Every year, Overwatch absolutely nails its celebration of April Fools’ Day, and every year, I dread the day it ends. It’s long been tradition for Overwatch to release deliberately silly updates — now labeled Underwatch — with tongue-in-cheek developer comments for each silly change. Sometimes, developers will play on community discussions when crafting the wacky abilities they give the heroes, while other times, it feels like the changes are completely random. The updates are always a blast, though, and Underwatch 2026 is no different. Standout changes include:
- Reinhardt’s pin can be sped up and slowed down while also catching multiple enemies at once, making him a menace in the mode
- D.Va’s Micro Missiles are hilariously large
- Domina makes random shapes instead of her usual barrier
- Winston is unplayable
- Sombra has become a mimic instead of teleporting via translocator
- Cassidy’s bullets can inflict bleeding if he says hello and waves at the target
- A second Torbjorn stacks on top of Torbjorn and mimics every action the player takes
- Ana’s sleep dart sleeps herself, waking her up with Nano Boost
- Lifeweaver is hilariously tiny
- Jetpack Cat wields a wrecking ball via her lifeline that can smack targets
These are just a handful of the awesome abilities available through the April Fools’ Day mode, and when coupled with developer jokes like Team 4 poking fun at its “third-ever first-ever melee DPS,” the mode is a must-play. On top of all this, there are silly voice lines for every single hero. These include classics like Winston only saying his name, or Hanzo and Genji making dragon and sword noises respectively, while some new gems are present like Emre’s dial-up internet noise when he uses his ultimate. There’s so much to appreciate in Underwatch, and it’s genuinely my favorite LTM of the year. So, for that reason, I’m obviously very bummed about Overwatch’s next update on April 14.
Overwatch Reveals New Hero Sierra Gameplay and Abilities
Overwatch reveals the in-game model, gameplay, and abilities for Sierra, the new Damage hero coming in Reign of Talon Season 2.
Overwatch’s Underwatch Mode is Leaving Soon, and I’m Devastated
Sometimes, grinding through Overwatch event challenges can be a chore, but I’ve been having so much fun on the way to my Cardboard Tank title that I genuinely wish the mode was a permanent choice within the arcade. It’s not just the fun new abilities or the dumb voice lines that have me smiling while playing, but it’s the little touches, too. Take Microsoft’s Clippy paperclip being used on the hero select screen to sneak in a few more jokes about each character, which is a gag I only noticed after several matches. Or the return of Reinspeak, which sees every message sent in text chat by a Reinhardt player altered to be in all caps and have a quote from the hulking German hero. Underwatch is just a ton of fun all around, and while it’s a stellar way to cap off the brilliant Season 1 relaunch of Overwatch, I’m already mourning it.
Catspeak also exists now, as a Jetpack Cat’s messages in text chat will come out as random letters resembling a stepped-on keyboard.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
What makes Underwatch even sadder to lose is that some heroes feel better in the mode. Take Wuyang, for instance, whose Guardian Wave ability can be charged up to increase its size, damage, healing, and knockback. This doesn’t just make the waterbender feel more fun to play, but also makes him more lore accurate, as he’s shown sending a huge wave at his sister and fellow Overwatch hero Anran in his story trailer. While a lot of abilities are on the silly side — Mercy’s insta-killing resurrect and Zenyatta becoming a beyblade don’t feel like they’d ever be added to their kits — Blizzard does tend to stumble upon changes in Underwatch that would actually be cool to see in the core modes of the game. Taking part in these experiments for what could eventually become real abilities one day is a lot of fun, and it’s another reason I’m a bit bummed about Tuesday’s update.
Overwatch Season 2’s Launch is the Silver Lining of April 14
While I’m preparing to endure another year-long wait until I can get a few more weeks with Underwatch’s googly-eyed heroes, at least there’s going to be some cool content following up this LTM. Sure, Underwatch leaves on April 14, but Season 2 begins on the very same day. That means the new Damage hero Sierra will be playable next week, and there will be new Overwatch battle pass skins to grind for. This absolutely softens the blow, as it would have been much sadder if Underwatch had ended midseason and there was nothing new to do for a bit. Still, the recent hours I’ve had with the latest iteration of the mode have been some of my favorites ever after years of regularly playing Overwatch, so I’ll be patiently waiting for its return in 2027.
- 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)
