The best Overwatch Season 5 tanks, ranked – Midseason update

The Overwatch Season 5 turnover is upon us! Of course, that means only one thing: Once more we jump into the trenches in order to rank the best Season 5 tanks in the game. The meta received a kick in the pants today with a new patch that empowers a number of once-difficult DPS. A massive buff to new support Lifeweaver also brings tweaks to our tank list.

Let's look at who to play, who fell down the ladder, and who to avoid.

This break down of the best Overwatch Season 5 tanks for the midseason 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 June 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 midseason.

Last season's patch brought a number of buffs to our favorite Giant Woman. And despite getting a few (rightful) nerfs today, she's still the top of the heap. Her ability to deal with dive while still pressuring the DPS is as good as Ramattra. However, what puts her over the top at the moment is her passive healing. A great Junker Queen knows when to start hitting buttons and when to come home. This makes her the current best of the Overwatch Season 5 tanks.

Ramattra and Sigma remain unchanged from our last update. Of course, this means they still whip all sorts of butt. Both are adaptable Heroes with tools for all sorts of situations. In the case of Ramattra, he is the go-to anti-shield, temp-controlling tank. As for Sigma, he remains the most adaptive of the shieldbearers while also having one of the best--and remaining--stuns in the game.

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

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

The A-tier of tanks is far more crowded than in past rankings. This is because these Heroes still accomplish their goals with few counters. Even with the advent of Mei's new slow and exploding damage, Orisa, Rein, Dva, and Winston can hang without needing to counterpick. In the case of Winston, he remains the top dive tank pick thanks to his survivability and how good his Jetpack is while still being on a low cooldown.

That said, Dva players should beware, as the likes of Queen, Mei, and Ramattra continue to eat her lunch. Likewise, Orisa moves up a tier thanks to her ability to handle crowd control, but far too many Heroes still hard-counter her Ultimate.

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

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

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

Oh, how the mighty must fall. it brings me no joy as a Wrecking Ball main to admit that my son's day in the sun has been eclipsed by an ice age. Much like Orisa, Ball faces too many hard counters these days to do what he does while not becoming a liability. The buffing of Lifeweaver and Mei along with Widowmaker's nerfing to the ground means that Hammond loses immense value.

The same goes for Doomfist, but, I mean: He was already in this boat. It's tough out there right now for the Overwatch season 5 tanks of dive.

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

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, Lifeweaver, AND THEY SAY--

Your eyes do not deceive you: Roadhog is out of the basement. Today's buff to his E Ability has given Roadhog a supreme advantage over a lot of tanks in regards to survivability. He's still completely reliant on landing hooks (and kills), but now that isn't his only purpose. His ability to stand in the lane makes him great against dive, Reinhardt, and even Ramattra in some situations.

Zarya still feels like a bit of a lost soul among the Overwatch Season 5 tanks, but certainly still has her uses. However, I officially now dub her "The Worst Tank in Overwatch 2." Your mileage may vary;stipulations do apply; please read the fine print for further details.

Best situations: Aerial counter, shield break
Countered by: Ana, Zenyatta, Mei, Sombra, Bastion, Junker Queen, Reaper
Pairs well with: HITTING E AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

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

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