Maps

Maps are the environment in which Overwatch is played. Overwatch 2 features several different maps based on locations, both fictional and real, around the world. Most maps have an objective the players must accomplish to win the match.

Map voting

Before the match starts in Unranked and Competitive Play, players will go through a map voting phase, allowing them to influence the map that is about to be played. During this phase, players can vote for one of three maps presented to them: Two of these maps are chosen based on the least played maps of all the players in the match, whereas the third map option is chosen completely at random. Additionally, they can vote for the Random Map option, which selects a random map from the game. Players may also opt to pass by pressing the "Ready" button. They can also retract or change their vote at any time during the vote. If all or an overwhelming majority of players voted for the same map, the map voting phase will end instantly with that map being selected.

Otherwise, once the voting ends, rather than selecting the most voted map, the game will randomly select the map to be played with the amount of votes each map got being proportional to the probability of the map being picked. For example, if Map A got 3 votes, Map B got 6 votes and Map C got one vote, the respective probabilities of each map being picked are 3/10 for A, 6/10 for B and 1/10 for C. As such, the map choice conforms to what most players in the match want to play, while ensuring that players that prefer a less popular map will also have a chance of getting on their map of choice. If there is no player that votes for any map, a map is then selected at random. After the map voting phase ends in Competitive Play, players enter the Hero Ban phase. In other modes, players are loaded into the selected map.

Starting in Reign of Talon Season 2: Summit, a feature was added in Competitive Play that reduced the players' Matchmaking Rating lost after defeat when they pick a map that has been recently added to the game or reworked.

Standard Play

There are 31 maps implemented for standard gameplay: 8 Escort maps, 8 Hybrid maps, 7 Control maps, 4 Push maps, 3 Flashpoint maps and 1 Clash maps. These are the maps used for Unranked and Competitive Play in Overwatch.

Control

Main article: Control

• 
  Antarctic Peninsula
• 
  Busan
• 
  Ilios
• 
  Lijiang Tower
• 
  Nepal
• 
  Oasis
• 
  Samoa

Control maps are unique because they are essentially three different smaller maps that all co-exist in one larger area. Unlike the other standard game modes, both teams are attackers and there is one spawn room for each team, for each stage, located at each end of the map. Right at the center of the map is a large rectangular or circular area that the teams must capture and control. Control maps are by default symmetrical. Since the three stages are all very different from each other, Control maps offer the most variety in team compositions and strategies.

Escort

Main article: Escort

• 
  Circuit Royal
• 
  Dorado
• 
  Havana
• 
  Junkertown
• 
  Rialto
• 
  Route 66
• 
  Shambali Monastery
• 
  Watchpoint: Gibraltar

Escort maps have a payload that the attackers must escort across three checkpoints. The payload is located next to the attackers' first spawn room. In total, Escort maps have six spawn rooms (three each for attack and defense). Attacker and defender spawn rooms change every time a checkpoint is reached, with the new attacker spawn room being right next to the captured checkpoint and the new defender spawn room moderately behind the next checkpoint. However, Route 66 is an exception with the defenders having two spawn rooms.

Flashpoint

Main article: Flashpoint

• 
  Aatlis
• 
  New Junk City
• 
  Suravasa

Gameplay of Flashpoint functions similarly to the Control game mode, and currently contains the largest maps compared to previous game modes, with many connecting pathways to five different control points. These maps are symmetrical, providing an equal travel distance across four spawn points, with two opposite and changing spawn rooms for each team that are dependent on the location of the next control point. Each team must capture and control three points to win.

Hybrid

Main article: Hybrid

• 
  Blizzard World
• 
  Eichenwalde
• 
  Hollywood
• 
  King's Row
• 
  Midtown
• 
  Numbani
• 
  Paraíso

Hybrid maps are a mixture of Assault and Escort maps. There is an Objective A for attackers to capture, and after it is captured, attackers must escort a payload across two checkpoints. Sometimes the payload exists as a part of the Objective (Eichenwalde, Hollywood, Numbani) and sometimes it needs to be unlocked (Blizzard World, King's Row). The distance between Objective A and the first checkpoint is slightly longer than the distance between the first checkpoint and the second. What is interesting about Hybrid maps is the number of spawn rooms is inconsistent. There are three attacker spawn rooms for each stage and there is a defender spawn room for Objective A; however, some maps have only one defender spawn room for the two payload stages (King's Row, Numbani) while others have a spawn room for each (Blizzard World, Eichenwalde, Hollywood).

