Overwatch 2 character tier list for the best Heroes to play as

Our Overwatch 2 character tier list is here with Heroes like Orisa, Sojourn, and Lucio taking some of the tops spots after lots of Hero balance changes and reworks. The shift to 5v5 matches instead of 6v6 has also really shaken up the Overwatch 2 meta, and it can be difficult to tell which characters you should pick to help your odds of victory. We’ve ranked all 35 current Overwatch 2 Heroes, covering why some aren’t really worth choosing, and why others are reliable picks that should always be up for consideration when you load into a match. Here's our tier list of all the Overwatch 2 characters, so you can see which ones are currently the best to pick.

The best Overwatch 2 characters

We’ve created our tier list based on what we’ve played of Overwatch 2 so far, seeing which Heroes feel good to play, are useful to have on your team, or are difficult to play against. Bear in mind that differing playstyles and skill levels have a huge impact on the types of Overwatch 2 characters that you might consider the best. We also don’t think that there are any Heroes that can currently be considered outright Bad – Heroes that we’ve placed in the lower tiers are usually niche picks or favored by a small number of talented players, but likely not the average player. Here are what we feel are the 10 best Overwatch 2 Heroes, listed alphabetically:

• Ana (Support)
• Bastion (Damage)
• D.Va (Tank)
• Lucio (Support)
• Moira (Support)
• Orisa (Tank)
• Sojourn (Damage)
• Soldier 76 (Damage)
• Sombra (Damage)
• Zarya (Tank)

Below, you can find our full tier list that ranks all Overwatch 2 Heroes from S-tier to C-tier, along with our reasoning as to why they belong where we think they do. The Heroes in each tier are organised alphabetically by role (Tank, Damage, then Support).

S-Tier Overwatch 2 characters

The best Heroes in Overwatch 2. These characters are reliably useful and can be seen as essential for any team due to their powerful abilities. Some are easier to play as than others, but all of them have good potential to turn the tide of a fight:

• D.Va: D.Va remains incredibly strong in Overwatch 2 and can afford to play very aggressively for a Tank, both dealing and soaking up damage with her Micro Missiles and Defense Matrix respectively. The fact that she also gets ejected out of her destroyed mech, means she has superb survivability and can be a pain for enemy teams to deal with. Learn what we think about all the Tank Heroes in our Overwatch 2 Tank tier list.
• Orisa: After a substantial rework, Orisa has risen to one of the top tank spots. Her new Energy Javelin and Javelin Spin Abilities give her great defensive options, with the thrown javelin having a knockback and stun effect, while the spin allows her to destroy projectiles. Careful use of the Fortify ability and a good healer nearby can make Orisa nearly unstoppable.
• Zarya: Now that Zarya’s barrier Abilities share two charges, she is easier to use and a bit more versatile. She can be played as a frontline Tank, soaking up damage by bubbling herself, or as a midline Tank, bubbling aggressive Damage heroes as they push in for eliminations. Graviton Surge remains an excellent crowd control Ultimate too, so coordinated teams can really make the most of it.
