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A good Overwatch 2 Tank tier list is more important than ever with a new 5v5 format meaning one less tank on the field. Tanks are now stronger though, with almost all of them having new tricks and beefed up abilities making them the big bullies of the battlefield. And, after spending a lot of time with Overwatch 2 we think we have a good handle on what the meta is for the average player looking to take up the responsibility of being the solo-tank.
We've also got an Overwatch 2 DPS tier list and Overwatch 2 Support Tier List if you want to see all the options, but here here we're focusing on the heavies. While the pros in the Overwatch 2 League and Top 500 players on the leaderboards may have different opinions, the reality is, they are often playing a different game to the rest of the player base. What's good with a hyper-coordinated team at the top of the game isn't going to be reliable for the average players down in the Bronze to Diamond range. So, if you want to climb higher in Overwatch 2 competitive mode, some tanks are easier to do that on than others.
Here are the best tanks to play as in Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2 tank tier rankings
If you want to know how we've ranked all the other Heroes, check out our Overwatch 2 character tier list
In terms of a general playstyle, high-mobility tanks are very strong right now. D.VA, Winston, and Wrecking Ball are great options to pair with other fast heroes in other roles like Genji, Sombra, Kiriko, and Lucio. Diving on backlines and running rings around your opponents are great, and if you can execute correctly, you will win games.
That said, if you’re after something more traditional, there are options. High sustainability is also very desirable in Tanks. Characters like Zarya, Sigma, and Roadhog are awesome right now too as they can look after themselves and secure kills with lots of great lethality.
However, keep in mind, just about any tank can work right now. None of them are currently weak, and if you feel strong with a hero lower down on the list, continue to chase that power. This list is merely a suggestion for those who are feeling a little lost with what to play.
- Exceptional: D.VA, Zarya
- Great: Winston, Sigma, Roadhog, Wrecking Ball
- Good: Orisa, Reinhardt
- Decent: Junker Queen, Doomfist
- Weak: None
With that in mind, here are our current ranking of Overwatch 2's tanks:
D.VA
D.VA is very strong right now. There's a good argument that she's the strongest tank in the game and a lot of that comes down to how versatile she is. She's an excellent choice to rank up in Competitive as she can bring usefulness to just about composition, slotting in alongside a host of other characters. She can output very good damage, she has more health than ever, and three seconds of Defense Matrix meaning she can eat a lot of punishment.
She can dive an enemy one moment and then return to protect her team the next. Add on top of that, she has amazing sustain with her Ultimate giving her a second lease on life with kill potential. D.VA can do it all and is an exceptional pick if you want to climb ranks in Competitive due to how good she is in most situations right now.
Zarya
Zarya's ability to sustain herself, and super power her beam, make her an exceptional solo tank, especially for those that want to be the strongest hero on the battlefield. Her ability to use two bubbles to get to 80% charge on her beam almost instantly is frightening for enemy players. The great thing for her is that she can choose to help her team with the bubbles, or run headlong into the enemy and use both on herself to get her damage flowing.
When Zarya is fully charged, she is a battering ram to run through the enemy team, with her ability to outperform most Damage role characters in their category. The only real danger is that Zarya is vulnerable with her bubbles on cooldown, so for her to survive she needs to win fights quickly or have Supports looking out for her. However, if she has the resources, she will boulder over most teams.
Winston
Winston is in a great place right now, with him arguably being his strongest in years. Dive, a composition type utilising high-mobility heroes to jump into the backline to take out key heroes quickly, is very strong. Genji, Kiriko, Lucio, and heroes like Tracer and Sombra are powerful right now and can be headed up by Winston, the king of the dive. If your team can take advantage of this style, you will win games.
The only real issue with Winston is that he requires his team to build around him more than other 'plug-in and play' options. He doesn't slot so effortlessly into any composition of heroes like D.VA and he requires support to survive risky dives into the backlines of the enemy. If your team is willing to work around you, he's potentially the strongest tank in the game, but it will take a little extra legwork to get it going.
Sigma
Sigma has not changed a lot in the transition to Overwatch 2, but he is exceptionally powerful right now. If you are after a more traditional feel of a tank, one that sits there and absorbs a lot of damage, while slowly taking space through utility, Sigma is your guy. However, what makes him particularly dangerous is that he has enormous damage potential too making him one of the most lethal tanks out there.
The only real downside of Sigma right now is that with so many high-mobility heroes being strong in Overwatch 2, he does require his team to give him some support for him to keep up with all that pace. If he gets it though, he can be the anchor for an exceptional anti-dive team.
