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The world of Overwatch 2 has a wide array of maps that cater to every type of player. Known for its exotic locations worldwide, the much-anticipated sequel to the mainline title was finally released last week. A few original maps returned, along with six new additions. The fan-favorite Assault maps returned to Custom Mode.
New maps in Overwatch 2:
- Circuit Royal, Monaco (Escort Mode)
- Midtown, New York (Hybrid Mode)
- Paraiso, Rio De Jenerio (Hybrid Mode)
- Colosseo, Rome (Push Mode)
- New Queen Street. Toronto (Push Mode)
- Esperanca, Portugal (Push Mode)
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So far, Overwatch 2 has introduced 36 maps across all formats - Arcade, Competitive Play, and Quick Play. While most maps are exclusively designed for a single mode, on some maps, multiple game modes are accessible as well.
This article ranks all 36 maps in Overwatch 2 on their overall design, layout, and aesthetic that facilitates gameplay.
Note: This article solely reflects the author’s opinion.
Overwatch 2: Arcade Mode maps
Game modes include Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, Elimination, and Team Deathmatch. Nine Arcade Mode maps are ranked below:
9) Petra
Modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch
As a map, Petra’s greatest strength is its unique location that represents an archeological dig, and that's about it. The map is too big and doesn't add any haste to the proceedings. Often players have to wander alone for minutes before finding enemies.
8) Chateau Gillard
Modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch
Chateau Gillard is one of the most beautiful maps, offering a pleasant backdrop with a lake and a small village on the other side of the shore. However, its small design, with tightly knit corridors and rooms, sometimes feels claustrophobic.
7) Castillo
Mode: Capture the flag
Castillo is probably the smallest map available in the Arcade mode. Despite its tiny size, the map offers plenty of vertical space. This map is ideal for heroes with a lot of crowd control damage ability.
6) Black Forest
Modes: Elimination, Team Deathmatch
Located on the outskirts of Eichenwalde in the Overwatch lore, Black Forest is a scary map that manages to pump up suspense through its creepy vibes. The downside is that most of the fighting occurs in the dilapidated castle in the middle of the map. DPS heroes such as Sojourn, Genji, and Mei thrive on this map due to plenty of flanking possibilities.
5) Ayutthaya
Mode: Capture the flag
A visually pleasing Capture the Flag map depicting Thailand, Ayutthaya has ruins and temples. This was the first map the developers specifically made, keeping Capture the Flag mode in mind. Hence, two distinct sections provide players with enough space to run.
4) Malevento
Modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch
Malevento is an esthetically pleasing map that delivers plenty of close-range encounters, to the extent that long-range heroes on this map are not a viable option at all. This map offers plenty of sharp turns and blind corners where heroes like Roadhog and Junkrat can dominate.
3) Kanzezaka
Modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch
Chateau Gillard and Petra are beautiful maps regarding map layout and design. Kanezaka, on the other hand, is a breathtakingly gorgeous map that also boasts a balanced design.
Pretty much all heroes can play at their maximum strengths in Kanezaka. The closed rooms and open terrain make it a fun map to play where opposing teams can have an equal contest with snipers and long-range shooters.
2) Necropolis
Modes: Elimination, Team Deathmatch
With a massive opening in the middle, divided by two opposing pyramids, Necropolis is ideally suited for heroes with vertical mobility and long-range shooting capabilities.
The map offers plenty of high ground that can be taken advantage of. Heroes with superior movement speed also get enough flanking and rearguard pathways to take the teams sitting on the high grounds off-guard.
1) Ecopoint: Antarctica
Modes: Elimination, Team Deathmatch
A chilling scientific site with temperatures below zero, Ecopoint: Antarctica is an arena-themed map that opens up the possibility of all types of hero combinations in Team Deathmatches.
A first of its kind, Ecopoint: Antarctica is also the largest map that offers 1vs1 Elimination matches. The map has excellent hiding places and alleyways, presenting a stake for each class of heroes to perform well.
Assault maps
The Assault Mode has been removed from Overwatch 2’s Quick Play and Competitive Modes. Instead, it is re-fitted into the Custom Play option. Now, players can reminiscence some of the legendary Assault maps of Overwatch in the Custom Games option.
