Overwatch Spotlight 2026 unveils five new heroes, including Jetpack Cat

Overwatch’s 2026 Spotlight presentation on Tuesday, February 4, landed its biggest headline early: the game is dropping “2” from its name and launching a year-long story arc that will add 10 heroes in 2026, starting with a five-hero surge next week. The first wave arrives with Season 1 on Monday, February 10, reshaping the roster and setting up a faction-driven narrative built around Talon’s rise.

Spotlight timing and the Season 1 launch date

The Spotlight keynote went live at 1:00 p.m. ET on February 4 and positioned Season 1 as the opening chapter of a connected, season-to-season storyline that will run through Season 6 in 2026, before a new Season 1 begins in 2027.

Season 1 launches February 10, with early access for at least one hero: Anran is set to be playable in a limited-time trial beginning February 5.

Five new Overwatch heroes arriving at once

Season 1 adds five playable heroes immediately, split across both sides of the story conflict:

• Domina (Tank): a long-range “poke” tank built around hard-light control, segmented barriers, and zone dominance.

• Emre (Damage): a burst-rifle, run-and-gun damage hero featuring an explosive kit and a high-output ultimate.

• Mizuki (Support): a support hero with bouncing utility, mobility tools, and a tether-style crowd-control ability.

• Anran (Damage): a fire-themed flanker with forward momentum tools and a self-revive twist tied to an ultimate state.

• Jetpack Cat (Support): a permanently airborne support built around healing/damage projectiles, ally towing, and dive disruption.

The unusual part isn’t just the names—it’s the volume. A five-hero drop at season start is a dramatic pacing change for a live-service shooter, and it immediately expands draft/ban thinking, counter-pick trees, and team compositions.

Jetpack Cat: kit and role identity

Jetpack Cat is framed as a full-fledged support hero with constant flight as a baseline, not a temporary cooldown. The kit blends mobility and team utility:

• Primary fire: a mid-range projectile spread that heals allies and damages enemies.

• Ally tow: a toggle that pulls a teammate along while boosting movement speed and providing healing.

• Flight burst: directional acceleration that becomes less efficient while carrying an ally.

• Area heal: a pulsing heal that ramps in frequency, with a knockback on activation.

• Ultimate: a ground-targeted dive that knocks down enemies and tethers the nearest opponent.

The design signals a support who can reposition teams aggressively—less “hold the backline,” more “move the fight,” especially in chaotic objectives where vertical control matters.

Role sub-roles and passives reshape fundamentals

Season 1 also changes the underlying structure of roles. Tanks, Damage, and Support are divided into sub-roles with baked-in passive effects, meaning the baseline rules of survivability, cooldown value, and momentum will shift even before players learn new heroes.

That matters because it changes how older heroes function relative to each other. A small passive adjustment can be the difference between a meta built around hard engage versus one built around poke and sustain—especially when five new heroes are landing at the same time.

Conquest faction event and year-long story delivery

The year’s narrative is built as a connected arc across seasons, delivered through multiple formats and anchored in Season 1’s Conquest meta event. Conquest runs for five weeks and asks players to choose a side—Overwatch or Talon—completing themed missions with rewards tied to faction performance. Allegiance can be switched under certain conditions, turning participation into a rolling weekly competition rather than a one-time choice.

The story structure is positioned as a “beginning, middle, and end” across 2026, with ongoing content drops such as in-game events, new voice lines, animated character content, and written lore.

What’s next: five more heroes in 2026

Beyond the Season 1 surge, the plan calls for one additional new hero in each of Seasons 2 through 6, bringing the total to 10 new heroes in 2026. The specifics of the later five were not fully detailed alongside the Season 1 lineup, but the cadence itself is the point: a steady hero pipeline designed to keep the game’s competitive and casual layers moving in parallel.

Key takeaways:

• Season 1 launches February 10, adding five new heroes immediately.

• Jetpack Cat arrives as a permanently flying support with ally-tow utility.

• A year-long Talon-focused story arc is set to deliver 10 heroes across 2026.

Sources consulted: Overwatch (official site), Game Informer, Kotaku, Xbox Wire