‘Overwatch’ two-year anniversary event featuring new map is now live

By Gabe Gurwin Updated May 22, 2018

Overwatch — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Blizzard’s Overwatch is celebrating its two-year anniversary this month, and since the shooter is still going strong, the studio is celebrating with a number of new goodies. These include a brand-new map and a free weekend for those who still haven’t tried it.

The two-year anniversary celebration kicked off May 22 with the new deathmatch map “Petra,” which is now live. Along with the location, you can play a deathmatch in Competitive mode, just like you do with the Escort and Control maps that originally released with the game.

Recommended Videos

The event, which runs until June 11, introduces “more than 50 new items,” according to a press release, including 8 Legendary skins and new dances for Doomfist, Moira, and Brigitte. Favorite seasonal items from the first anniversary event will also return, and past seasonal brawls will be rotated on a daily basis. If you want to lose in a round of Mei’s Snowball Offensive, hit us up.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Those who login to Overwatch during the event will also receive a special Legendary Anniversary loot box, and items previously available only as seasonal loot will be available, as well.

If you haven’t played Overwatch yet, the game is running a free weekend, May 25-28, across PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, and those on Xbox and PlayStation won’t need Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus to participate. You’ll have access to all heroes and maps, as well as most modes — Competitive play won’t be available until you buy the game, but any progress you make in your ranks will be kept if you decide to buy the full game.

For those who decide they want to keep playing Overwatch after the free weekend ends, you can purchase the game at a discounted rate until June 5. On PS4, Xbox One, and PC, you can buy a digital copy of the game for $20. If you’re really digging it, though, you may want to check out the newly launched Legendary edition for $40, which includes epic/legendary skins and the original skins that launched with the Origins edition in 2016. As a heads up, the Legendary edition includes 15 additional skins, so the $20 price difference may not be worth it.

Updated on May 22: Revised to reflect event is live and added sale details.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Counter-Strike 2 could succeed where Overwatch 2 failed

Soldiers in Counter-Strike 2 key art.

In 2023's most surprising news so far, Counter-Strike 2 is coming. The competitive shooter isn't just a follow-up to the massively popular Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but an upgrade to that game using the new Source 2 engine. A beta is already underway, with the full game scheduled to come sometime this summer. With how Valve is handling the project, I can't help but think of how Blizzard rolled out its own recent shooter sequel: Overwatch 2.

Both games are highly popular, competitive, and live-service style games with a heavy emphasis on cosmetics for monetization that have highly dedicated communities. The biggest similarity -- and also criticism in the case of Overwatch 2 -- is the fact that both sequels retroactively replace their predecessors, forcing everyone to upgrade to the sequel whether they want to or not. This is a relatively new concept in gaming, where older versions of online games become entirely inaccessible and Overwatch 2 didn't inspire a lot of confidence in it being a beneficial trend. That said, Counter-Strike 2 is already in a perfect position to succeed in all the ways Overwatch 2 failed.
If it ain't broke
In normal circumstances, a sequel is a developer's opportunity to iterate and make alterations to the core of the game that came before. Obviously, there's a limit to how big these changes should be -- a shooter shouldn't suddenly become a 2D fighting game -- but a combination of new features being added and old ones being removed is expected. That becomes a much trickier proposition in this new age of sequels where the new version is the only option. In the case of Overwatch 2 and Counter-Strike 2, players don't have the luxury of being able to keep playing the old version they loved.

Gaming

Overwatch 2 removes Mei for at least 2 weeks due to ice wall exploit

Overwatch movie

Blizzard confirmed that it is temporarily removing Mei from Overwatch 2 until November 15 due to a bug discovered related to her Ice Wall ability.

https://twitter.com/BlizzardCS/status/1587189209844125696

Gaming

Overwatch 2’s item prices are the scariest part of its Halloween event

Overwatch 2's Witch Kiriko posing with a broom.

Like many live-service games, Overwatch 2 is dressing up for the holidays. Special events tied to real holidays are common today, as they can bring some fun, limited-time flair to a game. This month, plenty of games are going orange and black for the season, bringing pumpkin spice and scares into players' favorite experiences. It's a cause for celebration, especially for those who particularly vibe with the whole October spooky season aesthetic.

Overwatch 2 Halloween Terror Seasonal Event Trailer 2022