Overwatch 2: How to unlock every hero in the game
Here's how to unlock all 35 heroes in Overwatch 2
Want to know how to unlock all the heroes in Overwatch 2? One of the major changes made in Overwatch 2 in order to bring Blizzard's venerable hero shooter over to the new free to play model is that players who never played the original game will start with only a portion of the total hero roster unlocked. You won't be able to play as any of the locked heroes until you unlock them by playing matches.
Follow our guide below to learn how exactly to unlock every hero in Overwatch 2, from newcomers such as Kiriko and Sojourn to old favourites like Cassidy, Roadhog, and Zenyatta.
How to unlock every hero in Overwatch 2
The number of heroes you have unlocked in Overwatch 2 depends on whether you have owned Overwatch 1 in the past. If you did own Overwatch 1, then you'll have access to every hero except for Kiriko (read more below).
If you didn't own Overwatch 1, then you only start with 15 of the 35 heroes unlocked. And as long as you login before the end of Season 1 (or Season 2 for Overwatch 1 owners), then you'll also unlock new heroes Sojourn and Junker Queen permanently.
All the remaining heroes must be unlocked by playing a certain number of unranked matches.
Here's how to unlock every hero in Overwatch 2:
| Hero | How to unlock |
|---|---|
| Sojourn | Login during Season 1 (or Season 2 for owners of OW1) |
| Junker Queen | Login during Season 1 (or Season 2 for owners of OW1) |
| Genji | Play 1 match |
| D.Va | Play 2 matches |
| Cassidy | Play 3 matches |
| Ana | Play 4 matches |
| Hanzo | Play 9 matches |
| Junkrat | Play 12 matches |
| Roadhog | Play 15 matches |
| Symmetra | Play 20 matches |
| Zenyatta | Play 25 matches |
| Bastion | Play 30 matches |
| Sigma | Play 40 matches |
| Ashe | Play 50 matches |
| Brigitte | Play 60 matches |
| Mei | Play 70 matches |
| Doomfist | Play 85 matches |
| Baptiste | Play 100 matches |
| Sombra | Play 115 matches |
| Wrecking Ball | Play 130 matches |
| Echo | Play 150 matches |
| Kiriko | Reach Tier 55 of Battle Pass (or purchase premium Battle Pass) |
For reference, here are all the other heroes that are unlocked by default:
- Tank: Orisa, Reinhardt, Winston, Zarya
- Damage: Pharah, Reaper, Soldier 76, Torbjorn, Tracer, Widowmaker
- Support: Lucio, Mercy, Moira
How to unlock Kiriko in Overwatch 2
Kiriko is the newest hero added to Overwatch 2, and the only hero that begins locked to all players - even veterans of the original game. Unlike the above heroes, she is unlocked via the Battle Pass rather than by playing a certain number of matches.
You can unlock Kiriko in Overwatch 2 by reaching Level 55 of the free Battle Pass. You can also unlock her instantly by purchasing the Premium Battle Pass for 1,000 Overwatch Coins - the premium currency of Overwatch 2.
So you can either grind until you reach halfway through the free Battle Pass to get her without spending any real money, or you can fork up the real money now in order to unlock her immediately.
You can also unlock Kiriko by purchasing the Overwatch 2 Watchpoint Pack, which includes the premium Battle Pass along with other benefits such as new cosmetics and in-game currency.
That wraps up our guide on how to unlock all the different heroes in Overwatch 2. If you want to get Kiriko unlocked as quickly as possible without spending money, then check out our guide on how to level up fast in Overwatch 2. You can also learn about each of the characters you aren't yet familiar with thanks to our in-depth Overwatch 2 characters list. What's more, you can find out which are the best with our Overwatch 2 tier list, and learn how to counter them with our Overwatch 2 counters guide.