Overwatch is a game that has received a huge list of updates over the last few years. 2021's Anniversary Event could be one of the biggest yet, adding various new skins to the game.
Here's everything you need to know
LATEST - It's live
As of just a few hours ago, the Overwatch Anniversary event has dropped for everyone to play. In it, you can find new challenges, items and skins to unlock.
For a rundown of every skin included this year, check out our list.
More New Skins Revealed
Blizzard have revealed new skins that'll be coming as part of the Overwatch Anniversary Event.
The first is called Black Cat Sombra and you can see it below:
The second is called Venus Mora and you can check out the little hype trailer for it down below.
Release Date Confirmed
As predicted, Blizzard has left it extremely late to confirm when Overwatch's 2021 Anniversary Event is due to begin. From past events, we had a good idea as to when to expect this year's iteration of the event to take place and now we know that it is indeed taking place on May 18th!
You can check out the announcement below:
The small clip showcases some heroes dancing, which seems to hint at some new emotes, and gives us a look at new and returning Event skins.
The 2021 Anniversary Event will last three weeks, the standard for Overwatch Events nowadays, and will end on June 8th.
Who Deserves A New Skin?
In the lull between Overwatch's seasonal events, fans often find themselves speculating as to whether their main will get a new skin in the event. The Anniversary Event isn't any different and the looser theme often gives way to some of the best Overwatch skins out there.
However, who actually deserves to get a skin in the next Anniversary Event? Of course, there's always going to be a new Tracer skin thrown in there... But, if Blizzard decided purely based on statistics, which Overwatch hero has the least amount of Anniversary skins?
Below, we have the figures...
Three Anniversary Event Skins
- D.Va
- Pharah
Two Anniversary Event Skins
- Doomfist
- Symmetra
- Lucio
- Widowmaker
- McCree
- Tracer
- Soldier: 76
- Mei
- Genji
- Brigitte
One Anniversary Event Skin
- Roadhog
- Mercy
- Ashe
- Torbjorn
- Sombra
- Zenyatta
- Junkrat
- Reaper
That looks like all of them, but who's missing?
Baptiste, Echo, Ana, Moira and Reinhardt are currently without an Anniversary Event cosmetic. We know Echo and Baptiste are a bit newer, but Ana was the first new hero added to Overwatch and Reinhardt is a member of the original roster!
Surely, 2021 is his year...?
What Is The Anniversary Event?
Overwatch's Anniversary Event is a celebration of Overwatch's anniversary, to put it plainly. It pretty much does what it says on the tin and is a mixed-bag event as it doesn't have as much of a seasonal theme (like Summer Games or Halloween Terror, for example). We're still waiting for Overwatch 2, but this is just one thing that should make the wait a little more bearable.
This lack of focus actually makes it one of the game's best in-game events, though. All the other LTMs return, the skins the event produces are often fantastically random, and there's always the hope of something major as its' a pretty prestigious event.
With Overwatch releasing in 2016, this year marks its' 5th anniversary so expectations are high. You can check out what happened last year on the official Overwatch Anniversary Event page here.
Skins & Cosmetics
In a similar fashion to other Overwatch Events, the Anniversary Event brings an incredible array of Hero Skins and cosmetics to Blizzard's Shooter. In previous years, there are usually around five Legendary Skins amongst the new set of event-limited items and we're hoping the 2021 Overwatch Anniversary event sticks with this!
If anything, we'd like to see more given the fact that it's the 5th Anniversary this year. However, over the last year, it is starting to look like Overwatch is losing its steam. There's less new content in each drop and there's a bigger focus on in-game challenges which is undoubtedly a way to keep player figures up.
Still, last year we saw the addition of Little Red Ashe and Huitzilopochtli Zenyatta, two of the best skins yet!
As you can imagine, expectations are high and there are still quite a few Overwatch characters without an Anniversary Event skin! Cough Ana Cough.
Weekly Challenges & In-Game Events
In addition to this, there are always three Epic Skins up for grabs through Weekly Challenges in Overwatch Events and we're certain that the 2021 Anniversary Event will keep this newly-found tradition going.
READ MORE: Overwatch 2 Delayed Until At Least 2022
This means that every week you'll be able to complete the following challenges for the following rewards:
- Win 3 games in any mode – Icon
- Win 6 games in any mode – Spray
- Win 9 games in any mode – Epic Skin
Each week's challenges always relate to one another too. For example, last year's Carbon Fiber Sigma skin came with an Icon and a Spray that both featured the new design.
As for in-game events, that's really anyone's guess. Last year, Blizzard "unlocked the Brawl Vault" and had a rotating schedule that featured every seasonal game mode from the last year throughout the duration of the event.
We're expecting something similar to this to return, as this proved popular with players, but we have to wonder how Blizzard can top last year's celebrations given the fact that this is arguably a more important benchmark.
When you do log in to Overwatch for the 2021 Anniversary Event you should be getting a free Legendary Loot Box. So, something to look forward to.