Overwatch 2 is a competitive shooter where who you pick matters for your team. You may want an Overwatch 2 tier list to see who are the top picks this Season. This guide will show you who the best characters to play as in Overwatch 2.
Here is our Overwatch 2 tier list as follows for this season:
Overwatch 2 Tier List
- S-tier: Kiriko, Junker Queen, D.Va, Winston
- A-tier: Genji, Lúcio, Torbjörn, Soldier: 76, Mercy, Reinhardt
- B-tier: Zarya, Baptiste, Ana, Brigette, Reaper, Sombra, Sojourn, Doomfist, Wrecking Ball, Sigma, Widowmaker
- C-tier: Moira, Ashe, Cassidy, Zenyatta, Tracer, Roadhog, Hanzo, Mei
- D-tier: Pharah, Orisa, Bastion, Junkrat, Echo, Symmetra
There are 35 Overwatch 2 characters in total with three new faces joining us during the game’s launch. There will be more updates in the future that affect the meta of how these heroes perform that will change their place in this Overwatch 2 tier list, all heroes ranked from best to worst.
With Blizzard’s decision to change the team meta in Overwatch 2, you’ll now have to pick carefully to who you want to main in team based combat. The standard 6v6 in the previous Overwatch game has been scrapped for a less chaotic 5v5 experience. You’ll now only have 1 tank per team, 2 supports, and 2 damage heroes.
S-Tier Overwatch 2 Characters
Kiriko
Kiriko is a top tier pick in Overwatch 2 because of how greatly she outclasses other Support heroes. It’s not that they’re bad, it’s that Kiriko is just better. Not only can she heal allies, but she can clear their debuff and buff her teammates. The only trade off is that she lacks a lot of options to damage enemies.
Kiriko is a very easy to understand character and has a high mobility due being bale to climb walls and instantly teleport her to her allies which makes her incredibly difficult to kill. All of this makes Kiriko earn her spot on the top of this Overwatch 2 tier list an easy pick.
Kiriko Abilities
- Kunai
- Swift Step
- Protection Suzu
- Kitsune Rush
Read our Overwatch 2 Kiriko Guide: Abilities, How to Unlock, and Lore for a more comprehensive guide on Kiriko.
Junker Queen
Junker Queen is a tank that feeds on other’s misery as her bleed damage lets her leech life for a prolonged stay in combat. Going one-on-one with a Junker Queen is sure to result in your death because once she sinks her Jagged Blade into you, you’ll just be continuously taking damage while she heals.
While Junker Queen has been nerfed from the beta to make her a little less overpowered, she’s still someone you don’t want to go toe-to-toe with. An aggressive Junker Queen can punish you severely while only benefiting herself in the long run.
Junker Queen Abilities
- Jagged Blade
- Commanding Shout
- Carnage
- Rampage
Read our Overwatch 2 Junker Queen Abilities guide for more details on this Tank hero.
D.Va
D.Va (aka Hana Song) migrates into Overwatch 2 without much reworks. She’s still a tank and has a lot of mobility to chase down those pesky Damage heroes who keep running away. D.Va’s unique mechanic that lets her exit her mech once it takes enough damage allows her to make risks other Tanks otherwise wouldn’t do.
D.Va Abilities
- Fusion Cannons
- Defence Matrix
- Boosters
- Micro Missiles
- Eject
- Ultimate: Self-Destruct
Winston
Back in the beginning of Overwatch, Winston wasn’t really a well liked pick especially in competitive matches. Overwatch 2 carries much of the buffs Winston has received over the years and even add some more. Winston still has one of the best shields in the game and his Tesla Cannon now has an alternate fire for ranged attacks.
Winston Abilities
- Tesla Cannon
- Jump Pack
- Barrier Projector
- Ultimate: Primal Rage
A-Tier Overwatch 2 Characters
Genji
The fast mobility of Genji is simply unmatched in Overwatch 2. He may be a little difficult to get the hang of first, but his ability to deflect attacks right at the enemy squad is a natural countermeasure to most heroes like Soldier: 76 who are reliant on their projectiles.
Genji’s high burst damage makes him a perfect fit for the new 5v5 team meta. It isn’t at all strange to see him earn most eliminations in the squad due to how good he is of a pick.
