Overwatch 2’s seasonal model has revitalized Blizzard’s hero shooter with a steady stream of new content to enjoy and rewards to earn, and Season 4 is continuing that trend. When it goes live in a few days, the new season will bring original gameplay content, a new support hero, a fresh Battle Pass, and other additions to players on Xbox, Windows PC, and every other platform Overwatch 2 is available on.
If you’re interested in checking out what’s coming in Season 4, we’re here to help with all of the details. Here’s a comprehensive overview of everything we know about the season, including its release date, events, Battle Pass rewards, balance changes, and more.
Overwatch 2 Season 4: Release date and launch time
Blizzard has confirmed that Overwatch 2 Season 4 is scheduled to go live on April 11, 2023. At this time, Season 4’s Battle Pass will replace Season 3’s, and the new support hero Lifeweaver will also become available to unlock and use in Overwatch 2’s various game modes.
In terms of when Season 4 will launch specifically, the developers have announced the update will be deployed at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET in a new Season 4-focused blog post. Accounting for Daylight Saving Time, this is usually when most Overwatch 2 patches — including the start of new seasons — are released.
Note that since Overwatch 2 updates are global, Season 4 will begin earlier or later in the day in your region depending on which time zone you live in. In the table below, we’ve listed when the season will likely go live in each major time zone.
| Time zone | Release time |
|---|---|
| Pacific Time (PT) | April 11, 11:00 a.m. |
| Mountain Time (MT) | April 11, 12:00 p.m. |
| Central Time (CT) | April 11, 1:00 p.m. |
| Eastern Time (ET) | April 11, 2:00 p.m. |
| Brasilia Time (BRT) | April 11, 3:00 p.m. |
| Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) | April 11, 6:00 p.m. |
| British Summer Time (BST) | April 11, 7:00 p.m. |
| Central European Summer Time (CEST) | April 11, 8:00 p.m. |
| Moscow Time (MSK) | April 11, 9:00 p.m. |
| Gulf Standard Time (GST) | April 11, 10:00 p.m. |
| Indian Standard Time (IST) | April 11, 11:30 p.m. |
| Singapore Standard Time (SNST) | April 12, 2:00 a.m. |
| China Standard Time (CST) | April 12, 2:00 a.m. |
| Japan Standard Time (JST) | April 12, 3:00 a.m. |
| Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) | April 12, 4:00 a.m. |
| New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) | April 12, 7:00 a.m. |
Overwatch 2 Season 4: Roadmap and events
Previous Overwatch 2 seasons have included a wide variety of both new and returning events, including Season 1’s Junkenstein’s Revenge: Wrath of the Bride, Season 2’s Winter Wonderland, and Season 3’s hilarious Valentine’s Day-themed Loverwatch dating sim. Season 4 is no different; in fact, it will feature more events than any season previous.
Below, we’ve listed each of these events, as well as when Blizzard says they’ll be available to enjoy during Season 4. We’ve also included all the details we know about each one, including gameplay offerings, rewards, and more.
- Thai New Year: April 11 to April 25
- Twitch Makes Overwatch — Talantis: April 25 to May 1
- Starwatch Galactic Rescue: May 9 to May 22
- Battle for Olympus: May 23 to May 29
- Symmetra Challenge: May 30 to June 6
Thai New Year and ‘B.O.B. and Weave’
Season 4’s first event is Thai New Year, an affair that celebrates both the holiday and the arrival of Lifeweaver in Overwatch 2. While it’s active between April 11-25, all players can experience a special Arcade mode called “B.O.B. and Weave.” In this 3v3 Team Deathmatch mode, everyone plays as Lifeweaver and each team gets a B.O.B. that they can pull around the map with the Life Grip ability.
As they play, fans will be able to complete event challenges in order to earn rewards for Lifeweaver and other Thai New Year-themed items.
‘Twitch Makes Overwatch’ Talantis map
Aaron Keller gives an overview of the NEW MAP made with help from the community! 💜Here’s what Twitch Chat decided on:🌊 Underwater Map📌 Talon Headquarters🔱 Set in the ruins of AtlantisWe may see this map as an option in Custom Games in a future update 👀 pic.twitter.com/2Ol8GWHkKaDecember 22, 2022
Last December, Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller and Art Director Dion Rogers hosted a “Twitch Makes Overwatch” livestream in which the audience helped them design a new control map. Viewers decided on an underwater Talon base set in the ruins of Atlantis “complete with death pits, jump pads, and lots of giant fish.”
