Even with the volatility of the meta that the original Overwatch and its sequel have faced and will face, certain heroes have a consistently high play rate due to a variety of factors. This article will cover the top 10 most popular heroes in Overwatch 2 while taking their history in the original Overwatch game into consideration.
The heroes in the list typically have a few common factors shared among them. A mix of character design, learning curve, and skill expression, and a solid power level throughout the seasons. Special consideration is made for the consistently picked heroes in the Overwatch League as well.
10. Ana
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Who knew that the caring mother personality armed with a biotic bolt-action sniper rifle would be a staple in Overwatch?
Since her release back in July 2016, everyone from new players all the way up to professional Overwatch players has been playing her, and with good reason. She possesses an easy-to-understand yet difficult-to-master kit that can output high healing and damage numbers while also possessing great utility in her biotic grenade, sleep dart, and nano.
It’s fair to say that Ana is Overwatch’s best-designed support. Her kit is like a Swiss army knife that can deal with most situations that Ana finds herself in. As a support hero, Ana heals her teammates by shooting at them, but her hip fire launches a slow-moving projectile. Aiming down her scope makes her shots hitscan but leaves behind a trail that gives away her position and reduces her field of view. Swapping between hipfiring and ADS while having good mechanical aim is key to Ana, especially when using her sleep dart and biotic grenade, as both are projectile-based and Ana needs to lead her shot.
Besides the execution of her abilities, understanding macro game concepts such as positioning, the ebb and flow of battle, and good spots for Ana to camp all add to the immense skill ceiling that this hero brings to the table, making her a popular hero to main for all skill levels.
On top of that, Ana does not have many counters. The best heroes that are good against Ana can be dealt with by a sleep dart or with good communication with her team. Flanking and diving heroes need to get on top of Ana while avoiding her sleep dart and needing to deal more damage, as biotic grenade can heal her, making her a tough support to kill.
Why Ana is Popular
High Skill Ceiling
Mechanical aim, map knowledge, game sense, positioning, and team compositions are some of the concepts that are needed to play Ana at a high level.
Healing, Damage, and Utility
Ana can output solid amounts of healing and damage while having three abilities that grant immense utility to the team and can be used to set up her teammates for success.
Synergizes With Many Team Compositions
Supports are divided into two subroles: main healer and off-healer. Ana can function as both while being a great fit in many team compositions
See Ana In Action:
9. Kiriko
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The newest support hero, Kiriko, was met with great reception and is looking to be a staple pick for years to come. Her design leans towards a more aggressive support, similar to Zenyatta, while possessing the first AOE cleanse and invulnerability, which skyrockets her to Ana-levels of utility with the usefulness that protection suzu brings to the table.
Since Kiriko is still a brand new hero, there isn’t an agreed-upon playstyle that players should adhere to. The two most common styles of play are the former, a backline healer and cleanser who can follow up on dives and flanks, and the latter, a close-range headshot assassin who quickly steps out when the situation becomes dire, similar to a Sombra. Her triple headshot multiplier allows her this unique playstyle and is an excellent tool to make quick work of enemies that flank the back line. Universally, her ultimate is best used to initiate a push and has many synergies with attack-speed-reliant heroes.
The two skills that separate an average Kiriko from a great one are the proactive and reactive use of her suzu to cleanse or negate incoming damage, such as a D. Va’s Self Destruct, Tracer’s Pulse Bomb, Ana’s Biotic debuff, or even smaller abilities like your teammate getting hit with Soldier’s sticky grenades. The other skill is mechanical aim, as Kiriko can deal 120 damage per headshot, making her a pseudo, projectile-based Cassidy that can deal meaningful damage to squishy heroes.
Kiriko doesn't have hard counters similar to Ana, but she falls victim to the usual Widowmaker headshot and Sombra flank that nearly all Overwatch heroes are weak to. At most, the playstyle of your enemies can change drastically, like a coordinated effort to flank the backline. Other than that, Kiriko lacks hard counters as her kit is very well rounded, with exceptional mobility to boot.
Why Kiriko is Popular
High Damage and Unique Cleansing Ability
Kiriko’s primary weapon deals 40 damage to the body but 120 damage to the head, with a respectable fire rate as well. Add to that the unique ability to cleanse debuffs.
Ultimate to Turn the Tide of Battle
Kitsune Rush increases the movement speed, fire rate, reload speed, and cooldown durations while reducing them, making it an excellent ultimate when your team needs to push through an area.
