When does Overwatch season 30 start? Everything we know

The next competitive season in Overwatch’s ranked mode is right around the corner, as Season 30’s official start date nears. 

Competitive Overwatch runs in a cycle, with each lasting two months and no break in between seasons. This allows for players to never miss a beat, but also provides them with milestones throughout the year to track their ranked progress, for better or for worse.

With Season 29 bringing a meta that remained mostly consistent throughout its lifespan due to the lack of major patch notes, there is always a chance that 30 will bring about its own marquee meta and dominant characters to go along with it. Many players in S29 – especially at lower ranks – took time to celebrate one of the game’s most signature compositions: the Pirate Ship. Fans can thank developers for this, as Bastion’s Pirate Ship skin was released during this season to pay homage to the composition.

Overwatch Competitive Season 30 start date

Season 30 gets underway, officially, on September 2, 2021. This usually takes place around the middle of the afternoon for US players but tends to vary slightly season-to-season. While there has been no official celebration for Overwatch’s 30th Competitive season announced, it is a milestone for the five-year-old hero shooter.

This season also falls nearly right in line with the Overwatch League’s postseason, which has just had its own adjustments to make due to the ongoing situation with the global health situation affecting travelers. While dates for the actual playoffs are still up in the air, there has been confirmation that play-ins for the OWL postseason will begin on September 4, just two days after the start of the ranked season.

• Read More: Overwatch 2 release date aiming for before Summer 2022: Sources

How this will affect ranked players’ perception of the meta is yet to be decided, considering the OWL postseason will take place on patch 1.63, which is the most recent patch having been released on August 11, 2021. With almost a month since a new update, there may be one lurking in the shadows of the Overwatch development team that would shake up Season 30. Or, maybe there won’t be.

One thing that will likely be introduced, despite it not having an effect on the ranked system, is the new Deathmatch map, Malevento. The new map currently remains on the PTR, however, if it follows the usual cycle, it should hit live servers sometime in early September.

• Read More: How many people play Overwatch? Player count tracker (2021)

With all of this ahead, be sure to get the most out of what is left of Season 29 and claim those last few SR points before the reset comes on September 2. Whether chasing a new peak rank or climbing out of ELO hell, just about everyone has a reason to play before the slates are wiped clean and season 30 begins.