• Bastion: Bastion has also received some significant changes and is now very powerful. The fact that he can move while in his minigun Assault Configuration is devastating enough, allowing him to chase enemies and shred through their health. Coupled with his new Artillery Ultimate and Tactical Grenade Ability, as well as his highest-in-class health pool, Bastion packs a serious punch and can be tough for the enemy team to deal with, making him a great all-rounder for attack and defense.
• Sojourn: Blending high mobility with versatile damage, Sojourn is a great Damage Hero to have around. Her Railgun Primary Fire deals respectable damage at close-range, but players with precise aim can effectively use her Secondary Fire shot to snipe enemies at longer ranges. Her Power Slide Ability is also a great movement option, particularly when cancelled into a high jump, allowing her be aggressive and apply pressure to the enemy from almost anywhere.
• Soldier 76: Reliable and easy to learn, Soldier 76 is a great Hero for almost any team. His Heavy Pulse Rifle and Helix Rockets allow him to lay down consistent fire, while also being able to provide his allies with a bit of healing thanks to his Biotic Field.
• Sombra: If you’re after the ultimate flanking character and a great disruptor. Getting behind the enemy team while using Stealth to hack and eliminate a healer or distract a tank can cause the enemy’s defenses to crumble, giving Sombra’s team a massive advantage. And if things get too hot, a well-placed Translocator allows her to make a quick getaway to reset and try again, making Sombra a persistent threat.
• Ana: Ana remains a top-tier support character in Overwatch 2 thanks to the focused healing she can provide with her Biotic Rifle and Biotic Grenade. Skilled Ana players will also be able to punish aggressive enemies by putting them to sleep with a Sleep Dart and by using the anti-healing effects of her Biotic Grenade to force enemies to retreat.
• Lucio: Bringing excellent support capabilities to the party, Lucio provides constant healing to keep allies topped up on health or a speed-boost to make his team more mobile. His Sonic Amplifier and its booping power also mean Lucio can get some eliminations while supporting his team, and his Sound Barrier Ultimate is excellent for nullifying some high damage Abilities and Ultimates. Mastering his wall-riding and song-switching will allow you to provide your teammates with exactly what they need at the right time and will make you very difficult to defeat.
• Moira: Moira’s strengths lie in the fact that she can provide good healing and damage to pretty much anywhere and often at the same time. Her Biotic Grasp can be used up close to keep allies in the fight or to chip away at enemy health, while her Biotic Orbs can be used to heal or harm in places that she isn’t. Her Fade Ability is also excellent for movement, allowing her to escape the middle of a battle or quickly reposition to better provide healing or damage.