Genji Abilities
- Shuriken
- Cyber-Agility
- Deflect
- Swift Strike
- Ultimate: Dragonblade
Lúcio
Lúcio stands out from the other Overwatch 2 characters due to his unique weapon that can blast enemies away while loudly playing music. He’s often a top pick for high competitive play due to his speed buff and his ability to throw enemies into falling to their instant deaths thanks to his Sonic Amplifier and that hasn’t changed in Overwatch 2.
Lúcio Abilities
- Sonic Amplifier
- Wall Ride
- Crossfade
- Amp It Up
- Soundwave
- Ultimate: Sound Barrier
Torbjörn
Torbjörn, besides being the bane of anybody trying to type his name, is also the quite possibly the only hero in the game that can kill without firing a single shot for the entire game. Those turrets of his can be placed in strategic positions, all Torbjörn has to do is watch the carnage so long as he adequately protects them. His abilities compliment Torb’s emphasis on locking down areas and controlling them from enemies.
Torbjörn Abilities
- Rivet Gun
- Forge Hammer
- Deploy Turret
- Overload
- Ultimate: Molten Core
Soldier: 76
Soldier: 76 is about as standard of a hero as most shooters can be. He’s a guy who’s essentially all soldier without any real special gimmick to make him stand out other than he’s the defacto leader of Overwatch. Soldier: 76 has guns, grenades, and rockets which would make any FPS fan feel at home.
The best part about Soldier: 76 is his biotic field which allows him to hold ground a little longer and restores health to his teammates. He’s best stationed in maps with a high ground because he’s rather limited in head-to-head team fights.
Soldier: 76 Abilities
- Heavy Pulse Rifle
- Sprint
- Biotic Field
- Helix Rockets
- Ultimate: Tactical Visor
Mercy
Ah Mercy, don’t let the memes fool you, despite the massive nerfs Blizzard seems obsessed with giving this heroine, she’s still a great Support pick. Mercy doesn’t just heal her team, she also buffs their attacks and even brings back the dead. While it can be boring to play as Mercy due to her lack of actual fighting ability, she’s often considered to be hard to kill due to her frantic airborne movement.
Mercy Abilities
- Caduceus Staff
- Caduceus Blaster
- Regeneration
- Guardian Angel
- Resurrect
- Angelic Descent
- Ultimate: Valkyrie
Reinhardt
Reinhardt has been a long time fan favorite tank by players due to his massive hammer and laser shield that makes him excellent at the practice. He’s a fairly but effective tank to use as his laser shield can be used to push forward while his hammer can swing in huge arcs knocking enemies back if they get too close. Despite his size, he’s incredibly mobile, able to close off the distance between him and enemies quickly.
Reinhardt Abilities
- Steadfast
- Rocket Hammer
- Barrier Field
- Charge
- Fire Strike
- Ultimate: Earthshatter
B-Tier Overwatch 2 Characters
Zarya
A lot of Zarya’s abilities come from that massive particle cannon she carries with those big arms. With it she can project barriers to herself and her team, that when damage convert it into energy that makes her attacks hit harder. Zarya is great for setting up enemy teams to be killed thanks to her Ultimate which forces them to stay in one place.
Zarya Abilities
- Particle Cannon
- Particle Barrier
- Projected Barrier
- Energy
- Ultimate: Graviton Surge
Baptiste
Baptiste can render his teammates immortal for a short few seconds which can be incredibly valuable in a lot of maps where team fights take place in condensed areas. Baptiste really excels in buffing his teammates during a firefight to help them push at the objectives.
Baptiste Abilities
- Biotic Launcher
- Regenerative Burst
- Exo Boots
- Immortality Field
- Ultimate: Amplification Matrix
Ana
Ana is clearly on the older side of the Overwatch 2 characters roster, but don’t be fooled. Underestimate her and you’ll be the one sleeping on her watch. Ana’s ability to heal teammates from varying distances and put enemy members to sleep make her a good support pick.
Whoever is playing Ana has a lot riding on their shoulders as putting aggressive Tanks and Damage heroes to sleep can be a turning point for her team. Also knowing when to use her Ultimate is a great way to make the most out of an offensive push.
