Blizzard officially launches the Overwatch 10th Anniversary event today, May 12. This massive celebration runs straight through June 1. The event honors the franchise’s original release date of May 24, 2016. Recently, the game underwent its biggest transformation yet. Back in February, the studio dropped the “2” from the title and completely reworked the game’s narrative elements.
Furthermore, developers released 5 new heroes for Season 1 and plan to add 5 more later this year. Consequently, these major overhauls successfully propelled the hero shooter to new levels of popularity.
Overwatch 10th Anniversary: Exclusive Skins & Rewards
Players can expect a vast array of cosmetic rewards during the celebration. Specifically, the event introduces 21 exclusive Launch Hero Skins. Promotional images currently highlight updated designs for Mercy, Winston, and Tracer. Additionally, fans can acquire 15 Anniversary Loot Boxes. These special crates feature a distinct black design with blue and gold accents.
You’re in for a legendary good time during Overwatch’s 10th Anniversary Event 🔥
Join the party to earn 21 exclusive Launch Hero Skins, 15 Anniversary Loot Boxes, community-made cosmetics, and much more May 12 – June 1 ✨ pic.twitter.com/9y1gEQRB65
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) May 11, 2026
Blizzard also included 33 different 2D cosmetics created by both the development team and the community. These additions include stylized banners featuring space-themed alien scenes and pink patterned backgrounds with cats. Moreover, the event brings 5 unique weapon charms. One previewed charm displays a silver number “10” paired with golden wings resembling Mercy’s gear. Players can even unlock exclusive anniversary player titles, such as the text-based table-flip emoticon. However, Blizzard has not yet clarified exactly which items will be free, paid, or earned through gameplay.
Community Challenges & Pre-Event Perks
The anniversary celebration also features interactive community challenges. Players must work together to complete specific goals. Successfully finishing these challenges unlocks weekly legendary loot boxes, which sport a clean white and gold design.
Before jumping into this anniversary event, Blizzard hosted Junkrat’s Loot Hunt. This preliminary event concluded today after running from May 8. During that limited window, participating players easily earned up to nine free loot boxes. Finally, the pre-event also rewarded fans with double Battle Pass XP gains leading directly into today’s massive launch.
