Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled an exciting roadmap for Overwatch 2's Stadium mode, detailing the heroes and features planned for Season 17, Season 18, Season 19, and beyond in 2025. In a comprehensive Director’s Take blog post, game director Aaron Keller shared insights into the mode's past, present, and future, along with a surprise summer roadmap now that Stadium has been live for just over a week.

The Stadium mode will see a significant expansion starting with the mid-season patch for Season 16, introducing the new Damage hero, Freja. The real excitement kicks off in Season 17 in June, where Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta will join the roster, accompanied by the Esperança Push map and Samoa Control map. This season will also see the addition of Unranked Crossplay, new all-star rewards, custom games, example builds, and the ability to save and share builds.

Season 18 will bring the beloved gorilla hero Winston, along with Sojourn and Brigitte, to Stadium. New maps, Route 66 and London, will be added, and a Payload Race game mode will debut with two new maps and a Stadium trials feature. Players will also gain the ability to Endorse their teammates.

Looking further ahead, Season 19 and beyond promise the addition of a new China map, a Draft Mode feature, consumables, and item system tweaks. Blizzard assures fans that multiple new heroes, both from the existing roster and yet-to-be-revealed characters, will be introduced each season.

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

How has Stadium Performed so Far?

Stadium has quickly become the most popular mode in Overwatch 2, surpassing both Quick Play and Competitive. During its launch week, it saw an impressive 2.3 million matches played over 7.8 million hours. This performance is over double what was seen during Overwatch Classic’s launch week. Notably, Lucio stands out with the highest win rate yet the lowest pick rate, and players have collectively spent 900 billion Stadium Cash on 206 million items for their builds.

In his Director’s Take, Aaron Keller clarified that Stadium was in development before Overwatch 2's launch, debunking theories that it was created to compete with Marvel Rivals, which launched in December 2024. He promised ongoing communication and more insights into Stadium in the following week. Despite Stadium's popularity, Blizzard remains committed to maintaining the core experiences of Quick Play and Competitive.

“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, especially in Season 18. It's going to be a banger! Have fun with Stadium and, as always, let’s make a great game.”

Overwatch 2 introduced Stadium with the launch of Season 16 last week as part of Blizzard’s efforts to reinvigorate its player base. This initiative began with an all-encompassing Spotlight presentation in February, leading to the return of loot boxes and an improved Steam rating, as players celebrate what some feel is the best Overwatch experience fans have seen in years.

While awaiting more updates, players 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.