Blizzard Keeps Its Fans in the Loop With Overwatch 2 Stadium Summer Roadmap

Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled an exciting roadmap for Overwatch 2's Stadium mode, set to roll out new heroes and features throughout 2025. This roadmap spans Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond, promising a dynamic evolution of the mode that has already captured the attention of the Overwatch community.

In a detailed Director’s Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller shared insights into the past, present, and future of Stadium. The mode, which launched with Season 16, has been a surprising success, prompting Blizzard to release a summer roadmap just over a week after its debut.

Starting with a mid-season patch in Season 16, the Damage hero Freja will join Stadium's roster. However, the real excitement begins in Season 17 in June, where Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta will be added to the mode, alongside the Esperança Push and Samoa Control maps. This season will also introduce Unranked Crossplay, new rewards, custom games, example builds, and the ability to save and share builds, enhancing the strategic depth of Stadium.

Moving into Season 18, players can look forward to Winston, Sojourn, and Brigitte joining the fray, accompanied by the Route 66 and London maps. A new Payload Race game mode will be introduced, complete with two new maps, a Stadium trials feature, and the ability to endorse teammates, fostering a more collaborative environment.

Blizzard's commitment to Stadium extends into Season 19 and beyond, with plans to add multiple new heroes, including both existing and unreleased characters. A new China map is in the works, along with a Draft Mode, consumables, and tweaks to the item system, promising to keep the mode fresh and engaging.

Overwatch 2 Stadium summer 2025 roadmap. Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.

How has Stadium Performed so Far?

Stadium has quickly become Overwatch 2's most popular mode, outpacing Quick Play and Competitive. During its launch week, it saw an impressive 2.3 million matches played over 7.8 million hours. These numbers are more than double those seen during the launch week of Overwatch Classic. Notably, Lucio has emerged as the hero with both the highest win rate and the lowest pick rate, and players have spent a staggering 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.

Keller's blog post also clarifies that Stadium was in development before Overwatch 2 launched, dispelling rumors that it was created in response to Marvel Rivals, which debuted in December 2024. Looking ahead, Blizzard plans to maintain open communication with the community, promising more insights into Stadium next week.

Despite Stadium's popularity, Blizzard remains dedicated to the core experiences of Overwatch, including Quick Play and Competitive modes. Keller emphasizes that Stadium is not competing for resources but rather providing new avenues to experience Overwatch in an exciting way.

"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.”

Stadium was introduced with the launch of Season 16 last week, part of Blizzard's broader efforts to reinvigorate its player base. These efforts 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.