Blizzard has just announced Overwatch Rush, a top-down hero shooter designed specifically for iOS and Android. Overwatch Rush will not be a port of its console or PC counterpart, but instead an all-new experience built from the ground up for mobile devices.
After a rocky few years, Overwatch has found itself back on top of the hero shooter pyramid. On February 10, 2026, Overwatch 2 was officially rebranded as simply Overwatch, and the live-service game was given a bit of a restart. Alongside this rebrand came the launch of Overwatch Reign of Talon Season 1, the first part of a year-long story arc that introduced five new playable heroes, new narrative content, and a perk overhaul. Upon Season 1’s launch, Overwatch achieved a 24-hour peak player count of 165,651 on Steam, which, according to tracking site SteamDB, was the highest player count the game had ever seen.
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Blizzard Announces an Overwatch Mobile Spin-Off
Blizzard doesn’t seem to be taking Overwatch‘s sudden rise in popularity for granted, using the momentum to announce a new mobile spin-off titled Overwatch Rush. While Overwatch Rush has been made as a separate experience designed specifically for mobile devices, it shares plenty of DNA with its console and PC counterpart, as can be seen in the gameplay trailer above, which showcases a match between developers using a very early build of Overwatch Rush.
The trailer sees two teams engage in a classic match of Overwatch‘s ‘Control’ mode. The four-player team the trailer focuses on consists of Reinhardt, Mercy, Tracer, and Soldier 76, all of whom seem to share their character abilities with their full-fledged Overwatch versions. Generally speaking, the fast-paced gameplay formula of Overwatch Rush looks almost identical to the one found in Overwatch, though there are obviously key differences that set it apart, the two most prominent being Overwatch Rush‘s top-down perspective and use of touch controls.
In Blizzard’s official announcement of Overwatch Rush, it’s confirmed that Team 4 is not developing this mobile spin-off. Instead, a separate, international Blizzard team that has “deep mobile experience” is creating this all-new Overwatch title. Blizzard states that Team 4 “remains fully focused on Overwatch” and bringing new content to the game throughout the rest of Season 1 and beyond.
Overwatch Rush is still in early development and currently has no release window. The game does, however, have an official Discord server where developers will be keeping fans up to date whenever news is ready to be shared. Before launch, Overwatch Rush will undergo a series of public tests that are designed to test stability and gather feedback. Fans can sign up for Overwatch Rush‘s public tests via the official Discord, though it’ll be limited to specific regions at first.
When Overwatch Rush does launch, it’s intended to be a free-to-play game with optional in-app purchases, those likely being cosmetics for the game’s heroes. That said, the game’s developers have stated that they’ll be listening to fan feedback during Overwatch Rush‘s upcoming playtests, and that “monetization elements may be adjusted during testing phases” based on that feedback. Currently, Overwatch Rush is only planned for release on iOS and Android, and controller support is not available in its current build, though that too could change during development.
Minimum Device Specs Supported by Overwatch Rush
Android
Min Ram: 3GB
Min Spec Chipset: Snapdragon 480, 675, 720G, 730, 765
MediaTek Dimensity 6XXX, 7XX, 8XX, and Helio G9X, Exynos 980, 1380
Min Spec Device: Samsung A14 5G
iOS
Min Ram: 3GB
Min Spec Chipset: A12
Supported Devices: iPhone SE (2nd Gen), iPhone SE (3rd Gen), iPhone XS, XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11 – iPhone 17 Pro
- Released
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August 10, 2023
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
Source: Blizzard
