The current Overwatch 2 season is Reign of Talon – Season 5: A Grim Doctrine, running since 6 October 2026. It added the new support hero Doctrine, the Escort map Watchpoint: Grímsvötn, moved Sombra to the Support role, reworked Roadhog and brought a Halloween event that lasts until 2 November 2026. Since February 2026 the game is officially called just Overwatch and seasons are numbered from one again, which is why it is “Season 5”, not “Season 25”. Blizzard has not announced when the season ends. Status as of 20 October 2026.
Season 5 at a glance
2026 is the “Reign of Talon” story year in Overwatch, and Blizzard calls Season 5 its final chapter. It started on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 Pacific Time (PT). Blizzard’s announcements do not say how long it will run or what comes next, so we do not guess.
| What | New in Season 5 |
|---|---|
| New hero | Doctrine (Support) |
| New map | Watchpoint: Grímsvötn (Escort) |
| Role change | Sombra moved from Damage to Support |
| Rework | Roadhog |
| Event | Mystery Madness: Graveyard Games (6 October – 2 November 2026) |
| Battle Pass | Unvaulted Battle Passes |
| Mythic | Dragon Shaoxia Wuyang, Treblemaker Mythic weapon skin for Lúcio |
New hero: Doctrine
Doctrine is a Support. The main weapon is the Eternal Scepter, which heals allies and damages enemies at medium to long range. Doctrine also deploys mechanical drones that heal allies and speed up their attacks, and the Infuse ability empowers abilities.
Doctrine’s ultimate grants allies Overhealth and reduces the maximum health of enemies. To see how roles and sub-roles fit together, read our beginner’s guide.
New map: Watchpoint: Grímsvötn
The new map Watchpoint: Grímsvötn is set in Iceland and is an Escort map. According to Blizzard, it is the first new Escort map since Overwatch 2 launched.
Sombra as Support and a new Roadhog
The biggest roster change is Sombra. She moved from Damage to Support and belongs to the Tactician sub-role. Her Hotfix now heals allies, and Cyberspace heals and applies Weaken to enemies.
The tank Roadhog was reworked too. He got the Scrap Gun weapon and a new ability called Trash Compactor.
A hotfix on 13 October 2026 then adjusted Doctrine, Sombra, Roadhog, Kiriko and D.Mon. You will find the exact changes in the official patch notes.
Halloween: Mystery Madness until 2 November
From 6 October to 2 November 2026 the Halloween event Mystery Madness: Graveyard Games runs in Arcade. You get a random hero and new abilities every time you die. It is played 5v5 in Open Queue with a 1-2-2 setup, on Control maps as a Best-of-3.
Shadow Monarch has ended
The Overwatch x Shadow Monarch collaboration with Solo Leveling ran from 6 to 19 October 2026 and brought skins for Genji, Reaper, Anran, Reinhardt and Lifeweaver. As of 20 October 2026 it is over.
Battle Pass and Unvaulted Passes
Since Season 4, the Battle Pass has 80 tiers split into shorter “tracks”, and you choose the order in which you complete them. The Premium Battle Pass also includes one Tier Hack, which lets you swap a Legendary skin for another one from the selection.
New in Season 5 are Unvaulted Battle Passes. Next to the current Battle Pass you progress one older pass from Season 1–15 at the same time. Progress carries over and the Unvaulted Pass stays on your account permanently. They do not include Overwatch Coins, XP Boosts, Mythic Prisms, Prestige Titles or Mythic skins.
The season’s Mythic skin is Dragon Shaoxia Wuyang, and Lúcio got his first Mythic weapon skin, Treblemaker.
What the Season 5 bundles cost
On 20 October 2026 the Czech Steam store listed these bundles:
- Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle 2026: Season 5 – €39.99: Premium Battle Pass + 20 tiers, 2 Legendary skins and 2,000 Overwatch Coins.
- Starter Pack 2026: Season 5 – €9.99: 1,000 Overwatch Coins and the Haunted Emre skin.
We do not list the price of the Premium Battle Pass alone in Overwatch Coins, because Blizzard does not confirm it in the sources we use. What is free and what costs money is covered in our guide on whether Overwatch is free.
All 2026 seasons
| Season | Name | Start |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Conquest | 10 February 2026 |
| Season 2 | Summit | 14 April 2026 |
| Season 3 | Into the Tiger’s Den | 16 June 2026 |
| Season 4 | Heroes of Busan | 11 August 2026 |
| Season 5 | A Grim Doctrine | 6 October 2026 |
Season 4 brought, among other things, the tank hero D.Mon and the Emerald rank. Our ranked guide explains how climbing works. You can read the full season announcement on Blizzard’s website.
Join our Discord, where we talk about every new season and team up for the Halloween event: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
Reign of Talon – Season 5: A Grim Doctrine started on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 Pacific Time.
As of 20 October 2026 Blizzard has not announced the end date of Season 5. Blizzard calls it the final chapter of the Reign of Talon year.
Doctrine, a new Support who heals allies and damages enemies with the Eternal Scepter, uses mechanical drones and has an ultimate that gives allies Overhealth.
Since 10 February 2026 the game is called just Overwatch and seasons are numbered from one again. The last season under the old numbering was Season 20: Vendetta.
Mystery Madness: Graveyard Games runs from 6 October to 2 November 2026.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More guides are in our Overwatch 2 guides.