Overwatch 2Season 17 has officially arrived, along with extensive patch notes detailing new gameplay features like the Aatlis map, additions to Stadium, and buffs for over a dozen heroes. Though some have reported difficulty logging in or patching their game, all of this new content is live inOverwatch 2right now.
Players have officially enteredthe 17th season ofOverwatch 2. It may not include a new hero like Season 16’s Freja or Season 18’s Wuyang, but this update still brings with it a bunch of exciting features, including a Battle Pass refresh, the Mythic Horang D.Va skin, and the Steel Death Mythic Reaper Weapon skin.
On the gameplay side of things, Season 17 has tons of new stuff, including the Aatlis map. Located in Morocco, thisFlashpoint battleground has been added to the coreOverwatch 2maprotation in both Competitive and Quick Play. However, Competitive also just got Map Voting, which allows players from both teams to cast votes on one of three maps before each match to influence where they fight.
Of course, no majorOverwatch 2update would be complete without balance adjustments, and this time, Blizzard has been generous with buffs. In total, 15 heroes have received improvements to their core abilities or Perks, including a particularly comical change inBastion’s model being shrunk inOverwatch 2by 10%. The damage role passive was also increased from 25% to 30%, and the base health regeneration timer was increased by one second for all heroes.
TheStadium game mode got some love inOverwatch 2Season 17as well. Esperanca and Samoa’s volcano map have been given the Stadium treatment, and the new Stadium Forge feature allows players to save, import, and export builds. Additionally, Sigma, Junkrat, and Zenyatta have joined the roster of playable heroes, and 16 other heroes have also had their Powers or Items adjusted. A handful of brand-new generic Items have been added as well.
Later on in the Season 17 patch cycle, players can expect Hacks & Hijinx, a new Arcade game mode that features wild and wacky match modifiers, plus acrossover betweenG.I. JoeandOverwatch 2. Suravasa and New Junk City, the two other Flashpoint maps inOverwatch 2, are also receiving some significant changes in the mid-season update.
Some fans have also reported issues logging in toOverwatch 2after the Season 17update, especially those on Xbox platforms. Players who encounter these problems can likely expect them to be resolved soon.
Overwatch 2 Season 17 Patch Notes – June 30, 2025
Season 17 - Powered Up!
Stadium,Overwatch 2’s dynamic, round-based PvP mode, continues to evolve with smarter build tools, fresh Heroes and maps, plus Competitive upgrades like Drives and a rank reset to push mastery to the next level. Over in Core modes, the fight expands with a new Flashpoint battleground and the debut of Map Voting, giving you the power to choose where the action unfolds. Then, for the first time ever, both Mythics drop at launch—go wild in D.Va’s tiger spirit skin or wield Reaper’s twin terror weapons of chaos from day one. Plus, show off your style in new Overwatch Academy, 8-bit, and Sakura looks from the Battle Passes. All these and more are in store to get you Powered Up in Season 17!
Start Season 17 strong! Complete 17 Quick Play, Competitive, or Stadium matches from June 24–30 to score 4 Epic Loot Boxes and one guaranteed Legendary skin within. Supercharge the new season for a limited time!
New Core Gameplay Map - Aatlis
Welcome to the hub of trade and artistry: Aatlis! This stunning new flashpoint map shows off the beauty and culture of Morocco. From a high-end resort to historical artisan guilds, Aatlis has it all. And when you’re ready for your next destination, hitch a ride on Aatlis' high-tech hyperloop rail that can take you anywhere!
Hacks & Hijinx
Get ready to adapt or get steamrolled! Hacks & Hijinx mode flips the script every round with rotating match modifiers that twist gameplay in wild, unpredictable ways. From low gravity jumps to Ultimate charge granting health packs, every match demands fresh strategies and quick thinking. Hacked by 8-bit Sombra herself, who’s turned on the cheats and broken the rules for everybody, this limited-time 6v6 mode runs on Control maps only. So, embrace the chaos and remix yourOverwatch 2experience in 8-bit with Hacks & Hijinx.