Flank Viable
The ability to flank, or aid a flank, with swift steps and protection, suzu gives Kiriko additional offensive prowess when paired up with another flanking hero.
See Kiriko in Action:
8. Sojourn
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Despite only being out for a few months, Sojourn’s impact is making waves in the Overwatch community, and she has what it takes to be a staple DPS pick. She provides kill potential at any range, has the ability to one-shot, has great mobility in her slide jump, and possesses a solid ultimate for all-out teamfights. Her popularity may be short-lived, as the developers plan to nerf her at the start of Season 2, so play her while you can.
Sojourn is best played at mid-range, behind her tank, so she can charge up her particle cannon by hitting the closest enemy, then look to headshot a squishy backline target. Disruptor shot is a great tool for setting up particle cannon shots, as any enemy caught in its radius will be slowed and damaged, making them move in a predictable way. Slide jump can be used offensively, similar to Widowmaker’s jump grapple mechanic, but it's best to save this ability for a defensive scenario.
Her kit is simple and straightforward; the difference between the average Sojourn player and a great one is their mechanical aiming ability, as this hero’s entire kit is make-or-break depending on the user’s aim. For people who want to climb higher ranks, putting in the time in custom lobbies or AimLab will yield dividends in performance for every hero, but Sojourn in particular sits alongside Widowmaker for mechanical difficulty.
Similar to other popular heroes on this list, Sojourn doesn’t have hard counters that can nullify her; rather, her counters reduce her effectiveness. Tanks such as Reinhardt and D. Va have solid ways to reduce any DPS’ threat by their barriers. A flanking Sombra or Lucio can be a nuisance. And dive heroes like Tracer and Winston force Sojourn to use her mobility.
Why Sojourn is Popular
Lethality at All Ranges
Every other DPS hero in the game has an effective range that dictates their positioning and playstyle. Sojourn’s primary weapon and disruptor shot make quick work of enemies up close, and her particle cannon is excellent against medium- to long-ranged enemies due to its hitscan nature.
Ability to One-shot
At 87% charge or higher, Sojourn can one-shot any 200 hit point target when she lands a headshot with her particle cannon. At 100%, the bullet hitbox becomes slightly larger, making it easier to land shots.
Burst-type Mobility
Sojourn’s power slide enables her to gain a large amount of speed and distance in a short period of time. This gives her a chance to flee against flankers that lack mobility, such as Reaper, Genji, and Winston.
See Sojourn in action:
7. Winston
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The intelligent, funny, and sophisticated primate who was part of the release cast of characters makes an appearance on this list with his easy to execute yet macro-intensive gameplay. Most newer players see his abilities and think he’s a high-tempo, permanently in-your-face type of hero, which is partially true, but the bigger picture is knowing when to engage and when to be defensive.
To play Winston effectively, being patient and learning when to engage are two of the most important skills for this hero. If you're comfortable communicating with your team, letting them know when you will engage or when your teammates are in need of assistance from a flanking enemy will go a long way toward improving map awareness and winning games.
As for Winston’s mechanical execution, have a target in mind that you wish to damage or remove from a teamfight and look to get in their face. Common targets are enemies that lack mobility to escape, such as a Widowmaker, Soldier: 76, Genji, Hanzo, Tracer, and most supports.
Winston's weakness is that his numbers, such as health pool, weapon damage, and ultimate damage, aren't particularly high, and he's easily countered by tank shredders like Reaper and Bastion. To compensate, his cooldowns are very low, including his barrier, while also making him a hard counterpick against many heroes.
Why Winston is Popular
Ability to Protect
With there being only 3 barriers in the game that can block all projectiles, ordinance, and beam weaponry, Winston’s low hit point but very spammable shield is extra useful for protecting his teammates in a high-tempo environment.
Dive and Disrupt
Winston's bread and butter is to jump in, lower your shield, hold left click, and then either continue the dive or retreat back to your team.
High Macro and Mechanically Easy
His Tesla cannon hits enemies in a wide arc in front of him for a good amount of damage, so no aiming is required, but knowing when to engage or stick with your team is the true filter that tests a Winston's player's proficiency in the hero.