Overwatch 2 has kept five Assault maps for players to relive some of the prequel nostalgia of its prequel. The Assault maps are ranked below:
5) Horizon Lunar Colony
Horizon Lunar Colony has many faults. For starters, the map is twice as big as it should be. Secondly, the map offers little variety of gameplay and forces teams to fight it in narrow lanes. Point A is too easy to capture for the attacking team, and overall it’s a misbalanced map.
4) Paris
The Paris map was hated as soon as it was launched in Overwatch. The defending team can quickly shoot down the attackers from the high ground, and there isn’t any scope for the attacking team to maneuver around other routes to capture the first point. Only when the attacking team captures, Point A do games tend to open up for both teams to win.
3) Temple of Anubis
The Temple of Anubis is a legendary map in Overwatch history, as this was the map where Overmatch’s gameplay was revealed for the first time. Initially, defenders have a lot of tactical height advantage on this map. On the other hand, attackers have two primary ways to approach Point A.
Point B takes the fight to the close confines of the temple itself, where teams fight it out in long and narrow courtyards. Most often, teams with well-coordinated combos win the fight for Point B.
2) Hanamura
Hanamura is one of the most scenic maps available in Overwatch 2. To capture the first Point A, the attacking team must pass through a narrow gate onto a courtyard. Once point A is captured, Defenders have many tactical possibilities available to defend Point B. Matches are often fought tooth and nail on this map.
1) Volskaya Industries
Volskaya Industries takes players into the frozen lands of Russia in an industrial estate of sorts. This particular map allows teams to pick a wide range of combinations. Both victory points are well-designed, offering equal advantages to both the attackers and the defenders.
The map forces the defending teams to make quick tactical decisions, for instance, whether to hold the chokepoints in favor of controlling the high grounds.
Push maps
The newly introduced Push Mode has two teams fighting over the control of a robot. The winning team has to meet one of the two conditions. Retain possession of the robot for the longest time or guide it across to the secure area. Push Mode is new, so it only has three maps so far. In order of personal preferences, they range from worst to best below:
3) New Queen Street
New Queen Street has subways, a central station, many cafes, restaurants, and snowy streets with plenty of covers for the teams to brawl it out.
2) Esperanca
This map represents the Portuguese city of Lisbon, featuring long, narrow streets and open town centers ideal for snipping. Additionally, Esperanca offers plenty of indoor flanking opportunities. Overall, it’s a very balanced map.
1) Colosseo
A Roman-based map full of cobbled streets and a grand coliseum in the center, Colosseo has plenty of windy roads that open up to courtyards and enclosed spaces. It’s a small map with many covers that forces plenty of close-quarter engagements.
Escort maps
In Escort Mode, the attacking team is required to escort a payload across all the checkpoints laid out on the map before time clocks out to win. On the other hand, the defending team must stop the attacking team from crossing the checkpoints at all costs.
7) Rialto
Rialto is considered a haven for the damage-dealing class if one is on the defending side, as it provides too many flanking opportunities. While on the attackers side, it is wise to go with Reinhardt as the Tank, Mercy, and Ana in support.
6) Havana
This map demands the defending side to be as covert in their movement as possible. While defending, damage dealers such as Tracer, Widowmaker, and Hanzo may come in handy. It has lots of corridors and courtyards, so defending heroes with zoning abilities excel over here. Symmetra is also a wise choice while defending here.
5) Watchpoint Gibraltar
A map ideally suited for heroes with vertical mobility, teams have to go with heroes like Pharah, Mercy, and Echo to stand any chance of winning Watchpoint Gibralter. Furthermore, heroes that can climb walls may also come in handy.
4) Route 66
On the defending side, damage dealers can easily dominate on Route 66. A good combination of heroes with vertical mobility, such as Pharah and Mercy, coupled with Tanky heroes, such as Reinhardt, Winston, or Zarya, is a must for the attacking side.
3) Dorado
Tanks with good shielding abilities, such as Zarya and Reinhardt, are necessary on this map. There are high platforms in Dorado that offer excellent sight to long-range shooters. This map also requires fast movement, and as such, damage dealers like Widowmaker, Tracer, and Sombra with good movement speed also thrive.
