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Overwatch 2 tier list: Best characters to play in 2025

Andrew Boggs

Sports Writer

Publish Date: 03/10/2025

Fact checked by: Mike McKean

Key Points

Season 18 perks refresh had over 50 new or updated perks landed, pushing some heroes way up the ladder.
Winston, Sojourn, and Ana still dominate with clean engages, consistent pressure, and huge ult value to keep them top-tier across most comps.
Buffed Torbjörn and reworked Ramattra are climbing fast with strong in Core queue, especially if you’re playing brawl or poke-heavy maps.

Season 18 Overwatch 2 Tier List – Top Heroes, Meta Picks & Patch Notes

Season 18’s been a ride. Between the perks overhaul, a fresh batch of balance tweaks, and Wuyang hitting live servers, ranked feels like it’s constantly shifting. If you’ve been bouncing between heroes trying to find what sticks, you’re not alone.

So here’s the Overwatch 2 tier list, and this is what’s actually hitting in ranked right now. It’s not just patch notes on paper, it’s what’s working in Core queue, in scrims, and across high-elo ladders. The meta’s solid, but it’s not locked. You’ve still got room to flex if you know where to look.

Ramattra

What changed in 2025

The biggest shift on Overwatch betting sites was the Season 18 perks overhaul. Over 50 new or reworked perks dropped, giving most heroes at least one new way to spike. Some gained survivability, others got utility boosts, but nearly every role saw its ceiling raised.

Then came the mid-season patch (Sept 16). Heroes like Torbjörn and Brigitte saw straight buffs. Wrecking Ball, Genji, and Hanzo took some hits. Ramattra got tankier, Widow’s utility crept up, and Wuyang’s cooldowns were toned down after a dominant debut. It didn’t flip the table, but it nudged a lot of picks.

👤 Hero	🔍 Role	📝 Patch Notes (Sept 16, 2025)	❓ Meta Impact
Ramattra	Tank	Armor increased	Back in brawl comps
Torbjörn	Damage	Overload & Molten Core buffed	Huge ladder spike
Widowmaker	Damage	Hook cooldown, Venom Mine damage	Map-dependent S pick
Wuyang	Support	Heal amp + cooldowns trimmed	Still good, but not OP
Brigitte	Support	Shield Bash damage	Strong peel vs dive
Wrecking Ball	Tank	Ammo and Minefield nerfed	Dropped to B-tier
Genji	Damage	Deflect cooldown	Less reliable playmaker
Winston	Tank	Standard dive engage unchanged	Top S-tier for control maps
Zarya	Tank	Beam comps buffed, dive hate increased	Strong objective control, high kills
Sojourn	DPS	Railgun poke unchanged	Flexible across comps, consistent S-tier
Tracer	DPS	Stadium tweaks applied	Core queue dominant, S-tier
Ana	Support	Anti-nade & Nano intact	Solo fight winning potential
Kiriko	Support	Cleanse & teleport unchanged	Dive staple, aggressive comps
Baptiste	Support	Window + Lamp still strong	High tempo and lane control
D.Va	Tank	Backline dives strong	Good KDA, effective post-midseason
Junker Queen	Tank	Tempo brawl buffs	Bleeds sustain fights
Widowmaker	Damage	Venom Mine & Hook tweaks	Strong on Junkertown & sightline maps
Echo	Damage	Vertical duels unchanged	Effective pick potential
Pharah	Damage	Anti-air aware	Still viable with Mercy support
Symmetra	Damage	Role queue cheese comps effective	Win-rate monster in tight maps
Freja	Damage	High skill cap retained	Dive-heavy meta spike potential
Lúcio	Support	Primary fire nerf	Dive comps key player
Zenyatta	Support	Discord orb effect unchanged	Punishes overextensions
Illari	Support	Turret healing effective	Strong split comps
Moira	Support	Brawl sustain remains	Lower ceiling than other supports
Hanzo	Damage	Storm Arrows normalized	Fewer free picks, high skill cap

Our Overwatch 2 tier list - S-Tier

These are your plug-and-play carries. They show up in high SR, they thrive with the right comps, and they can solo flip fights if you’ve got the hands for it.

Winston (Tank)

Still the cleanest dive engage in the game. Perfect with Kiriko, Ana, or Brig behind him. Great for control maps and tempo brawl. Reaper can check him, but smart bubble play keeps him dominant.

