Hero shooters have been locked into healthy competition ever since the release of Marvel Rivals, but none have improved more than Overwatch, which has gone through serious changes. Beyond just dropping the “2” in its name, Overwatch is almost re-launching the entire game, introducing tons of new features and changes to recapture its original magic. Based on positive fan reactions, Overwatch‘s renewed direction has the potential to make up for its bad reputation in recent years.
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February 10, 2026, saw Overwatch almost restart its in-game content through the launch of the Reign of Talon series of Seasons for the year. With Season 1: Conquest, Overwatch plans to launch multiple Seasons in 2026, with each featuring frequent balance patches, new characters, big events, and other features similar to Marvel Rivals‘s seasonal updates. To get things started, Overwatch hit the ground running, adding perhaps the most content the game has seen at once in the last six years.
Overwatch’s Reign Of Talon Update Has Brought Players Back In Record Numbers
The release of five new characters for Overwatch kickstarted its revival, including truly unique heroes like the Support Jetpack Cat, the Tank Domina, and the Halo-adjacent Emre in the Damage side of the roster. These heroes were the main attraction to the Reign of Talon update, drawing in record numbers of players on Steam alone. Over 165,000 players logged onto Overwatch again, marking the largest number of players on the PC platform the game has ever had.
In a lot of ways, Overwatch feels like it did at its peak back in 2016/2017, when the hero shooter dominated online spaces to the point where it won Game of the Year. Battle.net and console numbers are also abnormally high, showing that many players are willing to try not only the new characters, but also new modes. With a positive reception to the game’s balance patch from veteran players as well, a lot of records are being broken that Overwatch 2 was never able to reach.
It helps that each new hero is incredibly fresh compared to the last few characters added to Overwatch. The MOBA-like Stadium mode also contributes to Overwatch‘s revival, giving players a mode where they can create builds for certain characters in a unique, third-person style of 5v5 matches. With the promise of more short stories, high-quality story animations, and a cohesive narrative that lasts all Season, it’s safe to assume that Overwatch is here to stay for quite some time.
Marvel Rivals’ Latest Patch Notes Have Frustrated Fans, Sending Some To Overwatch Again
Almost acting as a complete contrast, Marvel Rivals has seen a steady decline in its player base, in no small part due to its recent balance changes. While the inclusion of characters like Deadpool in every role and Elsa Bloodstone as a fascinating new Duelist, the game’s “meta” has seen very little changes over the course of Season 6. The Season 6.5 balance patch did little to adjust some characters the Marvel Rivals community considers “broken,” including faces like Gambit or Hela.
Balance changes have not been totally absent, though, with plenty of character buffs satisfying players in Marvel Rivals. However, the lack of another patch until late March 2026 has seen some fans shift back over to Overwatch following its huge update. The competition between the two games once saw Marvel Rivals clearly on top since its launch, so this shift back is somewhat surprising. Thankfully, healthy back-and-forth between these hero shooters are bound to make them better.
The Promise Of 10 New Characters, Story Content, & Faction Choices May Bring Back Overwatch’s Glory Days
The remarkable part of Overwatch‘s update is that it is only the beginning, as the developers behind the game have promised at least six Seasons of content throughout 2026. This includes five more characters at various points, with character animations and side stories to accompany them. This extra emphasis on the broad lore of Overwatch was something the game originally did with characters like Doomfist to hype them up, making characters interested to play them before they ever released.
Other features make Overwatch enticing too, such as the choice between factions during the Reign of Talon Season. When you log into the game, you can choose to side with Talon or Overwatch, gaining missions to help either side as you participate in matches. This type of narrative approach adds to the story of the game, giving players a reason to stay invested similar to how Helldivers 2 approaches its immersion. These “Meta Events” in Overwatch come with special rewards too, giving players plenty of incentive to engage with the faction systems.
Many other smaller quality-of-life changes truly gives the hero shooter a new coat of paint in 2026 as well. From UI/UX overhauls, additional sound and music controls, player endorsements at the end of matches, and a Switch 2 port, Overwatch is in a great place right now, challenging Marvel Rivals for the first time since the comic hero shooter launched.
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