Streamer Protect
Hero Updates
Developer Comments: These changes are intended to broadly increase the impact of Damage-role heroes and slightly reduce the amount of healing sustain felt in moment-to-moment gameplay.
TANK
Junker Queen
Developer Comments: Commanding Shout has been updated to provide stronger team utility and improve its overall impact. The adjustments reward well-timed use by increasing survivability for both Junker Queen and her allies. The reduced duration for Junker Queen is a double-edged sword—she doesn’t have the speed boost for as long, but the cooldown rotation is quicker since the cooldown begins once the effect ends.
Mauga
Developer Comments: Berserker’s overhealth conversion has been reverted to restore some of Mauga’s durability to a more balanced state following previous changes.
Ramattra
Developer Comments: Nanite Repair’s healing per second has been increased to enhance its consistency and overall effectiveness during the short duration of Ravenous Vortex.
Zarya
Developer Comments: Spotter and Graviton Crush receive targeted buffs to improve their effectiveness and ensure they remain viable choices alongside their counterpart perks.
DAMAGE
Bastion
Developer Comments: Bastion’s survivability is impacted by the large size of his model despite his high health and armor pool. Reducing his model and hit volume size by 10% improves his ability to avoid damage and overall balance.
Echo
Developer Comments: Reducing the spread of Echo’s Tri-Shot improves its effectiveness at range, making it a more consistent option for a highly mobile hero.
Reaper
Developer Comments: Part of the reason heroes like Reaper and Tracer had their damage reduced in the past was due to the shift to the 5v5 format—solo tanking and less frequent peeling made flanking heroes more effective—along with their strong performance on certain maps and game modes like Push and Flashpoint. This is now less of a concern with the introduction of map voting and hero bans, which help limit overperformance, so we’re restoring some of their damage potency.
Tracer
Developer Comments: Similar to Reaper, Tracer is getting back some of the damage she lost due to past format and map concerns. Looks like she’s recalled back to stronger bullets—again.
Venture
Developer Comments: This change improves Venture’s damage output by increasing fire rate, enhancing weapon consistency without increasing the lethality of their combo.
SUPPORT
Lifeweaver
Developer Comments: Successfully cleansing a debuff now reduces Life Grip’s cooldown, improving the usefulness of Cleansing Grasp when timed well.
Lúcio
Developer Comments: Lúcio plays a unique role within the support lineup, offering strong mobility and team utility. However, his healing output has been lagging behind other supports, especially with the increase in hero health pools. This change makes his passive healing more impactful and better aligned with other support heroes.
Moira
Developer Comments: We wanted to boost Moira’s overall healing output, as she doesn’t offer as much direct utility compared to other Support heroes, and we’re reducing some healing impact in this patch through the Damage role passive. We’re happy with the cadence of managing her healing resource and swapping to damage to restore it, so we opted to adjust the direct healing rather than the resource availability or a similar mechanic.
Zenyatta
Developer Comments: Duality has struggled due to the number of conditions required for activation. Increasing the converted damage improves its effectiveness when those conditions are met.
Stadium Updates
Developer Comments: After our improvements to matchmaking in Season 16, we want to give more time for players to have a fair chance to climb to the All-Star rank and earn the All-Star Juno skin. Both the All-Star Juno skin and the All-Star Mercy skin will no longer be available to earn after the end of Season 17.
D.Va
Developer Comments: After a full season of play, it’s clear that D.Va isn’t standing out as a top-tier tank pick in the current meta. While this update focuses on improving clarity and consistency, we’re keeping a close eye on her performance and have additional changes planned to help her hold her own against the fierce competition in Stadium.
Developer Comments: Shout and Chop has proven to be a highly effective combo for Junker Queen, often giving her a bit too much reliability in close-range engagements. This change is a first step toward dialing back that effectiveness, while still preserving the aggressive playstyle that makes her so satisfying to play.
Orisa
Developer Comments: These 2 items have been underperforming, lacking the stat needed to be more impactful. This update addresses that by adding item stat to them.
Reinhardt
Developer Comments: We’re shifting some power in the Fire Strike build to focus more on higher uptime of Fire Strike and Magma Strike’s Trail of Lava, while pulling back from the high single target burst that Impact Burst enabled. We’re also making some adjustments to Reinhardt’s Barrier build to make it a more compelling option and have a smoother progression curve.
