 launched, dispelling rumors that it was created to compete with Marvel Rivals, which debuted in December 2024.

Keller emphasized Blizzard's ongoing commitment to communicate with the community, promising more insights into Stadium next week. He also reassured fans that while Stadium has been a popular addition, Blizzard remains dedicated to maintaining the core experiences of Quick Play and Competitive modes.

“Before signing off, I'd like to reiterate the team’s commitment to the Core modes of Overwatch," Keller stated. "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 there, especially Season 18. It's going to be a banger! Have fun with Stadium and, as always, let’s make a great game.”

Overwatch 2 introduced Stadium 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.

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.