Overwatch turns 10, and 21 heroes are getting skins to celebrate.
Blizzard Entertainment has officially unveiled Overwatch’s 10th anniversary celebrations. The hero shooter is kicking off its 10-year anniversary on 12 May, with an event running until 1 June filled with cosmetics rewards. These rewards include 21 exclusive launch hero skins, 15 anniversary loot boxes, and weekly Legendary loot boxes to top it all off.
What are Overwatch’s 10th anniversary rewards?
Everyone who played Overwatch at launch is now a whopping 10 years older, but try not to think about it. Instead, think about the game’s 10-year Anniversary event and its many cosmetic rewards. Overwatch’s annual Anniversary event returns this year with more cosmetics than usual, including a whopping 21 exclusive skins for all of its launch heroes.
In case you’ve forgotten, those heroes are:
- D.Va
- Reinhardt
- Roadhog
- Winston
- Zarya
- Bastion
- Cassidy
- Genji
- Hanzo
- Junkrat
- Mei
- Pharah
- Reaper
- Soldier: 76
- Torbjorn
- Tracer
- Widowmaker
- Lucio
- Mercy
- Symmetra
- Zenyatta
Ana was the game’s first post-launch hero, so everyone before her is getting an epic purple-coloured skin. In addition to those 21 skins, the game is also giving away 15 Anniversary loot boxes in total. Weekly Legendary loot boxes can also be earned through community challenges.
The Anniversary event will also include 33 2D cosmetic items, like sprays, and five weapon charms. However, the method for attaining these items has not been detailed just yet. It’s likely that players will have to complete a series of event challenges to unlock every Anniversary cosmetic.
Overwatch’s 10th anniversary event will run from 12 May to 1 June, 2026.
Why are fans upset over Overwatch China’s anniversary event rewards?
Overwatch fans do not seem overly enthused over the game’s anniversary rewards, mounting criticism of the game via comments under its recent social media posts. Players seem to have expected something closer to Mythic skin-related rewards for a milestone such as this, rather than a few Epic recolours.
This criticism is largely fuelled by the recent announcement of Overwatch China’s 10-year anniversary rewards, which are much more bountiful by comparison. Chinese players are getting 40 whole Legendary skins and Nine Mythic skins this month. In addition, they’re also getting loot boxes that contain Mythic Prisms (a currency used to unlock Mythic skins), valuable Overwatch coins, and more.
User SkaVorah commented under the global Overwatch account’s anniversary announcement post: “10 Mythic skins in China for free + more. And 20 recolors of base skins globally... Not even a single Legendary skin or 20 Mythic prisms to earn. Not fair at all. Your global playerbase and community deserves better for all the support through 10 years.”
User Mac also commented: “This is bs and you know it Blizzard. This is a huge celebration and favoring one area of the community over the other side especially people who have been playing since this game was a PAID experience is honestly so disappointing. You guys can fix this easily, do the right thing.”
It should be noted that Overwatch’s global version is run by Blizzard Entertainment, while its Chinese version is now run by NetEase Games. This is due to a recent agreement being made with NetEase to bring the game back to China, following its shutdown in the region. Hence, different companies are offering different sets of rewards for this anniversary event, with one being viewed as clearly inferior to the other.
Overwatch’s 10th anniversary event will launch later today, on 12 May, 2026.