See Winston In Action:
6. Soldier: 76
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Soldier: 76, along with Winston and Tracer, is one of the main characters in the Overwatch universe, with a deep history in the Omnic Crisis and post-Overwatch disbandment, according to those who have read up on the lore. Being a release character and serving as a tutorial hero for players new to the FPS arena subgenre, his rifle and abilities are an homage to classic sprint, heal, and underbarrel grenade launchers that were popular in the early 2010s. Soldier: 76 quickly became a fan favorite due to his self-sufficient and deep learning curve playstyle.
Having a sprint, heal, aimbot ultimate, and burst damage in his grenade launcher, Soldier: 76 is the most well-rounded DPS hero in the game. This jack-of-all-trades hero can deal a solid amount of sustained damage through his primary weapon or burst damage through helix rockets, has unlimited sprinting ability, and can heal himself in a pinch. He may not be as flashy or have unique gimmicks like the newer heroes, but he nonetheless gets the job done.
The skill ceiling and overall impact of Soldier: 76 may seem low at first, but watching high-level gameplay from the top percentage of players shows how being a reliable and well-rounded hero while mastering recoil control can make Soldier: 76 go a long way. He can follow up engagements with the coordinated use of ultimates synergizes with a wide range of supports such as Ana, Kiriko, and Mercy.
As with any less mobile DPS hero, Soldier: 76 is countered by divers that can quickly burst him down even through his biotic field. Barrier heroes can negate their effectiveness if the enemy turtles up for a push or an objective. Specific heroes that counter Soldier are Roadhog, Genji, Mei, and Cassidy.
Why Soldier: 76 is Popular
Easy to Pick Up, Hard to Master
Run, gun, heal, throw nade, and repeat. Soldier: 76’s straightforward design and steep learning curve make him popular among newer players while providing enough depth to make him the main hero for many.
Versatile and Reliable
Soldier can be used as both a standard midrange DP and a mobile, flanking unit capable of establishing a nest at an off-angle. His ultimate provides guaranteed value so long as he doesn't immediately die before taking people down with him.
Comfort Pick While Feeling Familiar
Whereas other heroes require hours before one can be proficient in them, the classic heroes like Soldier, Cassidy, Sojourn, and Widowmaker all have a simplicity to them that makes FPS players feel at home.
See Soldier: 76 In Action:
5. Tracer
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Think of Lux from League of Legends or Jett when Valorant was first released. The poster girls of popular video games would generally have a large following, and this is the case with Tracer. Tracer has a large community following based on the people who watched the cinematics alone, despite being one of the main characters in the lore as well as the funny British goody two-shoes.
Tracer has the most unique kit in the entire cast of Overwatch characters, having three omnidirectional dashes, a recall ability that puts her back in time 3 seconds earlier, and an ultimate that functions as a sticky bomb. Her abilities demand a high level of mechanical skill and macro knowledge to pull off efficiently, making her a great choice to be the main hero that a player will select for a long time.
Her high DPS but low magazine capacity and long reload time make eliminations occur in a second or two. In that short time frame, dashing around the enemy to avoid being an easy target while looking for headshots with her twin pistols is the gameplay loop of Tracer. Achieving high mechanical aim and the ability to flick your crosshair at 90, 180, and 270 degrees is a crucial ability for mastering this champion.
Because of her nature, Tracer is best played at off-angles and as a flanker. Her low hit points makes her an easy target to be bursted in a teamfight, while also needing to keep an eye on her health to recall. In the 1v1 scenario, a good Tracer will never lose to any matchup (except for tanks).
The heroes who counter tracer are the ones who function as a team to coordinate and keep their key allies alive. Heroes such as Baptise and Brigitte are excellent support picks, while Winston and D. Va can quickly protect their teammates at a moment’s notice.
Why Tracer is Popular
Extremely High Skill Ceiling
Tracer is the embodiment of the cartoon archetype of the fast character. Being constantly mobile and knowing when to dash to avoid being an easy target while constantly correcting your aim is a skill that has limitless depth.
High Tempo and Slippery Hero
Tracer’s ability to reach important areas of the map faster than any other hero is a unique and useful ability to have, as she can stall the enemy heroes while her team takes advantage of the opportunity.
Duel Playstyle
For the players who tire of 5v5 and playing the poke DPS, Tracer provides a breath of fresh air as she is built to flank, duel, and outplay her opponents while having a great ultimate that can wipe out enemies that are huddled too close to each other.