Roadhog
Roadhog is a menace. While he struggled in previous Alphas and Betas for Overwatch 2, Roadhog has hit Overwatch 2 in a surprisingly strong state. With the addition of Kiriko, she's an unlikely but immensely powerful partner to the big guy. Her ability to cleanse effects like Ana's anti-healing helps Roadhog's biggest weaknesses.
His sustain is enormous, as his Take A Breather now heals him for an enormous 350 health, and he has massive damage reduction while doing it, meaning he can be exceptionally difficult to kill. On top of that, his one-hit combo on his Hook is very strong in 5v5, as with one less player on the field, kills are worth a lot more now. He remains a selfish Tank pick as he doesn't offer protection for his team, but he has a lot of potential to carry his team, and with some help, he can feel unkillable on the battlefield.
Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball is a menace in the right hands. The hamster is the king of displacing the enemy team and causing chaos and distraction. On top of that, Wrecking Ball currently has the potential to get the most health in the game right now, able to fairly regularly exceed 1000 health. He is a great option to pair with other powerful high-mobility heroes like Genji, Sombra, and Sojourn.
The only real issue with Wrecking Ball is that he remains a rather unwieldy character. He doesn't play like anything in the game, and it can be easy to jump into a team and die as you leave your teammates behind. However, he's in a spot where you can get value out of him more easily than ever. If you put some time in and understand what you can get away with on the Ball, you will be very hard to kill, and stop the enemy from ever truly having a firm grip on the battlefield.
Orisa
Orisa's rework makes her a ludicrously fun Tank to play. She is an absolute bully on the battlefield who can charge through the enemy team, push them around, impale them to walls with a javelin and absorb an immense amount of damage. If you find yourself up against an Orisa, you'll quickly learn how much pressure she can put you under. She truly is a bull on the battlefield and it's fun to feel like the biggest, baddest thing on the battlefield.
Orisa despite being in a good spot can struggle to mitigate damage for her team. Several long ranger Damage heroes like Sojourn, Soldier, and Ashe are very strong right now. If her Fortify ability is off cooldown, she is going to need a lot of healing to be able to withstand the immense amount of damage they can output before she can get anywhere near them. In the right circumstances, she can dominate, but too often, it feels like there are usually a couple of Damage dealers on the enemy team that can deal with her from range.
Reinhardt
Reinhardt is probably the quintessential tank in Overwatch 2. The hulking German is iconic to the franchise, and he has the biggest, most durable shield remaining in the game. Shields have been de-emphasised across the board in Overwatch 2 so Reinhardt is now pretty unique in his ability to protect his team. That said, standing around with your shield up all the time probably isn't what you want to be doing.
If you want to succeed with Reinhardt, you are going to need to be aggressive. Damage is an important part of Overwatch 2, and Tanks have to be able to do their fair share too. Reinhardt can do a lot but the line between dominating with a bold style and dying constantly is very thin. Reinhardt can close the gap with his shield and charge, but he also can be shut down by many abilities in the game and is struggling to keep up with all the mobility that is currently strong in the game. He can work, but just be extra mindful when diving in.
Junker Queen
It's a shame to see Overwatch 2 Junker Queen struggling in her debut season, but she is certainly the least impactful new addition to the roster. It's a shame too as she is a ton of fun to play. For many, that will be enough, and to be fair, she can bring a lot of value in the right circumstances. If she can consistently get up into the enemy's face, she can sustain herself with her bleed effects and secure kills with her shotgun and Carnage ability.
However, Junker Queen does struggle to look after her team. Her Commanding Shout is the only way to mitigate damage, and it currently has a long cooldown after being heavily nerfed from her initial Beta appearance. She also does not have a lot of ways of dealing with ranged heroes that are currently good like Soldier and Sojourn, nor the ability to take as much punishment for Orisa. If the enemy plays around you, it can be hard to close those distances with the Queen and survive. However, none of this stops her from being an absolute blast to play.
Doomfist
Doomfist is the weakest tank in Overwatch 2, but even with that being said, he can work. The issue is that unless you are willing to put in the hours, it's going to be very hard as he is probably the most complex hero in the game right now. He can cause havoc if he gets going, but he is very susceptible to being slept by Ana, hacked by Sombra, charged by Reinhardt, or any number of other abilities that can cause him to die shortly after. He's the easiest tank to die with, so you have to track what abilities your enemy has used, what they could have still, and manage your cooldowns to not jump in and get deleted by the enemy team.
There are certainly masters of the hero that can take over the game though. If you want to put the effort in, check out the work of content creators like Zbra and GetQuakedOn who have done amazing work to squeeze every ounce out of the hero, but the reality is, you probably aren't those players. Especially with Winston so powerful right now, and able to do a lot of what Doomfist can do far more easily unless you specifically want to become a Doomfist specialist, you'll have a better time just choosing Overwatch's resident ape.
