The landscape of hero shooters has shifted today, February 10, 2026, as Blizzard Entertainment officially launches the “Season 1: Conquest” update. This massive overhaul effectively rebrands the title back to Overwatch, retiring the “Overwatch 2” moniker and resetting the game’s life cycle with what developers are calling the largest content drop in the franchise’s history.
Launch Times and Availability
The update is rolling out globally today across all major platforms. Players in North America can expect the servers to go live at the following times:
- Pacific Time (Los Angeles): 11:00 AM
- Mountain Time (Denver): 12:00 PM
- Central Time (Chicago): 1:00 PM
- Eastern Time (New York): 2:00 PM
In the United Kingdom, the relaunch is scheduled for 7:00 PM GMT.
Five New Heroes Join the Roster
The most significant addition in this update is the arrival of five new heroes simultaneously, bringing the total playable roster to 50. Leading the charge is Vendetta, a hero who has been highly anticipated since the Season 20 teasers. Blizzard has also confirmed that Anran, one of the new additions, will receive a visual redesign during this season to better reflect her lore as a “fierce older sister” following community feedback regarding her initial character model.
Major UI/UX Refresh and Gameplay Changes
The “Reign of Talon” spotlight highlights a complete overhaul of the game’s interface. Players will notice a redesigned lobby, updated hero gallery, and a new Notification Hub designed to consolidate social updates and play cards. Key gameplay adjustments include:
- Stadium Mode Updates: New abilities and items have been added to the Stadium Mode, with Vendetta becoming immediately playable in this format.
- Assault Returns: The “Quick Play Hacked” event brings back classic Assault maps, a fan-favorite feature from the original game.
- Hero Balancing: Significant nerfs have been applied to support heroes, including an increase in the cooldown for Juno’s Outburst (from 7 to 8 seconds) and changes to Solar Flare perks.
Community Reaction and Future Outlook
Public sentiment is a mix of high-octane excitement and cautious skepticism. While many players on Reddit have described this as “a bigger update than Overwatch 2 itself,” competitive analysts like Spilo have raised concerns regarding the “balancing nightmare” that comes with introducing five heroes at once. Additionally, Blizzard has teased a future Switch 2 upgrade for Season 2, promising a more stable experience for handheld players later this year.
For returning players, the community is urging veterans to “restrain the urge to flame” newcomers, as the relaunch is expected to bring a massive influx of players who may be unfamiliar with the new 50-hero meta.