Overwatch is celebrating a successful Season 1 in the form of a surprise Double Match XP weekend and five free Loot Boxes for all players. Fans can enjoy these free items and bonus Overwatch match XP all weekend as a token of appreciation for its massive comeback season.
Blizzard has hit the ground running with Overwatch in 2026. Having officially dropped the 2 from Overwatch 2, the hero shooter has undergone a soft relaunch, featuring year-long seasonal storylines, an updated UI, subroles, and 10 new heroes, five of whom were released in Season 1. Needless to say, it has been a massive hit; Overwatch has smashed consecutive player records on Steam, and has experienced a surge of viewers on Twitch and other streaming platforms as well.
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Double XP Weekend and Five Free Loot Boxes in Overwatch
Now, to celebrate the incredibly successful Season 1 launch in Overwatch, Blizzard has surprised fans with a two-for-one special this weekend. From now until Monday, February 23, players will earn twice the Battle Pass XP from their matches, and fans who log in during this time period will also have five free Loot Boxes credited to their account.
- From February 20 at 11 AM PT until February 23 (presumably 11 AM PT)
Overwatch Double XP Weekends Explained
For some, it may be unclear exactly what “Double Match XP” entails. This boost refers to the baseline Battle Pass XP Overwatch players earn from playing a game, which usually averages around 700 to 1,000 XP, depending on whether the match is a win or a loss. Playing in a group grants an additional 20%, and queuing for in-demand roles grants an additional bonus, often between 100 and 500 XP. These bonuses are all affected by the Double Match XP boost, meaning fans can easily get well over 2,000 Battle Pass XP for a single match this weekend.
Of note, this boost does not affect Battle Pass XP awarded from completing daily, weekly, or event challenges. Additionally, hero progression level XP for each playable hero is unaffected by this boost.
How to Get Free Overwatch Lootboxes This Weekend
Claiming these free Loot Boxes is easy. Simply logging in at any point during this time period will award these free drops – a hard-to-miss popup will even alert players that the items have been credited to their account. From there, the Loot Boxes can simply be opened from the inventory in Overwatch as usual.
These aren’t the only free Loot Boxes fans can earn right now. The Overwatch Reign of Talon Season 1: Conquest Twitch Drop campaign is ongoing until March 8 at 11:59 PM PT. Players can simply tune in to any Overwatch stream on Twitch during this period for a total of 13 hours to earn 10 free Loot Boxes, two of which are Legendary.
If that were not enough, there are close to 100 Loot Boxes up for grabs throughout the course of the Conquest event going on in Overwatch right now. Each week, players can align with Talon or Overwatch to complete a special event Battle Pass, after which they can either stay with their current team to earn additional Loot Boxes or become a Double Agent to earn exclusive cosmetics.
At press time, the second week of the event is underway, but those who didn’t finish their passes last week are in luck. Issues with the rewards system led Overwatch to grant every Loot Box and Prestige Pass cosmetic to all fans who had completed at least one event challenge. This means players who jump into Overwatch right now can earn close to 20 Loot Boxes, or 30 if they cash in on the Twitch Drops. It is safe to say that Overwatch is officially back, and it seems like Blizzard is making sure the community is reaping the rewards.
- 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)
