If you spent hours grinding seasonal events or dropping real money on rare skins in the original Overwatch, the first question on your mind when booting up the sequel is likely do Overwatch skins carry over to Overwatch 2. I still remember panicking the week OW2 launched, because I had the limited Blackwatch Reyes skin I earned during the 2018 Retribution event, and I didn’t want to lose hundreds of dollars worth of cosmetics I’d collected over 6 years of play. Most returning players have at least a few favorite skins they don’t want to part with, so this is one of the most common questions we get from people coming back to the franchise after a break.
Which Overwatch Skins Carry Over to Overwatch 2?
The short answer is almost all of them. Any skin you earned or purchased in the original Overwatch will transfer to OW2 as long as you use the same linked Battle.net account, no extra work required. All purchased or earned OW1 cosmetics are eligible for transfer, even limited-edition event skins that haven’t been available for years. That means if you unlocked the rare Pink Mercy skin during the 2018 charity promotion, it will still be waiting for you in your OW2 inventory.
It’s not just skins that transfer either. A whole range of OW1 items will show up in your OW2 account when you first log in, including:
- All base, event, and limited-edition OW1 skins for every hero
- Weapon charms, sprays, emotes, victory poses, and voice lines earned in OW1
- Legacy credits you had leftover in your OW1 account
- Unopened loot boxes from OW1 (they automatically open when you first log into OW2)
- Hero unlocks you earned in OW1, even for heroes that are now locked for new OW2 players
I had 17 unopened loot boxes saved when I first logged into OW2, and I ended up getting 4 legendary event skins I missed from 2019 and 2020 events out of them. Legacy credits can only be used to purchase older OW1 skins, not new OW2 exclusive cosmetics, but that’s still a great perk for long-time players who might have a few thousand credits saved up.
What Items Don’t Transfer From OW1 to OW2?
There are very few exceptions to the transfer rule, and none of them apply to paid or earned skins for most players. The only items that won’t carry over are tied to OW1-specific features that don’t exist in the sequel, or expired platform-exclusive promotions that were only valid for the original game.
Player level borders from OW1 don’t transfer, because OW2 uses a completely different battle pass progression system that doesn’t track account levels the same way. Original OW1 competitive rank data also doesn’t transfer, since OW2 reset all competitive ranks when it launched to level the playing field for new players. You won't lose any paid skins, even if they were part of a limited promotion, as long as they were tied to your Battle.net account, so you don’t have to worry about losing skins you bought with real money.
The only time you might lose a skin is if it was part of a platform-exclusive promotion that expired before OW2 launched, and it was never tied to your Battle.net account. For example, some console pre-order skins for OW1 were only tied to your console account, and if you didn’t link it to Battle.net before OW2 launched, those skins might not transfer. That’s a very rare case though, and most players won’t run into it.
How to Make Sure Your Overwatch Skins Carry Over to Overwatch 2
The most important step to make sure all your skins transfer is to log into OW2 with the exact same Battle.net account you used to play the original Overwatch. If you played on console, you need to link your PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch account to your Battle.net account before you log into OW2 for the first time, otherwise your console skins won’t transfer over.
You can link multiple console accounts to the same Battle.net account to merge skins across all platforms, which is perfect if you used to play on both PC and console. For example, if you had some skins on your PlayStation account and some on your PC account, linking both to the same Battle.net account will merge all the skins into one inventory you can access on any platform.
If you don’t see all your skins right when you log in, don’t panic. It can take up to 24 hours for all your cosmetics to sync to your account, especially if you have a lot of items from years of playing OW1. I had a friend who waited almost 2 days for all their 2017 Summer Games skins to show up, so give it some time before you reach out to support. Also, make sure you don’t have any active bans or restrictions on your Battle.net account, because that can prevent your cosmetics from transferring over.
Common Issues With Transferring Skins (And How to Fix Them)
Most players won’t run into any issues with transferring their skins, but there are a few common problems that pop up for returning players. The most common issue is missing skins after 24 hours of logging in for the first time. If that happens, first double-check that you’re logged into the right Battle.net account. A lot of people accidentally create a new account when they install OW2, especially if they switched email addresses since they last played OW1.
If you confirmed you're on the right account, you can submit a support ticket to Blizzard with a list of the missing skins and proof of purchase if you bought them. Their support team usually responds within 3 business days, and they can restore most missing items as long as you can prove they were on your account. If you’re missing legacy credits, check the “Legacy Credits” section in the OW2 shop first, because they don’t show up in your main credit balance.
Another common issue is missing skins after merging multiple accounts. If you merged a console account and some skins are missing, make sure the console account isn’t restricted or banned, because restricted accounts can’t transfer items to your main Battle.net account. You can also check your account merge status on the Battle.net website to make sure the merge went through successfully.
You don’t have to stress about losing your hard-earned or purchased OW1 skins when you switch to the newer game. Do Overwatch skins carry over to Overwatch 2? For 99% of players, the answer is a clear yes, as long as you use the same linked Battle.net account. You don’t have to do any extra steps besides logging in with your existing account, and most items will show up right away. If you run into any issues, Blizzard’s support team is usually very helpful with restoring missing cosmetics, so you don’t have to say goodbye to your favorite skins from the original game.