Overwatch 2 Season 18’s Stadium game mode features Payload Race, drafting, Quick Play queue, new heroes, and so much more. Here’s everything you need to know about the next major Stadium update.
Overwatch 2 Season 18 will arrive soon, and Blizzard Entertainment just revealed what players can expect starting Aug. 26. The Stadium game mode, in particular, will get a bunch of major updates. In addition to the new Payload Race mode, Overwatch 2 Stadium will welcome four heroes to its roster, have three new maps, feature new skins, and so much more. Stadium Quick Play will also be a new queue!
Overwatch 2 Stadium Payload Race in Season 18
According to Blizzard Entertainment, Stadium will introduce players to the Payload Race mode in Overwatch 2 Season 18. This mode will require players to push payloads and duke it out to the finish line. However, there will be no checkpoint wins involved in this mode. Instead, players will have to take it all the way to claim victory.
What is Payload Race in Overwatch 2 Stadium?
Payload Race was first mentioned back in May 2025 during a director's take. Outside of the blog, senior game designer Dylan Snyder also shared that everything in this mode will lead up to an all-out brawl.
"In Payload Race, teams escort their payloads toward their destination, battling each other along winding pathways and evolving environments," Snyder explained. "This culminates in an exciting all-out brawl at the finish line, as the leading team attempts to close out their victory, and the trailing team does whatever they can to stop them!"
The release date for Payload Race was teased ahead of time, too. The roadmap posted in May 2025 indicated that Payload Race will arrive in Overwatch 2 Season 18.
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New Overwatch 2 Stadium heroes: Winston, Brigitte, Pharah, and Tracer
As for the Stadium roster, Winston, Brigitte, Pharah will join it soon. Meanwhile, Tracer will enter it later in the season. The arrival of these four heroes will mean a Stadium roster of 25 characters in total for Season 18.
Tank | Damage | Support |
|---|---|---|
| D.Va | Ashe | Ana |
| Junker Queen | Cassidy | Brigitte (New) |
| Orisa | Freja | Juno |
| Reinhardt | Genji | Kiriko |
| Sigma | Junkrat | Lucio |
| Zarya | Mei | Mercy |
| Winston (New) | Reaper | Moira |
| Soldier: 76 | Zenyatta | |
| Pharah (New) | ||
| Tracer (New) |
New Overwatch 2 Stadium maps: Powder Keg Mine, Thames District, and Oasis Gardens
In terms of the new Stadium maps, they will be Powder Keg Mine, Thames District, and Oasis Gardens. The arrival of these will mean 11 Stadium maps in total.
New Overwatch 2 Stadium rewards for Season 18
Fans of Mei, Reinhardt, Ana, and D.Va, meanwhile, will have the chance to earn some new Stadium skins. The Elite Rank rewards will feature the epic Mei, Reinhardt, and Ana skins while All-Star players will get the legendary All-Star D.Va skin.
Overwatch 2 gets faster Stadium queues and Stadium Draft
"Quick Play Queue speeds up the action with a faster, lighter version of Stadium, bringing shorter matches, a rapid-fire economy, and Backfill & Cross Play support," Blizzard Entertainment also revealed.
The latest announcement also explained that the Stadium Draft mode will work much like a pre-game huddle and involve counter-picking.
That's all for now. Are you ready for a new season of Overwatch 2 Stadium? Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates!
