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How to unlock all the heroes and characters in Overwatch 2?

New to Overwatch 2? Here’s everything you need to know about how you can unlock all the Overwatch 2 heroes at launch and in the future

Overwatch 2 unlock heroes: an image of a cyberpunk Kiriko skin

Overwatch 2 is finally here and we can’t wait to jump into our first game of this evolved hero shooter with all the new Overwatch 2 heroes to choose from. If you’re a new player, though, you’re going to be met with a slightly different experience when compared to what returning Overwatch 1 players will find when they boot up the game. But, with the news that Blizzard has confirmed that all the new Overwatch 2 heroes will be free to unlock, we have everything you need to know about how to unlock all the heroes in Overwatch 2 when you jump in.

Now, you might have already spotted it, but we’ve chosen our words very carefully there. If you’re wondering why you need to know how to unlock all the heroes in Overwatch 2 as a new player, it’s because of a new First Time User Experience being introduced by Blizzard. This experience is going to offer new players a gradual onboarding experience with limited access to heroes and game modes for several games.

However, this isn’t going to last forever. So, you don’t have to worry about missing out for too long. We have everything you need to know about unlocking all the Overwatch 2 heroes below – both new and returning.

Overwatch 2 how to unlock all heroes and characters

All the base characters and heroes in Overwatch 2 will be unlocked “over the course of approximately 100 matches” as confirmed by Blizzard in a blog post. Newly-added Overwatch 2 characters like Kiriko in Season 1 and future seasons can be unlocked instantly with the Premium battle pass or at rank 55 for those who don’t upgrade.

The base heroes in Overwatch 2 include everyone from the original game, as well as Junker Queen and Sojourn. With 34 characters making up that list, it means you will get a character roughly every 3-5 matches, providing a pool of them are unlocked initially when starting the game. You can see the starting roster here.

We don’t know exact details when it comes to unlocking specific characters in-game, as in whether you will need to complete specific challenges or meet requirements or if a new hero is unlocked after a number of games We will update this guide with the latest information once we jump in, however.

With this info on how to unlock all heroes in Overwatch 2, you should have the knowledge to jump in and begin ranking up your battle pass or exploring some of the new looks for Overwatch 2’s characters. In addition, why not check out everything we know about all the Overwatch 2 maps available in the sequel as well?