Blizzard Entertainment has recently revealed an exciting roadmap for Overwatch 2 Stadium, outlining the heroes and features slated for Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond in 2025. In a comprehensive Director's Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller delves into the past, present, and future of this new mode, providing insights into its origins and performance since its launch just over a week ago.

The rollout for Stadium continues with the introduction of the new Damage hero, Freja, during a mid-season patch for Season 16. However, it's Season 17, set to launch in June, that promises to elevate the experience. This season will see the addition of Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta to the roster, accompanied by the new Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map. Blizzard plans to enhance the mode further with features like 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 additions will be available at the start of Season 17 or rolled out throughout the season, the anticipation is palpable.

Moving into Season 18, players can look forward to the inclusion of Winston, Sojourn, and Brigitte as playable characters. This season will also introduce the Route 66 and London maps, along with a new Payload Race game mode featuring two new maps. Additionally, a Stadium trials feature and the option to Endorse teammates will be implemented, adding more depth to the gameplay experience.

Blizzard has committed to adding "multiple new heroes" to Stadium each season, drawing from both the existing Overwatch 2 roster and new, unrevealed characters. Looking ahead to Season 19 and beyond, a new China map and a Draft Mode feature are on the horizon, along with consumables, item system tweaks, and other enhancements.

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

How has Stadium Performed so Far?

The Overwatch 2 team has shared impressive statistics on Stadium's performance, revealing that it has quickly become the most played mode in the game. During its launch week, Stadium saw 2.3 million matches played over 7.8 million hours, surpassing the engagement seen with Quick Play and Competitive modes. This represents more than double the activity observed during Overwatch Classic's launch week. Notably, Lucio has emerged as the hero with the highest win rate yet the lowest pick rate, while players have spent a staggering 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.

In his Director's Take, Aaron Keller clarified that Stadium's development began before Overwatch 2's launch, dispelling rumors that it was created in response to Marvel Rivals, which debuted in December 2024. Keller emphasized Blizzard's ongoing commitment to transparent communication, promising more insights into Stadium in the coming week. He also reassured fans that while Stadium has been a significant addition, Blizzard remains dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the core Quick Play and Competitive experiences.

Keller concluded by reiterating the team's dedication to Overwatch's core modes, stating, "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, as part of Blizzard's broader efforts to revitalize the player base. This initiative began with an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February, leading to the reintroduction 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.