Ashe
Developer Comments: Silver Spurs has been underperforming and often lacked synergy with common builds. This update improves its utility and cohesion, making it a more rewarding option that better complements a variety of playstyles. B.O.B. Jr. has proven to be a strong utility option and great for locking down control points while catching enemies off-guard with early ultimate. However, its effectiveness at holding territory became a bit too reliable. We’re adjusting its strength to bring it more in line with other options, while still retaining its strategic value.
Cassidy
Developer Comments: Cassidy’s roll-into-Fan-the-Hammer playstyle was always intended as a close-range burst option, but in practice, it was punishing enemies from ranges where they had little chance to respond. This adjustment refocuses that combo toward close-quarters encounters, where its high-risk, high-reward nature can shine without creating frustration at a distance.
Freja
Developer Comments: Freja has been struggling in Stadium since her nerfs in the core game combined with the Stadium hotfix nerfs. We’re increasing her cash gain to help her be more on par with other DPS in Stadium, and buffing Hunter’s Mark to make it a more reliable option when behind. We’re dialing back the visual noise of Lille Fælde to further reduce the frustration surrounding the power, while increasing the damage to make it a more viable option.
Genji
Developer Comments: Melee Genji builds have become very prominent, which is awesome! However, the bursty backstab build is a bit too consistent and can feel hard to interact with. We’re reducing the damage ceiling for this build but upping it’s sustain to compensate. We’re also adding a little bit more power to the Ability Power Swift strike build to make its key pieces feel a bit more impactful early on in a match. We’ll be looking at making a larger set of changes to Genji in a future update.
Mei
Developer Comments: While Avalanche was doing its job, it often created confusion for enemies where many couldn’t clearly understand why they were being slowed or where the effect was coming from. We’re shifting the focus of the power to enhance Mei’s primary fire, giving her more burst potential and rewarding players who can cage the enemy within a mini-blizzard or a blizzard. This should make the power feel more intuitive and impactful for both Mei and her opponents.
Developer Comments: This update to Reaper is primarily looking at making Ability Power Reaper a bit more reliable in the early and mid rounds. We’re reorganizing where some of the power of the build lies, as well as fixing a few interactions that were not quite working correctly. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this build as it has high snowball potential when it works. We’re also reducing the power of Wraith Renewal as it has been a consistent high performer in terms of survivability and cash gain.
Solider: 76
Developer Comments: Frontliners continues to be one of Soldier 76’s least popular options. We’re allowing the Overhealth to stack to enable more synergies with Powers that create additional Biotic Fields to allow for more build paths.
Ana
Developer Comments: Double Dosage was originally designed to support aggressive plays. We’ve redesigned it to better serve as a forward-facing tool, rewarding players who take initiative and engage directly with the enemy.
Juno
Developer Comments: Juno had a standout performance last season, with Pulsars delivering consistently high impact. For this season, we’re making targeted adjustments to slightly lower its peak output while opening up more room for build variety. The goal is to preserve her strength while encouraging a broader range of viable playstyles.
Kiriko
Developer Comments: Soothing Step was designed to be a core part of Kiriko’s ability power-focused build, enabling her to serve as a highly mobile healer. This update brings it more in line with other build options while reinforcing her role as a capable burst healer in fast-paced fights. Additionally, Self-Care has been redesigned—both to address a bug and to make its healing more accurately reflect Kiriko’s healing output.
Developer Comments: Due to the buffs to Lucio’s Crossfade Healing in the core game, we’re decoupling Crowd Pleaser’s healing from Crossfade. This will make Crowd Pleaser feel more impactful when outside of Amp It Up, while ensuring the healing during Amp It Up is within bounds. We’re also reworking Vivace to have a more specialized niche, as well as buffing Sonic Boom to enable more build options.
Developer Comments: We’re adding additional general items to help combat fliers, such as Freja and Mercy, and give more survivability options to damage centric builds, particularly against high amounts of burst. We’re also buffing up some of our situational itemization to lower the opportunity cost of purchasing them.