Ana Abilities
- Biotic Rifle
- Sleep Dart
- Biotic Grenade
- Ultimate: Nano Boost
Brigitte
It may not look like it at a glance but Brigitte is actually the daughter of Torbjörn, this beauty is one of the favorite player picks back when she first came out due to her passive ability to heal teammates and stun lock enemies by bashing them with her oversized shield. You’d often see her be picked in very competitive gameplay.
In Overwatch 2, Brigitte has been slightly nerfed with her shield bash no longer stunning enemies like before. She’s still one of the better picks and a skilled Brigitte player is not someone you want to underestimate.
Brigitte Abilities
- Rocket Flail
- Inspire
- Repair Pack
- Whip Shot
- Barrier Shield
- Shield Bash
- Ultimate: Rally
Reaper
Reaper is the hero who isn’t exactly known for his personal connection with his weapons. The instant he needs to reload, he just drops the death blossom shotguns and replaces them with brand new once seemingly out of thin air.
Reaper is a hero with a simple playstyle of getting close to your enemies and blasting them for half their health bar per shot. His abilities compliment this playstyle by ensuring he always has a way to close the gap between his prey.
Reaper Abilities
- Hellfire Shotguns
- The Reaping
- Shadow Step
- Wraith Form
- Ultimate: Death Blossom
Sombra
Sombra has made some upgrades in her hacking skills in Overwatch 2. Before, she had to leave her invisibility in order to hack the enemy teams and be a nuisance. Now she’s able to remain in stealth mode and hack away without leaving her exposed.
The problem with Sombra’s hacking is that it doesn’t take away all of the enemy’s powers but only delay them for a few. You have to make the judgement call of when exactly to activate your hack. Sombra has seen the better side of the Overwatch 2 characters rework because her hack cooldown is now faster compared to before. Anyone who is hacked by her will have their location’s revealed to Sombra’s entire team.
Sombra Abilities
- Machine Pistol
- Translocator
- Stealth
- Hack
- Opportunist
- Ultimate: EMP
Sojourn
While Sojourn isn’t at all a bad pick, there’s just no reason to pick her over other heroes like Soldier: 76. While her Power Glide ability feels enticing, it clashes with how precise you need to be with her alternate fire. Sojourn doesn’t really offer any abilities that make her stand out enough to put her higher in this Overwatch 2 tier list.
Sojourn Abilities
- Railgun
- Disruptor Shot
- Power Glide
- Ultimate: Overclock
Doomfist
Doomfist wasn’t originally meant to be a tank. As a former damage hero, Doomfist has gone through some rework that lets him play toe-to-toe against others of his newly assigned class. At his core, Doomfist is a mobile melee hero who excels in hitting hard and pushing through enemy lines causing unrelenting chaos.
This makes Doomfist really good at his job due to how the enemy team is pressured to keep an eye on him. The buff to his health and his ability to block damage make him a force to be reckoned with.
Doomfist Abilities
- The Best Defense…
- Hand Cannon
- Rising Uppercut
- Seismic Slam
- Rocket Punch
- Meteor Strike
Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball is a hyper intelligent hamster in a giant mechanized ball. And when you’re rolling in a giant bowling ball with ballistic weapons, everything becomes bowling pins. Wrecking Ball is about as aggressive and chaotic as you can get with his abilities to piledrive on foes from the sky, set up minefields, and swing around like an actual wrecking ball.
- Quad Cannons
- Grappling Claw
- Roll
- Adaptive Shield
- Piledriver
- Ultimate: Minefield
Sigma
Sigma is a tank with a lot of control on gravity. He can be rather difficult for newcomers due to how complicated his abilities can be. Sigma can excel in small controlled areas but have trouble in larger ones due to how slow he feels compared to other tanks like Reinhardt.
Sigma Abilities
- Hyperspheres
- Kinetic Grasp
- Accretion
- Experimental Barrier
- Ultimate: Gravitic Flux
Widowmaker
Widowmaker is proof that Blizzard seems to have a thing against blonde snipers. Because this deadly marksman was captured, tortured, and brainwashed to kill her own husband. She’s also French and has a bitter rivalry with the very much British Tracer after her successful assassination of a beloved Shambali politician.
When you’re playing Widowmaker, you need to aim for those headshots which can be difficult in Overwatch 2 as everybody moves around like an overenergetic child. Her abilities can give Widowmaker a good vantage point while setting up traps to ensure she isn’t disturbed by some wall climbing Hanzo.