2) Circuit Royal
Set in the ultra-rich city of Monaco, Circuit Royal is a dazzlingly beautiful new map edition into the World of Overwatch. The streets on the map provide plenty of cover for the attacking team looking to take forward the payload. Yet, there are some tactical high grounds that the defending team can utilize to dominate, making this a very balanced map.
1) Junkertown
A map that guarantees plenty of close encounters around the payload in Junkertown, defending teams can ambush enemies in many ways. While the narrow streets on this map also provide a good chance for the attacking teams if they have heroes like Orisa, Reinhardt, or Winston on board.
Control maps
Both teams must fight it out in Control Mode to control a checkpoint. The team that holds a checkpoint for the longest time before time runs out wins the round. The team that wins two out of three rounds wins the match. Overwatch 2 has five control maps.
5) Nepal
Nepal is the perfect battleground for DPS heroes such as Reaper, Sombra, and Widowmaker, a beautiful map filled with shrines and monasteries. Gameplay tactics and maneuvers on this map become one-dimensional. It’s all about outflanking opponents in Nepal.
4) Lijang Tower
Using flying heroes on this map is highly recommended, as Lijang Tower offers many flanking and sneaking from behind maneuvers. Going with a Tank with slow mobility is a risky business over here.
3) Oasis
In Oasis, it is ideal to go with a team of heroes who can fly to navigate the area quickly, combined with fast-moving damage dealers to go for the kill on this map.
2) Illios
Set on a spectacularly beautiful Greek island filled with ancient ruins, wells, and houses to take cover in. It would be wise for teams in Illios to have heroes with vertical abilities on the team to scout out the area. The map has a lot of environmental hazards stored on it, and having heroes with zoning abilities can also help.
1) Busan
A brilliantly designed map that has plenty of open spaces as well as cramped alleys, Busan supports all types of heroes and all styles of gameplay. There are plenty of alternative routes to the objective, with plenty of cover, nooks, and corners to take the enemies by surprise.
Hybrid maps
Hybrid Mode has mixed elements of Escort Mode and the erstwhile competitive Assault Mode. Attacking teams initially need to grapple with the defenders to take control of a checkpoint with an active payload.
Once the attacking team’s initial objective is achieved, the situation reverses into an Escort game, where the attacking team must escort the recently secured payload to an endpoint on the map.
The Hybrid on Overwatch 2 has seven maps:
7) Numbani
Numbani has a distinct high ground that is a haven for teams on the defense, with heroes having long-range abilities at their disposal. While on the attack, the team on the offense must choose heroes with fast movement to force the defending team out of the high ground.
6) Blizzard World
On this map, it’s tough to be on the attacking side. Achieving the first objective by securing the payload as quickly as possible should always be on the attackers' minds at Blizzard World. Once the payload is secured, pushing it forward on the map becomes even more difficult.
5) Paraiso
Paraiso has too many wall-climbing avenues. Heroes such as Lucio are ideal picks. The narrow streets of Rio de Janeiro can prove to be challenging to get a clean sight of the enemy. That’s why it’s wise to choose heroes with vertical mobility or flying ability. Apart from that, Paraiso delivers plenty of flanking chances for damage dealers as well.
4) Midtown
The second newly introduced map in Overwatch 2 for Hybrid Mode, along with the above-mentioned Paraiso, Midtown, represents the city of New York. A balanced map where the attacking and the defending sides have advantages in certain sections of the map.
3) Hollywood
A well-laid-out map where snipers like Ana and even mid-range damage dealers such as Soldier 76 and Hanzo can thrive. Overall, Hollywood is a balanced map with high grounds suitable for the defending team and a network of narrow streets that helps tanks push forward, and damage dealers conduct a lot of flanking moves.
2) Eichenwalde
Eichenwalde provides flanking opportunities for both the attacking and defending sides. Taking the first point is often difficult for the attacking team as the road funnels below a bridge. Hence, it’s wise to have heroes with vertical mobility like Pharah, Mercy, or Echo in the ranks.
1) King’s Row
There are many pathways to reach the first objective for the attacking side, making tactics and gameplay very intriguing in King’s Row. The direct path has less cover, so it’s wise to choose Tanks with strong shielding abilities like Reinhardt, Winston, and Zarya.
Once the payload is secured, the rest of the path becomes very narrow for the attacking side, where tanks with good shielding abilities can cut off the enemies and help teammates escape.
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