The best Overwatch 2 Season 3 tanks, ranked – Mid-season update

In need of a handy list for the best Overwatch 2 Season 3 tanks? It's a new season of Overwatch 2 and Esports.gg is coming in hot with all the info you require. The mid-season brought about some changes to the Tank hierarchy. How much have things changed?

Let's look at who is OP, which Heroes are cringe, and who to pick when it's crunch time!

This break down of the best Overwatch 2 Season 3 tanks is based on a few metrics. This includes an overall decision on what Hero is the best in any overall situation, as well as what best fits in the meta as of March 2023. While everyone may not agree on these choices, it should at least help players make their own decisions on what works best in the current metagame.

This list will be updated again at the start of Season 4.

A shake-up at the top! We've swapped Orisa and Wrecking Ball for a few key reasons: First, the direct nerf to Orisa via Sombra is hard to ignore, even as one could argue that Wrecking Ball is the more vulnerable of the two to the hacker. Despite that, there's a key difference: If you see an Orisa on the field you should immediately get a Sombra in-play to ruin what is the most unavoidable Ultimate in the game. A good Wrecking Ball can still play around and even hunt a Sombra.

Once more, this isn't that Orisa is now bad. However, rarely has this game seen such a direct "And screw you, in particular" balance update such as Terra Surge being hackable. Past that, the top three tanks in the game at the moment all represent survivability. All three can stand their ground, retreat to heal, and get back into the fight with ease. In the case of Ball, he has what is probably the best defensive cooldown in the game with his shields.

Let's go over the various.

Best situations: Holding choke points, escort
Countered by: Mei/Reaper aggression, Junker Queen DOT, Symmetra
Pairs well with: Hitscans to follow up on Ultimate; Mercy pocket

Best situations: Dive comps, countering high ground/Pharmercy
Countered by: Bio Grenade, Ramattra Nemesis Mode, beam damage
Pairs well with: Shield break, Ana/Mercy pocket

Best situations: Dive, squishy enemy team, low mobility opponents
Countered by: Sombra, Discord Orb, Junkrat
Pairs well with: Zenyatta, Genji, Hitscan, confused enemies

We've already covered Orisa, but Ramattra's star has certainly risen in the last few weeks. Proven to be a dogged Tank able to finish team fights on his own, even a nerf to his Ultimate isn't enough to keep him from the top ranks. Meanwhile, Reinhardt certainly feels like he's come into his own as a constant source of pressure and fear for teams that cannot contain him or his muscles. Playing against a good Rein suddenly feels the same as dealing with a good Tracer: Terrifying.

Best situations: Payload escorting, pushing onto points, winning tank battles
Countered by: Zenyatta Discord Orb, Bastion, Sombra.
Pairs well with: Kiriko cleanses, Nano Dart

Best situations: Countering snipers, punishing DVA/Rein aggression
Countered by: Ana, Zenyatta, Mei wall
Pairs well with: Brig, Lucio Speed Boost, Mercy damage boost

Best situations: Death ball comps, holding chokes, countering dive
Countered by: Reaper, Symmetra, Ramattra Nemesis Mode
Pairs well with: Brig, Mei, pocket healers

Oh, poor Winton. Already in a strange spot as an Overwatch 1 design holdover, then getting a nerf in the Season 3 patch. He's not bad, nor will Winston ever truly be bad. However, he lacks to damage potential of Wrecking Ball and the survivability of Dva. That said, he may still be the best anti-Widowmaker pick in the game, so keep that in mind when thinking about counter-picks.

Best situations: Single-target dive, creating separation, maps with boops
Countered by: Symmetra, Reaper, Mei, Bastion, a good Hanzo
Pairs well with: Zenyatta, Pharah

Like the other lists, this tier has been renamed from "niche" to "situational." And, likewise: Zarya and Doomfist have their place, but it's on specific maps and situations. Zarya is still fantastic at punishing absent-minded opponents. She's also a bit of a Ramattra counter, thanks to her bubbles and their recent cooldown reduction. In the case of Doomfist. Well... I mean, he still isn't good. However, dive is currently on the menu and that means even the worst dive Tank has a place at the table.

Also: That One Punch Man skin is rad. We cannot deny.

Best situations: Death ball, up-close fights
Countered by: Anti-shield Heroes, Junkrat, Moira, Ramattra
Pairs well with: Baptiste, Pharmercy

Best situations: Defending a control point, attacking high ground, isolating targets
Countered by: Junker Queen, Dva, Discord Orb, Ana, Bastion
Pairs well with: Tracer, Moira, Widowmaker, One Punch Man

Australians: Bottom of the world, bottom of the Tank tier list, first in heart when it comes to Bluey. The two Aussie frontliners suffer from similar problems: Huge weaknesses and a need to work harder than all the others tanks to simply reach "fine." Roadhog's recent nerfs killed his ability to get kills while still leaving him as a huge target. Meanwhile, the resident Giant Woman simply cannot stay alive long enough to be effective. In the case of Queen, it feels like her self-healing numbers are too low compared to the rest--including Doomfist's ability to generate shields and stay in fights.

Don't play these Heroes unless you're just having fun. They'll probably see buffs in the future, but until then? Avoid.

Best situations: Aerial counter, shield break
Countered by: Ana, Zenyatta, Mei, Sombra, Bastion, Junker Queen, Reaper, life itself
Pairs well with: playing VALORANT instead

Best situations: Pure aggression, fighting over the payload, squishy dive Heroes
Countered by: Ana, Mei, Wrecking Ball, Kiriko
Pairs well with: Brig, Genji, Kiriko Cleanse

Keep watch on Esports.gg for more Overwatch 2 Season 3 news as it develops.