Who are the best heroes in Overwatch 2? It's a tricky question. Blizzard's top-tier hero shooter Overwatch 2 inherited its predecessor's impressive and vibrant roster of heroes, plus a few new ones to boot. But the meta is not the same as it once was, thanks to Overwatch 2's new 5v5 meta and the myriad changes that have been applied to almost every single one of the 35 heroes on offer to players.
After ample playtesting and research, we've put together the below Overwatch 2 tier list of heroes, ranging from the very best, essential picks for any team, to the least effective characters on offer. Further below we've provided writeups on each of the best heroes in the game, to help give you a well-rounded impression of the current meta as you head into the new era of Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2 has a large roster of 35 distinct heroes, and while on the whole Blizzard have done an excellent job balancing all of these heroes, there's always a meta that emerges.
Within each tier, the heroes are ordered alphabetically, rather than by ranking. Also bear in mind that just because a hero is ranked low on our tier list, doesn't mean they're never worth playing. It's a testament to how well Overwatch 2 is balanced that heroes like Pharah, Moira, and Bastion can be used so effectively in matches despite being very much off-meta heroes.
Below we'll talk a little more about the the best heroes in Overwatch 2, which we've seen fit to rank at the top of our tier list. Just like the tier list, these heroes are in alphabetical order.
Ana has been treated extremely well by the changes from Overwatch 1 to Overwatch 2. Given the new rarity of stuns and CC in Overwatch 2, Ana's Sleep Dart is one of the most powerful abilities in the game, capable of stopping extremely dangerous Ulting opponents such as Winston and Genji in their tracks.
With her Sniper Rifle and Biotic Grenade she has extremely good burst healing potential for which can really turn around a nasty teamfight, and her Nano Boost is still ridiculously powerful when used to buff a potent Damage hero such as Genji or Soldier 76. Overall a fantastic hero, albeit a fairly complex one that requires the player to skilfully juggle all her diverse abilities at once.
Genji may not be able to stand up to much concentrated firepower, but with his extreme mobility and burst damage potential, he is a terrifying force on the battlefield. Again the new absence of stuns comes into play here - heroes like Brigitte and Cassidy used to be able to counter Genji with a stun, but now Genji is far more difficult to pin down.
Of course, Dragonblade is the true danger with an enemy Genji, and nowadays it's so much harder to stop. You are all but forced to kill him to stop the rampage, which can be very difficult when he's dancing from point to point and cutting down allies left and right.
New hero Kiriko has shot to the top of the meta in Overwatch 2, beating most other Support heroes at their own game. Why play as a Mercy when Kiriko makes such a good pocket healer? Why bother with a DPS Moira or Zenyatta, when Kiriko's flanking potential and high-crit-damage Kunai are so dangerous for an enemy team?
Kiriko has a very versatile skillset, with high healing and team-saving potential thanks to her Protection Suzu and Healing Ofuda, and great mobility thanks to her teleport and wall-climbing abilities. A Kiriko player will require good aim to make use of her Kunai, but with such high headshot damage she can be a strong assassin as well. Not to mention that combining the attack speed boost of her Ultimate with something like Roadhog's Ult can spell a very quick end for the entire enemy team.
Lucio is as powerful in Overwatch 2 as he was in the original. He takes a different path to many Support heroes in that rather than focusing on healing, his main party trick is the team-wide movement speed boost offered by his Crossfade. This movement speed boost is so important both for general survivability, and - particularly in Overwatch 2's more aggressive push-based matches - simply for regrouping and getting back into the fight as soon as possible.
Add to this the fact that Lucio is startlingly survivable with his host of healing effects and his Ultimate which provides 750 Overhealth at the press of a button, and he can be a real nuisance even when outnumbered by his foes. He's the perfect fit alongside a more healing-focused Support hero like Kiriko or Mercy.
In the new one-tank meta, it can be harder to see Sigma's true potential. He isn't as obviously tanky and survivable as other heroes like Reinhardt or Zarya, but he's a fantastic all-round brawler tank who acts as a hard counter to long-range snipers like Widowmaker thanks to his Barrier and Kinetic Grasp. Basically, the more projectile damage is sent his way, the tankier Sigma becomes.
Sigma's DPS potential is also startlingly high - his primary attack is hard to land but deals excellent damage, and his Accretion boulder is extremely useful for its temporary stun and for disrupting the enemy's attack. With a dedicated healer behind him, it can be very hard indeed to stop a decent Sigma - and if the enemy team has no answer to Sigma, it makes it all the easier for him to punish them with a well-placed Ultimate.
Sombra was a fantastic hero even before Overwatch 2 arrived and saw fit to grant her a host of buffs such as massively increased damage to hacked targets. Nowadays she's less about disrupting enemies, and much more about just finishing them off for good. With her substantial base DPS and the insight into enemy positioning afforded by her hacks and her passive, she's an extremely effective Damage hero in Overwatch 2.
There's a very strong synergy already emerging between Sombra and Kiriko, where Sombra can use her invisibility to go on a dangerous flank, and Kiriko can back her up at a moment's notice with her teleport and healing. It's nightmarish to deal with, and it only serves to push Sombra into a more prevalent, respected spot in the meta than she's commanded previously.
Rounding off our top heroes list is Winston, who is definitely the strongest Tank hero in Overwatch 2 right now. Winston is extremely tanky and survivable, but he's also highly mobile, making him by far the best at diving onto enemies and sending a coordinated frontline into utter chaos at a moment's notice. This is perfect in the new meta of Overwatch 2, because with the removal of one Tank from each team and the shift towards a more aggressive meta, having such a strong aggressive Tank option is a really important thing.
When pitted against an enemy tank he doesn't really have the damage output to make a difference - but that's not how Winston should be played. With Winston, you must look for opportunities to dive on unsuspecting weaker heroes - the flimsy damage heroes like Hanzo or Cassidy, or Supports like Mercy and Kiriko. With his new secondary fire he's better than ever at securing those quick kills before retreating back to his team's front line for heals and further pushes.
That wraps up our primer on the very best heroes in Overwatch 2. Hopefully you gained a bit of knowledge on the current meta from the above tier list. If you're a new player and you want to start playing as these top-tier heroes, then check out our guide on how to unlock heroes in Overwatch 2. You'll also benefit from our tips on how to level up fast in Overwatch 2 as well. Alternatively, if you're a returning player from the original game, we can bring you up to speed immediately with our list of the biggest Overwatch 2 changes.
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Ollie is known round these parts for having just about the deepest voice in existence. Some say he used to be pretty darn good at Rocket League, but he has since sacrificed that accolade in order to become passably decent at Apex Legends. His favourite pastimes include playing piano covers of his favourite game soundtracks, and burying his face in the warm fur of his two cats.
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