Overwatch 2 Season 9 release date, rank changes, Cowboy Bebop crossover & more
Written by
Last updated
8th Feb 2024 11:04
Season 9 of Overwatch 2 is just around the corner, so here's everything you can expect from the upcoming season of the game.
Every new season of Overwatch 2 offers something new, whether it’s new heroes or tweaks and updates that affect the overarching gameplay of the free-to-play shooter - and Season 9 is no exception. There's no new hero this time, but it still looks to have some substantial updates, especially for competitive players.
When does Overwatch 2 Season 9 begin?
Season 9 of Overwatch 2 begins on February 13th, 2024, coinciding with the conclusion of Season 8. So, for players eager to start diving in and seeing what the season has in store, there’s not much longer to wait.
The new Season will be called "Champions", and introduces new ranked changes, a co-op event mode called Cosmic Crisis and new cosmetics, as well as some major gameplay updates.
What's new in Overwatch 2 Season 9?
Click to enlargeBlizzard will be implementing a full ranked reset for all players, and there's a new top rank above Grandmaster called Champion. Players can now track their progress and earn new Jade Weapons for their characters.
A new co-op mode called Cosmic Crisis has been added in Season 9 too. A strange alien creature is inhabiting Earth and you'll have to team up to stop it.
Moira is receiving a new Mythic skin, Ancient Caller Moira, in the Season 9 battle pass. There's also a set of new skins for Bastion, Torbjorn, Winston, Mei, Widowmaker and more.
Curiously, the trailer also teases a Cowboy Bebop crossover at the end. We're not sure what this actually is yet, but I'm pretty excited!
Self-healing in Overwatch 2
While we won’t see a new hero in Season 9 as Mauga joined the ever-growing roster of Heroes in the previous season of Overwatch 2, there are still new gameplay tweaks to expect, including the new passive-healing feature for all heroes in the game.
In a Director’s Take post, Aaron Keller, the Game Director of Overwatch 2, described the new self-healing passive for Damage and Tank heroes as a way that sees “individual players now have more control of their own health pool”.
That’s it for our overview of Season 9 of Overwatch 2, including the release date and the new ranked and self-healing features you can expect to see soon.
If you’re on the hunt for more Overwatch 2 guides, be sure to check out our Overwatch 2 homepage where you’ll find guides on every hero including Moira, Sombra and Tracer.