A-Tier Overwatch 2 characters

Overwatch 2 characters in A-Tier are great picks but either lack the power or ease-of-use of the ones in S-Tier. In the right hands, they can certainly get the job done and turn the tide of a match:

• Junker Queen: While not a top-tier Tank, Junker Queen can be lethal by punishing enemies that get too close to her. Reeling in an enemy by recalling her Jagged Blade and following up with a Carnage axe strike is a great way to finish off weakened Damage or Support Heroes. She also benefits from health regeneration based on the damage she inflicts from wounds, but this Passive Ability isn’t that powerful and her low health pool for a Tank means she can sometimes be brought down easily. Read our Overwatch 2 Junker Queen tips here.
• Reinhardt: Reinhardt is still a good Tank to pick but his Barrier Field is much weaker now, so he can’t mitigate as much damage without putting himself in direct danger. However, Earthshatter is still a devastating Ultimate that can ruin a team’s offensive push or wreck their defenses, so a careful mix of aggressive and defensive tactics – and a pocket healer – need to be used to help the team advance and win the fight.
• Sigma: If you need a good frontline Tank choice, Sigma’s damage mitigation is superb, mainly thanks to his Experimental Barrier and Kinetic Grasp Abilities. His Hyperspheres also deal solid damage, and his Gravitic Flux Ultimate can completely end the enemy team’s attack due to its immobilizing effects and high damage. However, his longer Ability cooldowns and lack of mobility options mean Sigma players can sometimes be sitting ducks with little to no protection.
• Winston: Winston combines the barrier defense of Reinhardt with the diving mobility of D.Va, which makes him pretty valuable in Overwatch 2. He can hold his own for a surprisingly long time, thanks to his Barrier Projector and Primal Rage Ultimate, but his relatively low damage output means he’s good for scaring enemies away rather than securing eliminations, so he needs to be supported with mobile Damage Heroes.
• Echo: Offering a variety of damage-dealing tools and a powerful Flight Ability, Echo excels at dealing damage and remaining mobile. However, this focus on damage means she doesn’t really do much else. She is an excellent fragging character, but Echo players need to make the most of her aerial agility and the height advantage she can achieve from being airborne to secure eliminations on key targets.
• Genji: Genji’s Abilities are hard-hitting and work well together, making him a very dangerous, close-quarters Overwatch 2 Hero to play against. His mobility makes him tricky to kill, and the reduced emphasis on stunning abilities means Genji can attack with much more freedom. However, the need for fast reflexes and accuracy to play Genji well means he has a high-skill ceiling.  
• Tracer: Capable of zipping all over the enemy team’s position, Tracer can be a very deadly Damage character against the right enemies. Her Blink and Recall Abilities make her a disruptive DPS Hero, but her meager health pool and reliance on rapid movement means she can be easily shut down by stuns and high-damage abilities.
• Widowmaker: Single-Tank team compositions and the removal of certain barrier abilities in Overwatch 2 mean Widowmaker players have far more opportunities to pick off Damage and Support Heroes – picking off even just one enemy with an unexpected snipe can be enough to let your teammates push in and take the advantage. However, Widowmaker is especially prone to other snipers and mobile heroes that can rush at her and get in close, so players must be prepared to counter-snipe or have an escape route.
• Brigitte: For extra barrier protection, Brigitte is a great Support Hero to pick since she has her own Barrier Shield. Powerful knockback effects and damage from her Shield Bash and Whipshot Abilities make her a great protector and a force to be reckoned with too. Like Lucio, she has a good passive healing effect from Inspire, but it only works when dealing damage, making it inconsistent and dangerous to activate, and her Repair Packs can feel a little ineffectual.
• Kiriko: Kiriko is a powerful Hero, although she doesn’t always feel like she fits in the Support Role. Her Kunai are great against weaker Overwatch 2 characters, and her Protection Suzu can be used to great effect to protect and heal teammates. Her Swift Step teleport is also excellent, making her an incredibly mobile Support character. However, her Healing Ofuda talismans feel too slow and inconsistent to use in the middle of a fight, making her much less effective as a healer.
• Mercy: Since healing is pretty much her whole job, Mercy is unsurprisingly a great combat medic, providing some of the best-in-class single-target healing in Overwatch 2. Furthermore, successfully using her Resurrect Ability to bring a teammate back to life can be instrumental to winning a fight, but Mercy players must be able to effectively navigate the battlefield using Guardian Angel to stay alive as she will always be a priority target for the enemy team – and having one fewer Tank makes staying alive trickier!
• Zenyatta: With so many damaging abilities now in Overwatch 2, Zenyatta can be very easily picked off, but accurate fire from his Orbs of Destruction can make him a deadly Support character. He offers consistent healing with his Orb of Harmony, and his Orb of Discord is always helpful for allies. Importantly, his Transcendence Ultimate is still excellent, helping teammates survive through even the most damaging Ultimates.

B-Tier Overwatch 2 characters

These Overwatch 2 Heroes are solid choices but don’t offer the same damage or utility as those in the higher tiers. They might have unusual abilities that require a certain level of mastery to be useful or other obvious drawbacks:

