Overwatch is marking its 10th anniversary with a new in-game event that starts May 12 and runs through June 1. Blizzard's anniversary rollout includes launch hero skins, Anniversary Loot Boxes, 2D cosmetics, weapon charms and exclusive titles, giving returning players another reason to log in during a packed 2026 for the hero shooter.
The celebration is aimed squarely at the original Overwatch cast. The announced reward slate includes 21 launch hero skins, which points to the heroes who were part of the game when it first launched on May 24, 2016. Tracer, Mercy and Winston appear in the event art, though Blizzard has not yet detailed every skin or confirmed exactly which rewards are free, paid or challenge-based.
The event also includes 15 Anniversary Loot Boxes, 33 development team and community-made 2D cosmetics such as banners and five weapon charms. One charm shown in the event graphic uses a number 10 design with what looks like Mercy-inspired wings. Players will also be able to earn exclusive anniversary titles.
A community challenge is part of the event as well. The current details say players will work together to complete challenges and earn Legendary Loot Boxes each week, but Blizzard has left some of the finer reward paths for later clarification.
The timing gives the anniversary a little more weight than a standard cosmetic event. Blizzard restarted Overwatch's yearly structure earlier in 2026 with The Reign of Talon, a connected story arc, five new Season 1 heroes and a plan for 10 heroes across the year. The studio also dropped the "2" from the name, making this anniversary the first major birthday event of the game's new era.
Overwatch has already been busy with limited-time rewards this spring. The shooter recently crossed over with Sanctuary through Hatred's Reckoning, adding five Diablo-inspired skins, and its current Junkrat's Loot Hunt event runs through May 12 with up to nine free Loot Boxes and double Battle Pass XP.
That makes the Anniversary 2026 event less of a one-off birthday nod and more of a bridge into Overwatch's next stretch of seasonal updates. The main missing detail is the unlock structure, since players still need to know which cosmetics will come from challenges, weekly community progress, loot boxes or the shop before the event opens.