Overwatch 2 Season 16 patch notes: Stadium released, New hero Freja, and more

Overwatch 2 Season 16 patch notes have officially gone live on April 22, 2025. The latest update has released a brand-new mode into the game, Stadium. Alongside the addition of Stadium, players can now also get their hands on a new damage hero, Freja. Furthermore, the latest update has made some major balance changes, all of which will impact the hero meta in-game.

This article will provide a brief on the new additions made in the Overwatch 2 Season 16 patch notes. Read below to know more.

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Everything new added with Overwatch 2 Season 16 patch notes

Season 16 - Stadium

Enter the ultimate battleground with Stadium, an all-new way to play Overwatch 2 where customization takes the reigns in a fun, best-of-seven, round-based fight. Then, celebrate the launch with the Stadium: Initiation, a seasonal event to unlock exclusive rewards.

The relentless bounty hunter Freja arrives as the latest DPS Hero, bringing precision and mobility to every match. Meanwhile, the battlefield transforms with stunning skins, from the Dokiwatch team — led by Mythic Heart of Hope Juno — to Legendary Ashe, Genji, Brigitte, Lifeweaver, and Mauga in the Premium Battle Pass.

Whether you’re outwitting opponents in Stadium, hunting your prey with Freja, or wielding magic with Dokiwatch, this Overwatch 2 Season 16 update is packed with action, strategy, and a whole lot more.

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Stadium: Initiation

Celebrate Stadium's launch with the Stadium: Initiation, a special event where winning earns you more than just bragging rights. Make a name for yourself by conquering challenges, climbing the ranks, and unlocking seasonal cosmetics like the Stadium Rookie Soldier: 76 and Stadium All-Star Juno skins before they're gone.

Perfect your strategy, dominate your opponents, or simply rake in some wins for the fun of it (and the prizes) — the Stadium: Initiation event is the here for you to flex your skills and reap the rewards all season long.

• Take on event challenges to earn Stadium: Initiation exclusive rewards like the Soldier: 76 Stadium Rookie skin and additional rewards.
• Reach All-Star rank in the new Stadium ranking system to earn the S16 exclusive Stadium All-Star Juno skin.

Complete multiple challenges for unique loot boxes.

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Introducing Stadium in Overwatch 2 Season 16

Step into Stadium, an all-new way to play Overwatch 2! This fast-paced, best-of-7, round-based experience you to strategically build your Hero’s loadout, customize on the fly, and outmaneuver your foes with tactical upgrades to rise through the Stadium ranking system.

With the option to play in first or third person, bounties to speed up progress or make comebacks, and the freedom to play your Heroes in completely different ways, no two battles will ever be the same. Plus, Stadium will have 17 Heroes available at launch, with regular updates bringing more Heroes, modes, Items, abilities, maps, and balances to keep things fresh.

Rewrite the rules, conquer the ultimate battleground, and have some fun in Stadium. Learn more about how Stadium is played in our official blog.

• Stadium is a new core game mode listed alongside the Unranked, Competitive Play, and Arcade cards in the main menu.
• Two teams of five compete across multiple rounds and maps.
• First to four round wins will win the match.
• Available only in Role Queue.
• Custom Game modes are not yet available for Stadium.
• Players may group up with other players regardless of skill or Competitive rank in Stadium.

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Stadium Maps

• Nine new or modified maps on three different map types are added in Overwatch 2 Season 16.
• Control maps play one round only and capture progress is faster.
• Clash maps play on three objective points only.
• Push maps play with distance to the objective at approximately half the distance as full Push maps.

Heroes

• Heroes selected are locked in for the entire match.
• Tank Heroes: D.Va, Junker Queen, Orisa, Reinhardt, and Zarya.
• Damage Heroes: Ashe, Cassidy, Genji, Mei, Reaper, and Soldier: 76.
• Support Heroes: Ana, Juno, Kiriko, Lucio, Mercy, and Moira.
• Perks are not enabled in Stadium.

Stadium Cash

• Spend Stadium Cash to buy Items for your Hero and gain additional max health.