• Roadhog: Roadhog’s ability to secure easy kills with his Chain Hook and Scrap Gun make him an intimidating Tank to play against, and his Take A Breather Ability can make him tough to bring to down – exactly what you need for a Tank. His simple kit means he’s relatively easy to learn to play as but also makes him feel a bit one-note, not offering much else to his teammates aside from being a good meat shield.
• Ashe: Ashe is a bit of a master-of-none character in Overwatch 2. Her rifle is hard-hitting and great at range, allowing her to easily menace an enemy Widowmaker or Pharah. Meanwhile, her Dynamite Ability and BOB Ultimate are great for causing a bit of carnage on an objective. It’s a solid kit but requires good aim to use effectively and isn’t as specialized as other Heroes in similar roles.
• Cassidy: The cowboy of Overwatch feels noticeably weaker now that his Flashbang Ability is gone, having been replaced by the sticky Magnetic Grenade. While this grenade is powerful, it doesn’t synergise as well with Cassidy’s Peacekeeper revolver and its fan-the-hammer Secondary Fire, making him less effective at close range, particularly if he’s caught with his grenade on cooldown.
• Hanzo: Due to his bow’s arcing projectiles, Hanzo is not the most beginner-friendly, long-range character, but players that learn the arrow trajectory can be incredibly lethal. Otherwise, Hanzo is complemented with some decent abilities that are on reasonably long cooldowns, but his Dragonstrike Ultimate is still very strong and great for area denial.
• Junkrat: Junkrat is easy to use and has a simple kit revolving around explosives that can be easily picked up by most players. His Frag Launcher deals good damage and well-placed Steel Traps can be great for securing eliminations. However, this damage comes at the cost of range and speed, so Junkrat players will need to be near the thick of the fight to do anything meaningful, and mobile players can evade his slow explosive shots. His Rip-Tire Ultimate can also be shut down very easily.
• Mei: As one of the more durable Damage Heroes in Overwatch 2, Mei excels at staying alive with Cryo-Freeze and blocking enemy damage and movement with Ice Wall. Her reworked Endothermic Blaster also deals surprisingly good damage (although it now only slows targets rather than freezing them), giving her much more lethality in a pretty defensive kit. Mei players must be considerate of their teammates, however, as poorly placed Ice Walls can be detrimental to allies as well as the enemy.
• Pharah: With fewer barriers to worry about, Pharah can deal plenty of damage from above and disrupt the enemy with her Concussive Blast. If the opposing team has no Heroes to directly counter her attacks, she can cause chaos unchecked. However, Pharah is easily countered by hitscan Heroes such as Soldier 76, Widowmaker, and Ashe, so players must know when to switch to a different Overwatch 2 character when they’re getting eliminated too often.
• Reaper: If you can get up close to the enemy, Reaper can be a great Hero to pick with a solid damage output that can shred through Tanks. Like Sombra, he makes for an excellent flanking character, but his lack of stealth means he can get shut down quickly. Coordinated pushes with teammates will allow a Reaper player to focus on distracted targets and secure kills.
• Torbjorn: Torbjorn’s kit is unusual but still quite powerful. His stationary Turret and Molten Core Ultimate make him great at locking down certain areas, but these are most effective for defensive game modes. However, the Overload Ability does allow Torbjorn to be quite aggressive, and his versatile Rivet Gun should not be underestimated.
• Baptiste: On paper, Baptiste’s kit sounds solid, with great healing options, an ability that makes allies briefly invincible, and a useful weapon. In reality, he can be very easily countered – his Immortality Field is very good but almost always destroyed instantly by the enemy team, and his Exo Boots Passive feels largely redundant. Importantly, his abilities have very long cooldowns, which means mistakes can cost him and his team dearly. With that said, skilled Baptiste players will be able to make good use of his Biotic Launcher’s healing grenades and burst fire to dish out good damage and healing.

C-Tier Overwatch 2 characters

These Overwatch 2 Heroes are mediocre, offering little that benefits the team during a match either due to a lack of power or leaning into a specific playstyle. There are plenty of better characters, but that’s not to say a talented and knowledgeable player can’t do well as one of these C-Tier Heroes either:

• Doomfist: Doomfist definitely feels like he’s lacking for a Tank Hero. His signature Rocket Punch Ability does little damage, and his new Power Block feels like it has a very small angle of protection, leaving him quite vulnerable. A pocket healer feels almost essential if you want to do well as Doomfist.
• Wrecking Ball: This robotic hamster ball is the most mobile Tank in Overwatch 2, and arguably one of the most resilient. Despite Wrecking Ball’s Abilities working together really well, they require a bit of practice to get right, so bad Wrecking Ball players will often not contribute and feed the enemy team with Ultimate charge. With that said, an aggressive and opportunistic Wrecking Ball player paired with good Support Heroes can do excellent work, disrupting the enemy with Quad Cannon fire and Piledrives, or denying space with his Minefield Ultimate.
• Symmetra: Like Torbjorn, Symmetra leans into a more defensive playstyle, but her Abilities lack the synergy needed for her to have a meaningful impact over the course of a match. Her Sentry Turrets are excellent for distracting enemies and slowing them down, but her Photon Projector weapon – while powerful – can be awkward to use and her Photon Barrier Ultimate and Teleporter Ability never seem enough to change the course of a fight.

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