Widowmaker Abilities
- Widow’s Kiss
- Sniper Mode
- Grappling Hook
- Venom Mine
- Ultimate: Infra-Sight
C-Tier Overwatch 2 Characters
Moira
Moira is a friendly pick for beginners who want to main a Support. She can drain her enemy’s life to add to her own biotic energy and heal her teammates which essentially makes her a vampire. Moira can also quickly teleport out of trouble and heal herself which makes her quite difficult to put down.
Compared to other Supports, Moira lacks that much utility. While she can heal her team, Moira doesn’t have any buffs that improves her teams performance. Her ability to Fade is great for bailing Moira out of danger.
Moira Abilities
- Biotic Grasp
- Biotic Orb
- Fade
- Ultimate: Coalescence
Ashe
With all the fancy gimmick of other heroes, Ashe stands out as just a girl with a gun. That may not sound like much when compared to other heroes who literally have abilities to control gravity and bring people back to life, but Ashe is menacing at a distance and deadly accurate with just the iron sights of her gun. Who needs particle guns when bullets put the enemy down the same way?
With the exception of her Ultimate, Ashe is about as simple as they come. Her dynamite is great for getting past barriers if you can time shooting it out of the air. Otherwise there are other Damage heroes that can be better picks.
Ashe Abilities
- The Viper
- Coach Gun
- Dynamite
- Ultimate: B.O.B.
Cassidy
Cassidy hasn’t gone through that much rework in Overwatch 2. Except they replaced his flashbangs which stunned enemies with a sticky grenade that tracks foes before exploding.
Don’t get us wrong, Cassidy is great for dealing damage. He just doesn’t have as much compared to other Damage heroes to make him an enticing pick.
Cassidy Abilities
- Peacekeeper
- Combat Roll
- Magnetic Grenade
- Ultimate: Deadeye
Zenyatta
Zenyatta is in an odd place for a Support pick. He has more abilities leaning towards damage than healing. And for a character who looks like a Zen monk, Zenyatta can sure beat people up and maximize the pain. Maybe the greatest deterrence to violence is even more violence?
As a Support, Zenyatta helps his teammates deal more damage than healing them. When his orbs attach themselves to enemies, they take more damage when they’re hit. He can still heal, but there are better Support for than Zenyatta for that.
Zenyatta Abilities
- Orb of Destruction
- Orb of Discord
- Orb of Harmony
- Ultimate: Transcendence
Tracer
Tracer is the poster girl of Overwatch who’s practically in every cover of the game. This perky British girl isn’t bound by conventional means of time, being able to go back a few seconds to shave off some taken damage. However don’t take your time when facing against enemies head on, because Tracer’s lower health pool means that she’s rather squishy.
The thing with Tracer is that most of her offense really matter up close, which puts her in a vulnerable spot due to how quickly she can die. The risky gameplay means that she’ll be a rare pick in the Overwatch 2 characters roster.
Tracer Abilities
- Pulse Pistols
- Blink
- Recall
- Ultimate: Pulse Bomb
Roadhog
Known for being the big guy with the gasmask, Roadhog is really a softie wanting to get close to you with his hook. This tank excels in close quarters combat and dragging enemies out of their comfort zones. You can even drag them below the map which has become somewhat amusing.
While Roadhog is fun to play as, he’s rather difficult to recommend as a tank. Without any shielding and the lack of a fellow tank, Roadhog doesn’t have any versatility to carry those 5v5 fights.
Roadhog Abilities
- Scrap Gun
- Chain Hook
- Take a Breather
- Ultimate: Whole Hog
Hanzo
Hanzo puts a lot of stress in his ability to move around. He can climb through walls and dash through the air to dodge attacks or get to advantageous positions. However the best reason to pick him is that his bow does a lot of damage to headshots. Unless you’re able to consistently pull those off, Hanzo can be a tough choice to pick especially compared to other Damage heroes.
Hanzo Abilities
- Storm Bow
- Storm Arrows
- Sonic Arrow
- Lunge
- Wall Climb
- Ultimate: Dragonstrike
Mei
Mei can be one of the most divisive heroes in the game. She can either help control areas by blocking the enemies’ path or be a complete pest to her own teammates by stopping their paths. Mei is a hero who can literally freeze on the spot to protect her against enemy attacks.