Earning Stadium Cash

• Each player starts with 3,500 at the beginning of the match.
• Players earn more Stadium Cash by dealing damage, providing healing, and getting eliminations or assists in Overwatch 2 Season 16.
• Players can earn bounties by eliminating or assisting with eliminating an opponent that has been performing well.
• The player on each team with the most Stadium Cash earned for the round receives a 1,000 cash bonus.
• A team that is significantly behind at the start of a round will have a bonus multiplier added to their earnings throughout that round.

Bounties

• Every player starts with a value of 300 at the start of the match.
• Every time a player gets an elimination or assist, their bounty value increases by 75 and can have a maximum value of 2,000.
• Every time a player with more than 300 is eliminated, their bounty is reset to 300.
• Every time a player with 300 or less is eliminated, their bounty value drops by 100.
• Any player with a bounty of 750 or more is displayed in the gameplay HUD.

Increase Max Health

• For Damage and Support players, every 500 total cash earned adds 1 additional max health at the end of the round and for the remainder of the match.
• For Tank players, every 750 total cash earned adds 1 additional max health for the remainder of the match.
• Up to 300 additional health can be added on from Stadium Cash earnings.
• The initial 3,500 cash at the start of the round does not provide additional max health.

Armory

• At the start of each round, players will enter the Armory and have a limited time to browse.
• Players can use Stadium Cash to buy Items that modify their weapons, abilities, and more.
• In rounds 1, 3, 5, and 7, players can equip Powers for transformative modifiers that enhance and change that Hero's playstyle in Overwatch 2 Season 16.
• Example Builds are available for every Hero. These are great places to start!

Items

• Players can have up to six items equipped at any time.
• Players can sell previously obtained Items for equal value to the purchase price.
• Items are organized into three categories: Weapon, Ability, and Survival.
• Weapon Items typically modify the stats of weapons that have no cooldowns to use.
• Ability Items typically modify the stats of abilities that are limited by a cooldown or ultimate charge.
• Survival Items typically modify the stats of the Hero's survival capabilities, including max health, movement speed, and more.
• Items are organized into Common, Rare, and Epic tiers. Common Items are the most affordable, with Epic ones being the most exclusive.
• Many Items are available to equip for all Heroes.
• Each Hero will have exclusive Hero Items that specifically change the attributes of that Hero's weapons, abilities, or passives.

Powers

• At the start of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th rounds, players will equip a Power for their Hero.
• Powers cannot be removed once they are equipped in Overwatch 2 Season 16.

Leagues

• Stadium is a competitive mode with its own ranking system.
• There are a total of seven Leagues: Rookie, Novice, Contender, Elite, Pro, All-Star, Legend.
• Each League has five divisions, with 5 being the lowest rank and 1 being the highest.
• Players start in the Rookie Division 5 League every season.
• Players gain Stadium Points for every match win along with progress to advancing into the next League.
• In the Rookie and Novice Leagues, players do not lose Stadium Points for a loss.
• Players lose small amounts of Stadium Points after a match loss in the Contender or Elite Leagues.
• Players lose similar amounts of Stadium Points to what they win after a match loss in Pro, All-Star, and Legend Leagues.

Rewards

• Players earn 10 Competitive Points for every match won in Stadium in Overwatch 2 Season 16.
• Players earn additional rewards, including Name Cards, Weapon Charms, and Titles, based on which League they reached the highest throughout the season, and these rewards are only useable for the duration of the next season.
• Players can earn the Epic Orisa Elite Skin by reaching the Elite League in the Tank Role in Season 16.
• Players can earn the Epic Genji Elite Skin by reaching the Elite League in the Damage Role in Season 16.
• Players can earn the Epic Moira Elite Skin by reaching the Elite League in the Support Role in Season 16. Players can earn the Legendary Juno All-Star Skin by reaching the All-Star League in any Role in Season 16.

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Competitive Leaver Penalties

• The same leaver penalties for Competitive Play also apply for Stadium.
• Players who disconnect or leave will only have a few minutes to return without penalty.
• Players who abandon a match entirely will be given the same penalties as if leaving a Competitive Play match-up, including a season ban.
• Players who are suspended or banned in either Stadium or Competitive play cannot play both modes while that suspension is in effect.