Winston

Zarya (Tank)

Beam comps and dive hate her. Bubbles on rhythm let her build charge and punish engages. She’s trending high in objective kills and feels like a win-con on short-sightline maps.

Zarya

Sojourn (DPS)

Railgun burst into consistent poke makes her flexible across comps. With Nano or Kitsune in the mix, she melts. Still a consensus S-tier pick since the Season 9 changes.

Sojourn

Tracer (DPS)

You can’t get rid of her. Even after cost tweaks in Stadium, she’s cracked in Core. Great on open maps and any comp running Winston or Ball (though the latter’s fallen off).

Tracer

Torbjörn (DPS)

He’s not just a troll pick anymore. His Overload buffs, Molten Core bump, and strong new perks make him a pain to dive and a serious ladder threat. Bonus: Overbuff shows him spiking in win rate too.

TorbjÃ¶rn

Ana (Support)

Anti-nade shuts down beefy tanks, and Nano still wins fights. She’s fragile without peel, but in good hands she turns fights solo.

Ana

Kiriko (Support)

She can cleanse, teleport, wall-climb, poke, and carry Kitsune fights. Still a dive staple and perfect for aggressive comps.

Kiriko

Brigitte (Support)

Shield Bash hits harder now, and her perk tuning makes her legit again. She slots into dive or brawl and shuts down flankers if you’re playing her tight.

Brigitte

A-Tier

These heroes thrive in the right setting. They’re not meta-proof, but they can easily carry if played smart.

Tanks

Ramattra – Armor buff helps him brawl better. Great for slow pushes and hybrid comps.
Sigma – Still a go-to for control and poke maps. Long sightlines are his best friend.
D.Va – High KDA queen. Backline dives are strong again post-mid-season.
Junker Queen – Tempo brawl is her playground. Bleeds keep her in fights.
Hazard – Strong hybrid for open maps. Dive-brawl flex with serious upside.

Damage

Widowmaker – Buffs to Venom Mine and hook CD keep her relevant on maps like Junkertown.
Ashe – B.O.B. control and long-range poke. Works well with Mercy.
Echo – Still nasty in vertical duels.
Pharah – Watch the anti-air, but still viable with Mercy pocket.
Symmetra – Win-rate monster in tight maps and role queue cheese comps.
Freja – High skill cap. If mastered, she spikes in dive-heavy comps.

Support

Baptiste – Window + lamp = strong tempo tools.
Lúcio – Still key to dive comps despite primary fire nerf.
Zenyatta – Discord orb still punishes overextensions.
Illari – Long-range damage and turret healing make her great for split comps.
Moira – Brawl sustain still valuable. Lower ceiling than others.

B-Tier

Still playable, but recent changes or meta shifts made them harder to run consistently.

Wrecking Ball

Ammo and Minefield duration nerfs cut his zone control hard. He’s fallen from S to B in just a few patches.

Wrecking Ball

Genji

The Deflect cooldown increase hurts his solo playmaking. Still good in dive, but not dominant.

Genji

Hanzo

Normalised Storm Arrows means fewer free picks. Strong hands can still make him work.

Hanzo

Wuyang

Launched hot, got nerfed fast. His kit’s still interesting, but without cooldown snowball, he requires more team support than before.

wuyang

Best starter comps to spam right now

Some comps just work, especially in ranked where synergy goes a long way. These are the easiest to run and adapt around.

1️⃣ Dive

Winston – Tracer – Sojourn – Kiriko – Brigitte (or Ana)

Ideal for mid-fight control, quick resets, and map dominance. Best on Control or Escort maps.

2️⃣ Poke/Control

Sigma – Sojourn – Widowmaker/Torbjörn – Ana – Baptiste

Strong lane control, sightline abuse, and high ult value. If they swap to dive, rotate Brig and drop Sojourn.

3️⃣ Brawl

Ramattra – Torbjörn/Symmetra – Reaper/Echo – Ana – Brigitte

You play for anti-nade pressure and ult trades. Ideal for chokepoints and control maps like Lijiang.

The top dogs and turbo nerds

You can’t tier-list your way to Grandmaster, but knowing who’s thriving (and who’s sliding) makes your climb a lot easier. This meta’s not static either. Wuyang’s already shifted, Freja’s creeping up, and perks are still defining the ceiling for a lot of off-meta heroes.

It’s not about following the herd, it’s about making smarter picks, adapting faster, and giving yourself every edge when it counts.