Hero Playbooks / Overwatch / Patch notes
Overwatch patch notes explained
Season 5 hotfix: Sombra, Roadhog, Kiriko, D.Mon (October 13, 2026)
First Season 5 hotfix: Sombra and Doctrine trimmed, Roadhog partly restored after his rework, Kiriko health up, D.Mon armor down.
Heroes changed: D.Mon, Doctrine, Kiriko, Roadhog, Sombra
Season 5: A Grim Doctrine (October 6, 2026)
Season 5 launch: new support Doctrine, Roadhog rework, Sombra moved to Support, new Escort map Grímsvötn, smaller hitscan projectiles with roster-wide hit volume changes.
Heroes changed: Ana, Anran, Ashe, Baptiste, Bastion, Cassidy, D.Va, Doctrine, Domina, Doomfist, Echo, Emre, Genji, Hanzo, Hazard, Illari, Jetpack Cat, Junker Queen, Junkrat, Juno, Kiriko, Lifeweaver, Lúcio, Mauga, Mercy, Mizuki, Moira, Reinhardt, Roadhog, Shion, Sierra, Sojourn, Sombra, Symmetra, Torbjörn, Tracer, Venture, Wrecking Ball, Wuyang, Zenyatta
Bug fix update (September 22, 2026)
Bug-fix update. Replay codes wiped.
D.Mon armor and perk nerf (September 17, 2026)
D.Mon armor reduced in 5v5 and 6v6; Focused Fusion major perk damage per bullet reduced; Propulsors fuel drain and Fusion Repeater damage/cooldown adjusted.
Heroes changed: D.Mon
Hotfix: Ramattra, Jetpack Cat, Vendetta (September 10, 2026)
Bug fixes for Ramattra Ravenous Vortex timing, Jetpack Cat Purr through barriers, and Vendetta Palatine Fang range.
Season 4 midseason balance (September 8, 2026)
Midseason pass across tanks, damage and support: D.Mon, D.Va, Domina, Mauga, Winston, Wrecking Ball and Zarya adjusted on tank; Anran, Freja, Junkrat, Sierra, Symmetra, Torbjörn, Vendetta and Widowmaker on damage; Baptiste, Brigitte, Jetpack Cat, Kiriko, Wuyang and Zenyatta on support.
Heroes changed: Anran, Baptiste, Brigitte, D.Mon, D.Va, Domina, Freja, Jetpack Cat, Junkrat, Kiriko, Mauga, Sierra, Symmetra, Torbjörn, Vendetta, Widowmaker, Winston, Wrecking Ball, Wuyang, Zarya, Zenyatta
Hotfix bug fixes (August 20, 2026)
Small bug-fix pass, including a Mizuki out-of-bounds issue.
Eichenwalde re-enabled in Competitive (August 19, 2026)
Eichenwalde map fix; Blizzard re-enabled the map in the competitive rotation. Season 4 Battle Pass XP banking bug fixed.
Jetpack Cat and D.Mon fixes (August 14, 2026)
Jetpack Cat movement and self-heal penalty adjusted; several D.Mon bug fixes.
Heroes changed: D.Mon, Jetpack Cat
D.Mon follow-up + Paraíso spawn fix (August 12, 2026)
Early Season 4 hotfix: D.Mon damage and mobility tweaks, plus a Paraíso attacker-spawn fix.
Heroes changed: D.Mon
Season 4: Heroes of Busan (August 11, 2026)
Season 4 launched with new tank D.Mon, reworks of Busan, Paraíso and Eichenwalde, a Battle Pass revamp, Team Drives, Emerald rank, and a wide hero balance pass that matters for counters, tiers and perks.
Heroes changed: Cassidy, Domina, Doomfist, Echo, Emre, Genji, Hazard, Jetpack Cat, Juno, Lifeweaver, Mauga, Mizuki, Orisa, Pharah, Shion, Tracer, Vendetta, Venture, Winston, Wuyang, Zenyatta
Tank cooldown pass (July 30) (July 30, 2026)
Tank-focused tweaks: Doomfist Best Defense shields, Ramattra Void Barrier, Domina Barrier Array, plus Hazard and Mauga adjustments.
