Overwatch 2 Season 16: 5 best tank heroes

Overwatch 2 Season 16, set to release on April 22, 2025, will introduce a plethora of new features. Ranging from a fresh hero to a new game mode, hero bans, cosmetics, and more, Season 16 will be packed with exciting stuff. As such, Overwatch players will seek the best hero picks in the brand new season. For the tank role, this is especially true since they are the frontrunners in every battle.

Let us look at the top Tank heroes to try out in Overwatch 2 Season 16.

Overwatch 2 Season 16: Best tank units after the update

1) Mauga

Mauga has been a strong addition to the Overwatch 2 roster since his release, and his dominant run seems unlikely to slow down in Season 16. The 39th addition in the hero roster, Mauga presents a mountain-like stature thanks to his kit which makes him a brawler with tons of self-sustain utilities.

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Mauga is one of the strongest tanks to pick in Overwatch 2 Season 16 (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Blizzard Entertainment)

His ultimate is a strong ability that can clear out an objective point. Mauga's perks, Combat Fuel and Two Hearts, allow him to be an intimidating presence on the objective. He essentially takes over the mantle of an immovable tank from Orisa, who suffers from mobility restrictions.

Mauga's Overrun ability, combined with Kinetic Bandolier, grants him tons of mobility as well as lethality. Overall, he is a strong pick to take into Season 16 and will be a dominating presence for his team.

Also read: All expected hero buffs and nerfs in Overwatch 2 Season 16

2) Winston

Winston is one of the original release heroes and a frontrunner of dive composition, an irreplaceable hero in the dive meta. Winston's high mobility kit and weapon — capable of zapping multiple targets at once — make him a strong frontliner for his team. In addition to his mobility, his Barrier Projector grants a ton of sustainability for himself and his team.

Winston is one of the best dive tanks in Overwatch 2 Season 16 (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Blizzard Entertainment)

Primal Rage allows Winston to knock back opponents and clear out areas so that his team can take up the space. Perks like Revitalizing Barrier grant bonus healing to Winston and his team, which increases the survival chances of the dive comp by quite a good margin.

With role passives that decrease knockbacks and critical damage taken, Winston can be an annoying presence on the battlefield. Furthermore, he can only be shut down with a few specific hard counters. Even so, the benefits he provides with team-fight initiation in dive compositions make him one of the best tanks in Overwatch 2 Season 16 for both ranked and the Overwatch League.

3) D.Va

D.Va is another one of the core heroes released with Overwatch and a dive comp specialist who excels at handling opposing teams possessing tons of projectile or hitscan units. The biggest tool at D.Va's disposal is the Defense Matrix, which can essentially eat up any hitscan bullets or projectiles.

D.Va's effectiveness relies heavily upon her Defense Matrix usage (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Blizzard Entertainment)

This grants her a high sustainability, which, combined with her three-dimensional mobility acquired from Boosters, makes her another annoying presence for opponents. Her Ultimate, although looked at as a get-MVP button by new or low rank players, is just a great way to deny opponents an area, clear out opposition backlines with risky pushes, or remech with full HP.

While her minor perks grant her more damage and sustainability when D.Va ejects from the suit, it's her major perk, specifically Shield System, that further bolsters her Defense Matrix. D.Va relies a lot on instantaneous Defense Matrix activation, mainly for shutting down opponent playmakers. This leads to her incurring a ton of stray damage. Thanks to this major perk, D.Va attains more self-sustain options, making her one of the better tanks in Overwatch 2 Season 16.

Also read — Stadium in Overwatch 2: Release date, and what to expect

4) Sigma

Sigma is one of the best heroes to take with you post-update in Overwatch 2 Season 16. He was the 31st hero to be added to the game, and boasts a ton of crowd control abilities, allowing him to make his presence as a 'Talon Living Weapon' known during a match. Sigma is an all-arounder tank who can not only protect his team from opposing onslaughts, but also dish out a significant amount of damage with his Hyperspheres, even to targets behind cover.

Sigma is an all-rounder tank to pick in Overwatch 2 Season 16 (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Blizzard Entertainment)

His ultimate is a massive area deniable ability which opponents are always wary about, and allows Sigma to catch opponents off-guard. His Accretion ability allows him to stun and punish targets that stray off of their team's frontlines and acts as a way to cancel opponent abilities.

Since his Experimental Barrier is already a strong shielding tool, his perks focus on enhancing his primary fire: his Kinetic Grasp and Accretion skills. These enable Sigma to dish out even more damage and become a menace to the enemy team. Lastly, the Levitation perk allows this Talon Scientist to briefly levitate, granting him some vertical mobility. Overall, Sigma is a dominant tank who will be a strong pick in Overwatch 2 Season 16.

5) Zarya

Zarya is the final entry on this list. She is also the third hero released with the game, which showcases her strong presence in Overwatch since its release in 2016. Zarya is a master of brawling and a fitting hero to exert brute force with. Her kit focuses on enhancing her Particle Cannon and dealing devastating amounts of laser damage, the likes of which cannot be blocked by Defense Matrix or Kinetic Grasp.

Zarya is one of the strongest brawlers in Overwatch 2 Season 16 (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Blizzard Entertainment)

Zarya is an essential ally for damage heroes who like to dive into the enemy backlines since her Projected Barrier ability greatly enhances survival chances. This skill, combined with the per Spotter, enhances ally movement speed and activates health regen, exponentially increasing the sustain of squishy divers like Genji or Tracer.

Zarya has a dominating presence on the battlefield since her main damage source is her primary fire. Her Particle Cannon can further be enhanced with the Energy Lance perk, which allows her to pierce and damage multiple targets when above 50 energy. Thus making her a lethal unit to confront out of position.

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About the author

Sankalpa is a gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in role-playing games (RPGs) and first-person shooters (FPS). A trained IT engineer, he switched his career to combine his passion for computer hardware and video games. Having done early build testing for Redstorm Entertainment, Sankalpa brings a wealth of insight into his role at Sportskeeda. He actively plays the games he is tasked to cover and then writes unbiased, thoughtful, and accurate features.

Delta Force 1 was the first title Sankalpa played, and it ignited in him a lifelong love for the FPS genre. Currently, he prefers to play multiplayer games on his PC. That said, he would love to explore the majestic landscapes of Far Cry 4's Kyrat in person if he ever finds himself in a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sankalpa follows the esports scene of Rainbow Six quite closely, with he himself playing with and against T2 and T3 teams in R6 tournaments at one point. He enjoys watching the tactics employed by professional players, especially Pengu, a former G2 member and 2x Winner of Rainbow 6 Siege invitationals.

In his spare time, Sankalpa can be found listening to lossless music or editing YouTube videos. He also loves binge-watching anime.

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Edited by Sijo Samuel Paul