You might be interested in: Overwatch 2 Dokiwatch Bundle: What's included, price, and is it worth buying?

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New Hero: Freja

Once Overwatch’s top search-and-rescue operative, Freja now uses her elite tracking skills to hunt targets as a merciless bounty hunter. Agile, aggressive, and lethal, Freja rewards players who think fast, reposition smart, and strike with precision.

Armed with her Revdraw Crossbow and a deadly set of movement abilities, Freja excels in high-pressure combat. Plus, her Bola Shot Ultimate tangles enemies together, setting up devastating team plays. With a dynamic, strategy-driven kit, she’s built for players who thrive on precision — and she never misses her mark.

• Freja is added to the Hero Roster
• Freja is now playable in Competitive Play in Overwatch 2 Season 16

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New Mythic Skin: Heart of Hope Juno Hero Skin

Juno, the newest Hero of Heart, steps into the fight against Woe with her Mythic Heart of Hope skin, featuring four brilliant stages of customization that evolve as her radiance grows.

From a bright-eyed protector to an unstoppable warrior, and even a corrupted version lost to Woe In between, her progression tells a story of resilience and destiny. With dynamic ability VFX, shifting colorways, new hairstyles, and the Sharks of Dreams by her side, Juno’s transformation is more than just cosmetic — it’s a magical journey, yours to shape.

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New Mythic Aspect: Iridescent Aspects

Introducing the new Iridescent Aspects, a prismatic upgrade that lets you bring even more personality to your fully leveled Mythic Hero Skins. This dazzling new customization option adds a vibrant, high-energy finish, making your Hero stand out like never before.

Mythic Heart of Hope Juno’s Iridescent Aspect debuts at launch on April 22, with all previous Mythic Hero Skins gaining their Iridescent Aspects starting May 20.

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General Updates

Streamer Protect

• New Option: Hide Player Icon from Others - Displays the default player icon instead.
• New Option: Hide Name Card from Others - Hides the Name Card as if no Name Card were equipped.
• New Option: Hide Player Title from Others - Hides the Player Title as if no Player Title were equipped.

Reporting Features

• Players can now receive an instant notification if a player is already actioned.
• Prior to this feature, reporting a player that had already been banned or suspended would not result in any additional information. The Instant Reporting Feedback feature will immediately inform the player of the fact that banned or suspended players have been actioned when they are reported.
• Players can now Report from Replays. This new feature benefits from Instant Reporting Feedback described above. Since Replays can be shared, a new set of measures has been developed that will always prevent organized mass reports from taking action against players.

Competitive Play Updates

Hero Bans

• Hero Bans have been added to Competitive Play modes.
• Before the Ban Phase, players will be able to select their Preferred Hero. Selecting a Preferred Hero does not prevent it from being banned. It just communicates which Hero the player would like to play. This selection is optional.
• Players will enter the Ban Phase before the Versus Screen is displayed.
• Players can communicate with their own team during this phase but can't see or communicate with the enemy team.
• Bans are simultaneous, with each team banning 2 Heroes with a Ranked Choice system.
• Each player's first choice carries the most weight, while their second and third choices contribute proportionally fewer votes.
• Players aren't required to choose any Heroes to ban; they can pass by pressing the Ready button.
• Players can reset all their ban choices with the Reset button, or they can select any current choice and then swap that choice individually.
• Players can see which Heroes their allies are choosing to ban and which Hero they prefer to play on the left side of the screen during the bans phase.
• Allied choices are ordered from left to right, with the leftmost choice being their highest priority to ban.
• Ban Results are calculated when the Ban Phase ends. Only 2 Heroes can be banned per role.
• If a Hero is tied for votes, ties are broken by the number of players that voted for that Hero.
• If Heroes are still tied, ties are broken randomly.

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That's everything that you need to know about Overwatch 2 Season 16 patch notes. For more related news and guides, stay tuned to Sportskeeda's esports section.