Overwatch 2 Giving Players Every Hero for Free Starting in Season 10

Overwatch 2's free-to-play format came with the caveat that new heroes would be unlocked via the game's battle pass system by default, a method of acquiring them which didn't resonate with a lot of players. In the first Overwatch, by contrast, new heroes were unlocked right from the beginning. If you preferred that unlock method, you're in luck, because starting in Season 10, Blizzard announced that new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available right as they're released similar to how it was in the first Overwatch.

Better than that, Blizzard also confirmed that the roster of Overwatch 2 heroes will be totally unlocked for everyone when Season 10 starts, so if there's a hero you haven't yet acquired, that'll be remedied in the next season. Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller talked about the plans to make all heroes fully available for everyone in Season 10 in the game's latest dev diary video with the first new hero this policy applies to being Venture, the new Overwatch 2 hero revealed previously.

All Overwatch 2 Heroes Unlocked for Free

"Heroes are one of the most exciting additions to the game, and we want all of our players to have immediate access to them when they launch," Keller said. "Which is why I am thrilled to share that Venture and all future heroes will be free for all players when they launch. Starting with Venture, heroes will no longer be unlocked through the battle pass. This includes all previous Overwatch 2 heroes."

For some additional context on why people are already loving this change, the battle pass system offered immediate access to heroes if players opted for the premium version of the battle pass. This meant that they technically didn't cost anything since you could earn them through normal progression in the free battle pass, but being able to get them right away as a purchase meant that players could get familiar with them much quicker by paying. The system wasn't pay-to-win by any means given the team-based nature of the game and the fact that just because someone has the hero wouldn't mean that they'd know what they were doing, but compared to Overwatch's system where everyone was free, it was seen as a downgrade.

Alongside these hero changes, Blizzard also confirmed plans to make it so that Mythic Skins will be more accessible to players who may have missed out on coveted cosmetics from past seasons. That'll be done through the new Mythic Shop which will be connected to the premium battle pass.

"The Mythic Shop will allow you to work towards past and current seasonal Mythic hero skins as you progress through the Premium Battle Pass. You get to decide how far into each Mythic skin you would like to build. So, for example, if you don't want to fully unlock all of a skin's color or model variations, you can spread your progression towards other Mythic hero skins."

Overwatch 2 Season 10 does not yet have a release date but is expected to start some time in mid-April.