Heroes changed: Domina, Doomfist, Hazard, Mauga, Ramattra
July 28, 2026 (July 28, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
Pre-Season 4 balance (July 14) (July 14, 2026)
Broad balance patch before Season 4 covering tanks, damage and support, including Junker Queen, Brigitte, Doomfist, Kiriko, Ana and others.
Heroes changed: Ana, Brigitte, Cassidy, Doomfist, Freja, Junker Queen, Kiriko, Lúcio, Mauga, Ramattra, Reaper, Shion, Sierra, Sigma, Vendetta, Venture
July 2, 2026 (July 2, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
July 1, 2026 (July 1, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
Community Crafted arcade balance (June 30, 2026)
Large temporary balance set labeled for Community Crafted / arcade-style play. Hero Playbooks does not treat these as lasting Competitive changes.
June 25, 2026 (June 25, 2026)
Official patch affecting Shion. See the linked Blizzard notes for full detail.
Heroes changed: Shion
June 24, 2026 (June 24, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
June 23, 2026 (June 23, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
June 18, 2026 (June 18, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
Season 3 launch balance + Neon Junction (June 16, 2026)
Season 3 patch with new Hybrid map Neon Junction and a large hero balance wave (also the source of many perk number changes still visible on hero pages).
Heroes changed: Ana, Anran, Ashe, Bastion, Brigitte, Cassidy, D.Va, Domina, Doomfist, Echo, Emre, Genji, Hazard, Illari, Jetpack Cat, Junkrat, Juno, Lifeweaver, Mei, Mercy, Mizuki, Moira, Ramattra, Reaper, Reinhardt, Sierra, Sojourn, Tracer, Vendetta, Wuyang, Zarya
May 26, 2026 (May 26, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
May 21, 2026 (May 21, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
May 14, 2026 (May 14, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
May 12, 2026 (May 12, 2026)
Official patch affecting Baptiste, Brigitte, D.Va, Doomfist, Emre, Freja, Illari, Junker Queen and 8 more. See the linked Blizzard notes for full detail.
Heroes changed: Baptiste, Brigitte, D.Va, Doomfist, Emre, Freja, Illari, Junker Queen, Kiriko, Lúcio, Mercy, Mizuki, Pharah, Ramattra, Sierra, Wuyang
April 28, 2026 (April 28, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
April 23, 2026 (April 23, 2026)
Official patch affecting Brigitte, Freja, Hazard, Junker Queen, Juno, Orisa, Ramattra, Wuyang and 1 more. See the linked Blizzard notes for full detail.
Heroes changed: Brigitte, Freja, Hazard, Junker Queen, Juno, Orisa, Ramattra, Wuyang, Zarya
April 17, 2026 (April 17, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
April 14, 2026 (April 14, 2026)
Official patch affecting Ana, Anran, Ashe, Bastion, Brigitte, Echo, Emre, Jetpack Cat and 22 more. See the linked Blizzard notes for full detail.
Heroes changed: Ana, Anran, Ashe, Bastion, Brigitte, Echo, Emre, Jetpack Cat, Junkrat, Juno, Kiriko, Lifeweaver, Lúcio, Mercy, Mizuki, Pharah, Ramattra, Reaper, Reinhardt, Roadhog, Sigma, Soldier: 76, Sombra, Tracer, Vendetta, Widowmaker, Winston, Wrecking Ball, Wuyang, Zenyatta
April 1, 2026 (April 1, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
February 25, 2026 (February 25, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
February 24, 2026 (February 24, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
February 18, 2026 (February 18, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
February 13, 2026 (February 13, 2026)
Official live patch. Mostly bug fixes or systems changes with little hero-balance impact for counters.
February 10, 2026 (February 10, 2026)
Official patch affecting Anran, Ashe, Baptiste, Cassidy, D.Va, Echo, Freja, Hanzo and 22 more. See the linked Blizzard notes for full detail.
Heroes changed: Anran, Ashe, Baptiste, Cassidy, D.Va, Echo, Freja, Hanzo, Illari, Kiriko, Lifeweaver, Mauga, Mercy, Moira, Orisa, Pharah, Reinhardt, Roadhog, Sigma, Soldier: 76, Sombra, Torbjörn, Tracer, Vendetta, Widowmaker, Winston, Wrecking Ball, Wuyang, Zarya, Zenyatta