Overwatch 2’s developers have finished building this non-canon map, and to celebrate, it’s being made playable in the Arcade from April 25 to May 1.
Starwatch: Galactic Rescue
From May 9 until May 22, a “space opera PvP event” will be hosted on a reworked version of the Horizon Lunar Colony map. In it, you’ll be able to play as a number of different heroes and ally with the Watchers (Space Prince Lucio, Extraterrestrial Winston) or the Infinite Empire (Infinite Ace D.Va, Seer Mercy) as they go head-to-head.
The event’s mode is called Starwatch: Galactic Rescue, and you’ll “battle your way through new objectives (and surprises!)” while playing. Starwatch challenges will also be available during the event, and completing them will net you some free event rewards. Interestingly, a new comic will be released when the event goes live as well.
Battle for Olympus returns
Overwatch 2’s Battle for Olympus mode from Season 2 is returning in Season 4, with the Greek mythology-themed version of Deathmatch slated to be available from May 23 to May 29. In Battle for Olympus, you can play as Ramattra, Roadhog, Reinhardt, Junker Queen, Pharah, Widowmaker, and Lucio, all of which have been empowered with the divine abilities of Greek gods. The mode will play exactly like it did in Season 2, although Blizzard is adding a new Team Deathmatch version of it for folks that want an alternative to the free-for-all ruleset.
Symmetra Challenge
Blizzard says some other events are coming later in Season 4, with one of them being called the “Symmetra Challenge.” It’s unclear what exactly this event will entail, though we know that by completing its challenges you’ll be able to earn the Gardening Symmetra Legendary skin and “other spring-tastic rewards.” The event is scheduled for May 30 to June 6.
Overwatch 2 Season 4: Battle Pass skins, rewards, and price
A new season means a new 80-tier Battle Pass for players to progress through, and while we don’t have many concrete details yet, we do know that Season 4’s Battle Pass has a galactic space theme. This is because the latest official blog post about Season 4 directly states that the Battle Pass has “out-of-this-world space opera cosmetics.”
Notably, some skins from the Starwatch: Galactic Rescue event are confirmed to be rewards from the Battle Pass. While the standard Battle Pass will be free, the Premium Battle Pass will cost 1,000 Overwatch Coins, or $10 worth.
In addition to cosmetic rewards, Season 4’s Battle Pass will also presumably have Overwatch Credits available across both of its reward tracks. This currency can be used to unlock legacy items from the original Overwatch, and in Season 3, 1,500 were available on the Free track, while 500 could be earned from the Premium one. Season 4’s Battle Pass is expected to have the same.
As soon as we know all the rewards available from each tier of the Battle Pass, we’ll update this section with that information.
Season 4 Mythic skin: Galactic Emperor Sigma
Overwatch 2 Season 4’s new Mythic skin is Galactic Emperor Sigma, an up-armored sci-fi outfit that makes the character look like the leader of a powerful intergalactic organization (probably the Infinite Empire from the Starwatch event, based on the name). You can view it in the image above.
Like previous Mythic skins, you’ll be able to customize quite a bit about Galactic Emperor Sigma. Several options are available for the design of his Hypersphere weapons, helmet, and armor, and you can switch between three color schemes: gray/gold/purple, white/light gray/turquoise, and tan/black/red.
Other Overwatch 2 Season 4 skins
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Between the contents of the Battle Pass, the Shop, and the various bundles that will be available to purchase throughout the season, there will be a ton of new skins that players can acquire in Season 4. We’ve included all the ones we spotted in the Season 4 trailer in the image gallery above.
The trailer confirms that the new Hanzo and Japanese-themed Lifeweaver skins will be available from the Battle Pass, while the new Widowmaker skin, the second new Lifeweaver skin, cardboard Reinhardt, Pinocchio-style Zenyatta, and robotic Junkrat and Roadhog will all be exclusive to the Shop. Beyond that, we don’t know for sure what you’ll need to do to acquire the rest of these skins, though we do know that at least some of the Starwatch-themed ones will be included in the Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle that was shown on the official season roadmap. We’ll update this article with more concrete information once Season 4 actually launches next week.
