Are hero bans coming to Overwatch 2? Devs begin testing

Overwatch 2’s devs revealed they were “seriously” discussing and testing hero bans in the game. Here is everything we know about the system and whether it will indeed be fully implemented.

Over the past few weeks, Overwatch 2’s devs have been open about the team’s internal discussions around experimenting with the game, including a potential return to 6v6.

Furthermore, they revealed they are looking at the idea of introducing map voting, in-game tournaments, and the all-important hero bans, which have been a point of discussion among long-time Overwatch players.

So are hero bans actually coming to the game? Here’s what we know for now.

Are hero bans coming to Overwatch 2?

Hero bans may come to Overwatch 2, but a proper implementation has yet to be announced.

Overwatch 2’s devs have long debated the idea of a hero ban system; however, according to lead hero designer Alec Dawson, this is the first time it has been “seriously” discussed.

We could see some big changes to #Overwatch2 in future 👀

Alec Dawson confirmed that the team is now discussing Hero Bans, Map Voting, and Tournaments more seriously and that they eventually want to build towards these features. pic.twitter.com/p0buHTtEmv

— Overwatch Cavalry (@OWCavalry) August 2, 2024

During an interview with Overwatch 2 streamers Flats and SVB, Dawson said that they were thinking about either improving or adding a new layer of strategic depth, and bringing in hero bans could be one of them.

However, Dawson did not mention what the ban system would look like, as Overwatch has seen two different ban systems in the past, one being a ban pool and the other being a per-map system.

Have hero bans been implemented before in Overwatch 2?

Yes, hero bans have technically been implemented for competitive Overwatch 2.

Most recently, the Esports World Cup implemented the first-ever hero ban system in Overwatch 2. Before each map, both teams got to ban one hero, meaning two heroes were off-limits for the map.

The community highly praised the system as it fostered diverse team compositions and greater strategic depth, but it was only in pro play so the results will be different when it comes to your average ranked game.

Back in Overwatch 1, the Overwatch League implemented a hero ban pool too, where several heroes were off-limits from pro play for a few weeks. The system was soon abandoned in the transition to Overwatch 2 and was never seen as a successful experiment.

When will hero bans come to Overwatch 2?

It’s unknown when or even if hero bans will ever come to Overwatch 2.

Currently, it looks like the devs are only investigating it as a way to shake up the game. However, with Quick Play: Hacked appearing every other season, don’t be too surprised if it appears in the future as a limited-time test.