Blizzard Releases Overwatch 2 Stadium Mode Gameplay Trailer, Teases Fast-Paced 5v5 Rounds

Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 Stadium mode is set to launch with Season 16 on April 22. It’s basically a 5v5 competitive mode with a best-of-seven format, blending fast-paced rounds with strategic depth.

Players can choose one hero per match (no swapping) and stick with them, but you can customize their abilities using an in-game currency called Stadium Cash. You earn this through eliminations, assists, damage, or healing, starting with 3,000 coins each round.

Between rounds, you visit the Armory to buy Items (like stat boosts for health, cooldowns, or damage) and Powers (Reinhardt’s Fire Strike leaving lava trails, Reaper flying in Wraith Form, etc.). Some powers are free at the start of rounds 1, 3, 5, and 7.

Unlike traditional Overwatch, Stadium defaults to a third-person camera (first-person is optional), letting you see your hero’s skins and the battlefield differently. It features nine maps with tweaked versions of Control, Push, and Clash modes. Some maps are new, others are modified classics, with unique rules like faster captures or shorter push distances.

At launch, 17 of the 43 heroes are playable, with more added each season. Teams follow a 1 Tank, 2 Damage, 2 Support composition. Stadium even has its own ranked leagues (Rookie to Legend) with exclusive rewards, like Epic skins for hitting Elite Rank or an All-Star Juno skin for Season 16’s All-Star League.