If you just downloaded Overwatch 2 for the first time or came back after a long break, you’ve probably wondered: do you get all characters in Overwatch 2 right off the bat? I remember when the game switched to free-to-play back in 2022, I logged in expecting all the original Overwatch heroes I used to main, only to find half my roster locked behind challenges. It’s frustrating when you want to jump into a match as your favorite support or tank but can’t access them, so I put together this guide to break down exactly who you get for free, what’s locked, and how to unlock every hero without wasting your time or money.
Do You Get All Characters in Overwatch 2 for Free as a New Player?
For brand new players who never owned the original Overwatch, the short answer is no, you don’t get every character for free immediately. Blizzard locks a portion of the roster behind progression to keep new players from being overwhelmed by 30+ heroes right as they start. You start with a core roster of 13 heroes, spread across all three roles, so you can test out tank, damage, and support playstyles before you unlock more.
The starting 13 heroes include Tracer, Reaper, Soldier: 76, Mercy, Reinhardt, and more, so you have a solid mix of aggressive and passive playstyles across all three roles. Blizzard picked these specific heroes because they’re the easiest to learn for new players, so you don’t have to master complex abilities right away while you’re still learning the maps and game modes.
New players get access to all original Overwatch 1 heroes after completing around 100 quick play matches, but that doesn’t include heroes added after Overwatch 2 launched, like Kiriko, Junker Queen, or Ramattra. I’ve had friends who started playing last month finish all the new player challenges in about 15 hours of play time, so it’s not a super long grind if you play a few matches a night. But if you want the newer heroes immediately, you’ll have to take a different route.
How to Unlock Every Missing Overwatch 2 Hero Fast
There are two main paths to unlock all heroes in Overwatch 2, and neither requires you to spend real money if you don’t want to. Every new hero added in a season is free to unlock on the free track of that season’s battle pass, usually at tier 45. If you miss the season the hero launches in, you can unlock them later through dedicated hero challenges, no purchase required. Those challenges usually require you to win 15 quick play or competitive matches as the role the hero is in, or complete specific in-game tasks like getting 100 eliminations as support heroes.
For example, if you wanted to unlock Illari, the support hero added in Season 6, you can complete her hero challenge by winning 15 matches as support, or getting 50 healing or damage assists in quick play. I did this last season, and it only took me 18 matches total, since wins count for double and I was playing with a friend who mains tank, so we won most of our matches. If you do buy the premium battle pass, you get the new hero immediately, plus extra XP boosts that help you unlock all the battle pass rewards faster. That’s a good pick if you play every day and want all the cosmetics, but if you only play a few times a week, the free track is more than enough.
If you want to cut down your grind time even more, follow these simple tips:
- Play quick play matches with daily and weekly challenges active, as these give 2-3x more battle pass XP than unchallenged matches
- Group up with friends to get the 20% group XP bonus, which cuts your grind time for battle pass tiers almost in half
- Stick to one role if you’re grinding a specific hero challenge, as all matches in that role count towards your win requirement
If you don’t want to wait for the grind, you can also purchase the premium battle pass for the season the hero launched in, or buy the hero individually from the in-game shop for 1000 Overwatch Coins, which is around $10. That’s a good option if you want to play a specific hero in competitive right away, but it’s totally unnecessary if you don’t mind waiting a week or two of casual play.
What Character Access Do Returning Overwatch 1 Players Get?
If you owned the original Overwatch before Overwatch 2 launched in October 2022, you get way more characters for free right off the bat. All original Overwatch 1 heroes are automatically unlocked for returning players, no challenges required. You also get Kiriko, Junker Queen, and Sojourn for free, as those were the launch heroes for Overwatch 2. The only heroes you’ll have to unlock are ones added after Season 1, like Ramattra, Lifeweaver, Illari, and Venture.
The unlock rules for those post-launch heroes are the same as for new players: you can either grind the battle pass when they launch, complete hero challenges later, or purchase them directly. I’m a returning player myself, and I was relieved I didn’t have to re-unlock Tracer or Mercy, but I did have to grind 15 wins as tank to get Ramattra when I came back in Season 4. It only took me 3 days of casual play, so it wasn’t a big hassle.
If you’re a returning player, you already know half the fun of the original game was switching between heroes to counter the enemy team, so not having to re-unlock those old favorites means you can jump right back into that loop without worrying about do you get all characters in Overwatch 2 from your old account. The only thing you might have to grind for is the new heroes added after you stopped playing, which is a small ask for a free game update.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Unlocking Overwatch 2 Characters
First, don’t waste your Overwatch Coins on individual heroes unless you absolutely need to play them right away for competitive. Overwatch Coins are better saved for battle passes, which give you dozens of skins, emotes, and other cosmetics in addition to the new hero. If you buy a premium battle pass, you also earn enough coins from the free and premium tracks to buy the next season’s battle pass for free, so it’s a way better value than buying individual heroes one by one.
Second, don’t grind competitive matches for hero unlocks if you’re new to the hero’s role. You’ll have a lower win rate, which means you’ll take longer to hit the 15 win requirement for most hero challenges. Stick to quick play, where matches are more casual and you’re more likely to win even if you’re still learning the role’s basics. You can also play open queue if the role you need has a long wait time, since open queue matches let you pick any role and count towards challenge requirements just like role queue matches.
Third, don’t skip the new player tutorial and onboarding challenges. A lot of new players skip these to jump straight into matches, but the onboarding challenges give you a ton of XP and unlock the original roster way faster than just playing random quick play matches. They also teach you core mechanics like payload pushing, objective control, and ability combos that you’ll need to know to play well later on.
Finally, don’t panic if you miss a season’s battle pass. Hero challenges never expire, so you can always go back and unlock old heroes at any time, no time limit. You don’t have to rush to grind every season’s battle pass just to get the new hero, you can wait until you have more free time or until you decide you actually want to play that specific hero.
At the end of the day, the answer to do you get all characters in Overwatch 2 depends on whether you’re a new or returning player, and how much time you’re willing to put into progression. You don’t have to spend any real money to unlock every hero on the roster if you’re okay with a small grind, and even new players can get access to the full original roster in less than 20 hours of play time. If you’re just playing for fun with friends, you don’t need to rush unlocking every hero right away. Test out the free roster first, find what roles you enjoy, and unlock heroes that fit your playstyle as you go. You’ll have way more fun than if you stress about grinding every unlock as fast as possible.