Following the launch of its first season, the shooter has seen a massive surge in players, more than doubling its previous Steam record. During the major relaunch, the game reached 165,000 concurrent players on Steam, compared to its 75,000 peak when it first arrived on the platform in September 2023. A month later that number dropped to 34,000, and in January 2026 the peak stood at 42,000.
Blizzard has announced a new era for Overwatch and removed the 2 from the title. The developers introduced a year long storyline, with year one titled The Reign of Talon, where the villainous organization has taken over the world.
At the start of the season, five new heroes were added at once: Domina, Emre, Mizuki, Andra and Jetpack Cat. Going forward, one new hero will arrive roughly every two months across the remaining five seasons. This pace is significantly faster than before and brings Overwatch closer to its competitor Marvel Rivals, which releases new heroes monthly. For now, Overwatch has even surpassed Rivals on Steam in terms of player numbers.
It is worth noting that the original Steam launch was rocky. The game faced heavy criticism and currently holds just 27 percent positive reviews on the platform. The backlash stemmed from the cancellation of the promised PvE mode, the controversial Overwatch 2 launch, monetization changes and technical issues.
It is still only day one of the update, so the long term outlook remains uncertain. However, such a strong resurgence nearly a decade after the original release suggests that the new direction is resonating with players.
Overwatch remains one of the pioneers of the hero shooter genre over the past ten years. Despite many competitors attempting to replicate its success, only a few have come close. Even if the game is past its absolute prime, this overhaul represents a meaningful step in the right direction and a moment Blizzard can celebrate.
As a reminder, Epic Games expands anti-cheat measures at Fortnite tournaments.