See Tracer in action:
4. Reaper
The Bucky to Captain America, Reaper is a recurring character who finds himself facing his old comrade Soldier: 76 ever since their conflict of interest in the post-Omnic Crisis. Having a tragic but understandable backstory, the young and determined Gabriel Reyes turned into a hateful specter wielding dual shotguns when Doomfist questioned his moral system, resulting in the crisis of beliefs that led him down the dark path. The rich backstory and edgy personality certainly contribute to Reaper’s popularity.
His gameplay is quite unique as well, being the equivalent of the life-stealing drain tank from the classical RPG genre while having a brief invulnerability that can be used during combat and a repositioning tool to reach high ground. Reaper exists as a class in between the flanker and frontline DPS subcategories and can be effectively played as both. His ultimate ability creates a kill zone in an area, which players of all skill levels fall victim to, as the high damage, high healing, and reduction of stuns in Overwatch 2 all contribute to making Reaper a force to be reckoned with.
Reaper's main flaw is a lack of range and an extremely high spread on his shotguns, making any hero that can rapidly gain distance or outrange him weak unless he gets the drop on them. Some supports that can peel for their teammates, such as Brigitte, Baptise, and Ana, will make it more difficult for Reaper to flank, as he lacks mobility to catch his enemies.
Why Reaper is Popular
Tank Shredding and Lifestealing Machine
Reaper’s passive makes him heal for 35% of all damage dealt, and his primary weapons deal staggeringly high amounts of damage at around 200 damage per second. Pair yourself with a defensive tank and pocket healer to be an offensive powerhouse.
Viable Flanker and Frontline
Other flankers struggle to deal meaningful sustained damage in comparison to their poke subclass counterparts, but Reaper can flank and frontline.
Intuitive and Medium Skill Ceiling
Players can pick up and play Reaper to a decent level, but learning flanking routes and popular spots that the backline tends to be will make you more effective.
Ultimate to Eradicate the Backline
It takes a bit over a second for an enemy to succumb to Death Blossom. Drop from a high vantage point right into the enemy team for plenty of POTG moments.
See Reaper In Action:
3. Lucio
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Lucio is an unconventional support hero who has a low healing output but prefers to support his team by buffing them with AOE movement speed or healing, similar to aura buffers from classic MMORPGs. He also possesses the unique ability of wall running, which allows him to escape dangerous situations and opens a flanking playstyle to harass the enemy backline. His popularity stems from his unique kit and the value of his utility, which makes him a presence in ranked games and in the Overwatch League.
Movement speed is an underrated stat that allows both himself and his allies to strafe quicker, close the distance much faster, and even serve as a taxi to pick up heroes from spawn if needed. His healing may be subpar, but amplifying it can heal 50 health points per second in a large radius from Lucio in a three-second duration. This strikes me as a mini Zenyatta ultimate that can help your teammates survive. Lucio’s ultimate grants massive, but decaying, overhealth to allies in a large 30-meter radius without needing line of sight.
With so much utility in Lucio's kit, a certain amount of skill is required to play this hero effectively. Understanding the flow of the battlefield, space, impact, and an opportune moment to push are concepts that are essential to playing Lucio as a support. On the other hand, make full use of the wall-running mechanic by maneuvering to the enemy's backline to harass and potentially eliminate key targets. Lucio excels at intercepting the key enemy when they have died and are running to the frontline from the spawn.
Another strength of Lucio is that his boop functions as a way to push flankers and divers off him or his teammates, making flankers, who typically eat supports for breakfast, less of a threat with him on your team. His only weakness is his low healing output, which forces the other support player to play as the main healer.
Why Lucio is Popular
Utility-based Support
Supports don't need to stay in the back and permanently heal their allies, and Lucio is a great example of this. Providing AOE movement speed, peel, and an ultimate to negate damage are invaluable tools that make him a popular pick.
Survivable
Besides being extremely fun, wall running is an excellent way to escape danger, as aiming at Lucio becomes harder when jumping from wall to wall at a high speed.
Flanking Viable
If the enemy has a Widowmaker, Ana, or Zenyatta, and your main healer can top everyone’s hitpoints off, functioning as a flanker and harassing the poke heroes will be more useful than standing around and waiting for your teammates to carry you.
See Lucio In Action:
2. D. Va
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D. Va has always been a meta hero regardless of the state of the meta, even in the original Overwatch days. With one fewer tank per team, a slew of highly ranked players have named her one of the best, if not the best, tanks to play. The nerfs did hurt her slightly, but only bumped her down from being an S-tier pick to an A-tier.
