Overwatch 2021 Anniversary event now live: new challenges, cosmetics & more

Overwatch’s fifth Anniversary event is now live, and practically every skin and cosmetic from the past is back to collect, but let’s take a look at what’s brand new for 2021.

When it comes to seasonal events in Overwatch, Anniversary is basically the big daddy of them all. Not only is it a pure celebration of the game we love and its heroes, but every single skin and cosmetic from previous events is also able to be unlocked during the three weeks it’s going on.

That means we can finally unlock D.Va’s Shin-Ryeong Halloween skin after missing out last year, and Genji mains can grab his Bushi Samurai skin from Archives if they somehow didn’t get it then. In addition to this Hero Gallery catchup opportunity, there’s also brand new skins, and weekly challenges on offer.

Overwatch Anniversary 2021 new cosmetics & challenges

There are X brand new Legendary skins and as always three new Epics available only during the weekly challenges, so don’t forget to log on and win a total of nine games to unlock them before they’re gone, because you won’t get another chance.

Before the event got going we saw new skins previewed for Baptiste, Moira, and Sombra, and once things went live Blizzard revealed new skins for heroes like x, x, and x, among others.

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The weekly challenges work differently this event than in the past. Instead of winning games, you simply have to play games, but the amount has gone way up. Instead of 3-6-9 wins for the icon, spray, and skin, it’s now 9-18-27 played games for the same.

Wins count as two games towards this total, but this will probably make unlocking the exclusive weekly skins take longer than it has in the past.

Overwatch 2021 Anniversary update patch notes

Along with the new event Blizzard also released a new set of patch notes. Other than setting Anniversary 2021 live, it also fixes a number of bugs and makes some extra OWL skins available to those who have earned them already.

• Read More: Overwatch fans rave over Funky Baptiste Anniversary skin and find possible crossover link

The full patch notes can be found below, and we’ll see you in Overwatch for Anniversary 2021:

Overwatch Retail Patch Notes – May 18, 2021

Overwatch Anniversary 2021

We’re celebrating Overwatch’s fifth anniversary with brand new items, including Legendary skins like Funky Baptiste, Venus Moira, Junkfood Junkrat, and more! Participate in the weekly anniversary Challenges for even more amazing rewards, such as Cybermedic Ana, Bird of Paradise Echo, and the 8 Ball Wrecking Ball skin.

If you missed any Overwatch events from the previous years, you’ll be able to unlock items from past events using credits or by opening Loot Boxes. Every day, we’ll feature a set of your favorite seasonal brawls in the Arcade.

Thank you for playing Overwatch with us for half a decade. We can’t wait to show you what we have in store for Overwatch 2!

GENERAL UPDATES

Feature Update: Nameplate Voice Icons

Nameplates now indicate which teammates are speaking in Team or Group voice chat channels. This feature is also available for Match voice chat channels when enabled in Custom Games. The voice icon color will match the color of the voice chat channel players are speaking in.

Overwatch League Away (White) Skins

Players who have previously earned a hero’s Overwatch League Home (Gray) skin through historical promotions will now be automatically granted that hero’s corresponding Overwatch League Away (White) skin.

COMPETITIVE UPDATES

• Competitive Deathmatch Season 4 has begun! Now through June 8th, 2021, compete in Competitive 8-player free for all Deathmatch to earn a rank and rewards.

BUG FIXES

General

• Fixed a bug that prevented players from being selected on the player list within the replay controls when using a mouse
• Fixed a bug with team composition tips appearing on hero select in non-Role-Queue 6v6 game modes
• Fixed a bug that prevented Hero Select from opening properly on Horizon Lunar Colony under specific circumstances
• Fixed a bug that caused some heroes to not restore their ability charges immediately after respawning
• Fixed a bug that caused voice lines found in Loot Boxes to not play their waveforms when inspected

MAPS

Hanamura

• Fixed a bug that caused players to become stuck on top of some map geometry

Nepal

• Fixed a bug that allowed players to stand on top of the bell

Oasis

• Updated a location to no longer be reachable by players

Heroes

Baptiste

• Fixed a bug that allowed phased out teammates to be healed by Baptiste’s Biotic Launcher
• Fixed a bug that caused the lingering aura of an expired Immortality Field to remain on a player who leaves the expired field’s area of effect

Junkrat

• Fixed a bug that caused Junkrat’s RIP-Tire to teleport to the floor if his ultimate is triggered from a high ledge
• Fixed a bug that caused the default RIP-Tire portrait to appear when equipping specific skins

Roadhog

• Fixed a bug that caused Toxic Roadhog’s hook to flicker on low settings