Overwatch 2 Season 4 new hero: Lifeweaver
Arguably the most exciting part of Season 4 is the arrival of Overwatch 2’s latest support hero, Lifeweaver. Note that since we’ve created a Lifeweaver hero guide that goes over all of the character’s abilities, lore, and more in-depth, we’ll keep things brief here.
Similar to Ana, Lifeweaver can both enhance allies and disrupt enemies with his abilities. Petal Platform allows him to throw down a platform that raises up whenever an ally or enemy steps on it, which can be used both to lift teammates to high ground and to nullify foes using ground-based abilities like Orisa’s Terra Surge. Life Grip, meanwhile, allows Lifeweaver to shield a teammate and rapidly pull them towards him. While its primary utility is saving allies stuck in dangerous positions, it can also be used to pull them into groups of foes, giving it some synergy with Overwatch 2 heroes like Reaper and Pharah that have powerful damage Ultimates. There’s also Rejuvenating Dash, a dodge-style move that also lightly heals Lifeweaver when used.
Lifeweaver can use his Thorn Volley attack to defend himself with streams of sharp projectiles, while chargeable Healing Blossom projectiles serve as the character’s primary source of healing. Lifeweaver can also heal teammates when he dies thanks to the Parting Gift passive that leaves behind a health pickup, though it’s important to note that enemies can snag it for themselves as well. Finally, Lifeweaver’s Ultimate, Tree of Life, allows him to create a large tree anywhere on the map that periodically burst heals nearby allies. The Tree of Life can also be used to block enemy damage, abilities, and players, making it a decently effective shield or area denial tool.
To unlock Lifeweaver, you’ll need to purchase the Season 4 Premium Battle Pass or reach Tier 45 on the Free reward track of the Battle Pass. However, he’ll also be playable for everyone for a limited time once Season 4 goes live on April 11. If you’re on the fence about buying the Premium Battle Pass to get access to Lifeweaver instantly, try him out at the start of the season and see if you like him or not.
Overwatch 2 Season 4: Patch notes and balance changes
In addition to all of the content mentioned above, the Season 4 update is also introducing some Overwatch 2 hero changes. First, we know that Blizzard is planning to slightly nerf Sigma, Reinhardt, and Cassidy, as the developers want to focus on “on pulling back their lethality a little bit.” The developers are also reverting the controversial Mercy changes from Season 3 that reworked her healing and altered her Guardian Angel ability’s functionality, though a small adjustment for it is being made to limit the effectiveness of her jump boosts.
Brigitte’s Rally Ultimate is also getting a sizable rework when Season 4 launches, with Blizzard aiming to make it feel more engaging and powerful. Instead of just providing Overhealth over time to herself and allies, Rally will also give Brigitte a fixed amount of extra recoverable Armor HP, will increase the size and health of her shield, and will allow her to once again stun enemy players with it.
Season 4 is also bringing some updates to Overwatch 2’s ranked Competitive play experience and unranked matchmaking. Specifically, as Blizzard removes seasonal decay, you’ll no longer see your displayed tier and skill division go down. On top of that, the average skill rating of matches will be displayed at the start of each game, and you’ll be able to see your current win/loss record while making your way towards your next competitive update. Also, you’ll be able to see how close you are to the next division in your tier when you get competitive updates. As for matchmaking, the backfill experience is being improved in unranked matches so that players joining a match-in-progress will be close to the skill level of everyone else in the match.
When Season 4 goes live and the update’s full patch notes are available, we’ll update this section with all of them.
Overwatch 2 Season 4: Trailer
You can watch the trailer for Overwatch 2 Season 4 with the embed above. The trailer shows off much of what the new season has in store for players, including its cosmetics, events, and more.
Overwatch 2 is one of the best Xbox games on the market for fans of multiplayer shooters, and it’s available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4. Season 4 is scheduled to go live on April 11, 2023, at which point both Lifeweaver and the new season’s Battle Pass will become available. If you’re a new player and want a head start on progression, consider getting the Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle once Season 4 comes out. It includes Premium Battle Pass access, 20 instant Battle Pass levels, 2,000 Overwatch coins, and a Beekeeper Sigma skin.