D. Va is a defensive-oriented tank who is able to dive behind enemy lines. It is essential to communicate with your team to coordinate when to use her defense matrix or dive a key target. Va to her maximum possible level. Booping enemies off of your teammates by flying into them is another vital skill that many players forget to use. As for her offensive prowess, a quick test in the practice range will quickly reveal the awful range, mediocre damage, and high spread of her offensive weaponry. The saving grace of D. Va is her high-risk, high-reward ultimate that always forces a reaction from the enemy team.
She is a popular choice for new players learning the ropes because she is mechanically simple to execute. The nuance to playing D. Va is similar to Winston: knowing when to dive and when to play for your team will be the greatest determiner of skill. Knowing when to be a hyper-aggressive diver who boosts into the enemy Widowmaker while launching rockets and blasting her shotgun, and when to utilize her defense matrix to support a friendly Widowmaker in her sniping, or a Pharah using her Rocket Barrage.
The weaknesses of D. Va are heroes that possess beam weaponry that bypasses the defense matrix. Similarly, heroes who cost her valuable uptime for her defense matrix, like Junkrat, Pharah, and Echo. Roadhog and Sombra are very effective anti-dive heroes that will negate D. Va’s offensive and defensive prowess.
Why D. Va is Popular
Always Meta
D. Va has historically resisted the many changes in Overwatch’s meta, and continues to be a top tier pick with the new 5v5 game mode.
Peel and Dive
D. Va is the product when you mix the abilities of a defensive tank with a traditional diver.
High Uptime
Whereas most heroes get sent to spawn the moment their hit points go to zero, D. Va enters her pilot mode and can earn back a mech drop, which contributes to the amount of time that she’s on the field.
Ultimate to Force a Reaction
Self-destruct has a deceptively long range and clear audio and visual cues. Use this to your advantage by pushing the enemy when they are forced to seek hard cover.
See D. Va in action:
1. Genji
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The number one spot for the most popular hero in Overwatch 2 belongs to Genji. The Shimada brother who narrowly escaped death at the hands of his brother and was reborn as a dutiful cyborg ninja. The Overwatch cinematic definitely contributed to his popularity, but in my opinion, his design as a character with a double jump, wall climbing, and calculated risk-to-reward playstyle is the main reason why players love this character so much.
Genji is best played as a flanker who looks for routes or off-angles to dispatch a target as quickly as possible. The gameplay loop of Genji typically sees him poke an enemy hero with one or two bursts of shurikens, followed by a swift strike plus alternate fire, do a 180-degree turn if necessary, then follow up with a burst of shurikens and a melee attack.
With enough hours invested in the hero, anyone can learn the mechanics of Genji to a decent level. Skill expression is seen in the decision-making process and macro game knowledge. Knowing when to flank or stay behind your tank to look for a front-to-back push, understanding key targets and matchups, flanking routes and common sniping spots, important walls to climb over—the list goes on.
Though Genji isn’t powerful in the current meta, he is a solid counterpick against long-range hitscan heroes like Ashe, Cassidy, and Widowmaker. Despite the strengths Genji has, he has hard counters that make his life miserable such as Winston, Zarya, Symmetra, Baptist, Brigitte, and Sombra. Two notable hard counters for Genji are Pharah and Echo as Genji struggles to regain verticality and dealing damage to airborne targets.
Why Genji is Popular:
New Player Friendly Learning Curve
Genji has a deep learning curve that makes him great as a main hero. When compared to other flankers, newer players are not punished as harshly for not being proficient in the hero.
Ultimate Decimates the Backline
Swift Step's cooldown resets per kill and deals 120 damage per slash, making for a lethal combination that destroys any squishy heroes.
Dueling Flanker
When other flankers struggle against heroes who put up a fight, Genji’s deflect provides a great way to deal damage, stall for cooldowns, and potentially deflect abilities such as Cassidy’s grenade to give him the edge in duels.
As a travelling writer hailing from the exotic, alien world of Australia, Ralph seeks far and wide hunting for the stories contained within the mystical glass-looking box named the "personal computer"
Gamer Since:
2005
Favorite Genre:
RPG
Currently Playing:
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Divinity II: Ego Draconis, XCOM 2, Metro: Last Light