The abilities of Mei make her rather situational and she’s best used to cut off enemies from pushing or isolate an area. For a Damage hero, she’s more of a defensive pick which is a playstyle that isn’t going to be very viable in Overwatch 2 except in certain scenarios.
Mei Abilities
- Endothermic Blaster
- Secondary Fire: Icicle
- Cryo-Freeze
- Ice Wall
- Ultimate: Blizzard
D-Tier Overwatch 2 Characters
Pharah
When playing as Pharah, you’re essentially doing three things at the same time. You have to manage your jet pack fuel, mowing down foes with rockets down below, and dodging enemy attacks heading your way. You’ll have to keep a safe distance between Pharah and her rockets as she does take damage from her own explosives.
Pharah Abilities
- Rocket Launcher
- Hover Jets
- Jump Jet
- Concussive Blast
- Ultimate: Barrage
Orisa
Orisa has seen some rework in Overwatch 2 turning her into a tank that can stun enemies using her spear. Of course you may find it a challenge to play as her due to her slow movement speed compared to the other tanks, however she can take a lot of damage and her ability to throw back and stun enemies can be more than worth the payoff.
The problem is that Orisa is suited to taking out teams who are scrunched up together. This makes Orisa a great tank in maps where areas are more condensed. Her abilities just aren’t as great as other Tanks even with the rework.
Orisa Abilities
- Augmented Fusion Driver
- Energy Javelin
- Fortify
- Javelin Spin
- Ultimate: Terra Surge
Bastion
Bastion has some underwent some upgrades in Overwatch 2. Previously, he was an immobile turret constantly firing bullets at a fixed position. He’s a turret here, but this time he’s been fitted with wheels that allow him to move for a small distance at a time. Bastion can also bombard in a artillery on enemy positions.
Bastion Abilities
- Configuration: Recon
- Configuration: Assault
- A-35 Tactical Grenade
- Reconfigure
- Ultimate: Configuration: Artillery
Junkrat
Junkrat is defined by his love for explosives. Almost everyone single one of his abilities are to some extent a bomb. Even when he’s killed, he drops a few grenades as a last gift to his enemies. What’s impressive is his self immunity to his own explosives that other heroes don’t have.
Junkrat just doesn’t do much splash damage with those explosions enough to justify picking him for competitive play. Considering how easily exposed he can be to other Damage heroes, Junkrat lacks the survivability to make him enticing to play as.
Junkrat Abilities
- Frag Launcher
- Concussion Mine
- Steel Trap
- Total Mayhem
- Ultimate: Rip-tire
Echo
Echo is yet another robot created by the illustrious Dr. Mina Lao, who was partly responsible for humanity’s war on Omnics having created the latter. Echo’s most notable feature is her ability to morph into an enemy hero and steal their abilities. For this reason, she isn’t friendly to newcomers because it requires a profound knowledge on the Overwatch 2 characters list.
Echo Abilities
- Tri-Shot
- Sticky Bombs
- Flight
- Focusing Beam
- Glide
- Ultimate: Duplicate
Symmetra
Symmetra has changed drastically from her original debut in Overwatch. In Overwatch 2, Symmetra now has her photon projector beams stay up longer the more it hits enemies and their shields unlike before where it was tracker. Her ultimate has been replaced with a Photon Barrier that walls the environment into two.
The problem is that Symmetra is a weak pick and she’s better off with her original abilities. Her Photo Barrier is great for blocking projectiles which puts any Hanzo and Widowmaker at bay, but it can be easily ignored if enemies were to just walk through it. Her Sentry Turret is great in tight maps but are easily shot down. It’s not that Symmetra has no place in the Overwatch 2 roster, it’s just that at her current stage makes her the lowest pick in this Overwatch 2 tier list.
Symmetra Abilities
- Photon Projector
- Sentry Turret
- Teleporter
- Ultimate: Photon Barrier
That’s our complete Overwatch 2 tier list. We hope you found this article to be informative. Check out our other Overwatch 2 content for more.
- Overwatch 2 PC System Requirements: Minimum & Recommended Specs
- Overwatch 2 Game Modes
- Overwatch 2 Cross Progression Confirmed and Explained
Check out this Youtube video from Warn who ranks every Overwatch 2 characters including the new ones.