Push

Main article: Push

• 
  Colosseo
• 
  Esperança
• 
  New Queen Street
• 
  Runasapi

Push maps are symmetrical with a robot at the center of the map. Each team has a block that the robot has to push to their respective ends, but only 1 team can control the robot at a time and the opposing team has to take control of the robot to push their barricade. Each team's progress is independent of the other's. Upon having the robot push the block to a checkpoint, that team's spawn room changes. The team that reaches the endpoint, or with the furthest progress at the end of the match, wins.

Clash

Main article: Clash

• 
  Hanaoka
• 
  Throne of Anubis

Clash is the newest addition to Overwatch 2 with the release of Season 12. Each Clash map is symmetrical and each game starts with a central point C, which is unlocked at the beginning of the game. The map contains 5 points laid out in a row. There is no defense in this mode, instead everyone starts on offense. Each point is captured instantly, with no percentage progress, and moves closer to the opposing team's spawn room with each captured point. A team can win a match by either scoring 5 points or capturing the point closest to the enemy team's spawn room. Clash was removed from Competitive Play in Season 15, and from Quick Play in Reign of Talon Season 1: Conquest. It remains playable in other modes.

Stadium

There are 13 maps implemented for Stadium: 5 Control maps, 4 Push maps, 2 Payload Race maps and 2 Clash maps.

Control

Main article: Control

• 
  Arena Victoriae
• 
  Ilios Ruins
• 
  Gogadoro
• 
  Nepal Shrine
• 
  Wuxing University - Water College
• 
  Busan Sanctuary

Control in Stadium features symmetric maps that require only one point to be captured.

Push

Main article: Push

• 
  Colosseo
• 
  Place Lacroix
• 
  Redwood Dam
• 
  Esperança

The Stadium version of Push includes shortened version of their Standard Play counterparts, as well as locations from other game modes repurposed for Push.

Clash

Main article: Clash

• 
  Hanaoka
• 
  Throne of Anubis

Stadium Clash offers heavily modified Clash maps with the spawn rooms being closer to point A / C and the final points removed. It requires only 2 points to be captured, unlike Standard Play Clash which requires 5 points.

Payload Race

Main article: Payload Race

• 
  Powder Keg Mine
• 
  Thames District

Arcade

There are 14 maps exclusive to the game modes featured in the Arcade: 5 Assault maps, 1 Capture the Flag map, 4 Deathmatch maps and 4 Elimination maps.

Assault

Main article: Assault

• 
  Hanamura
• 
  Horizon Lunar Colony
• 
  Paris
• 
  Temple of Anubis
• 
  Volskaya Industries

Assault maps have two rectangular areas that the attackers must capture: Objective A and Objective B. Objective A is between the attacker and defender spawn rooms, and Objective B is in front of the defender spawn room. In total, Assault maps have three spawn rooms (two for attack and one for defense). After Objective A is captured, the second attacker spawn room is opened up next to it. The defender spawn room stays the same throughout the game. A common feature for Assault maps is that Objective A is often very tight with a narrow choke while Objective B is more open. In Overwatch this game mode was part of the Standard Play.

Capture the Flag

Main article: Game Modes#Capture the Flag

• 
  Ayutthaya

Capture the Flag only features one map specifically designed for it, Ayutthaya. However, it also borrows sections from various Control maps. Generally, the maps are large and symmetrical with a spawn room at each end. Near each spawn room is the flag area with a flag that the other team must steal and bring to their area.

Deathmatch

Main article: Deathmatch

• 
  Château Guillard
• 
  Kanezaka
• 
  Malevento
• 
  Petra

Deathmatch maps are unique because they have no spawn room. They are designed to accommodate as many fighting styles as possible. While other maps are also used, these four maps are specifically designed for Deathmatch and are the only ones available for Competitive Deathmatch.

Elimination

Main article: Game Modes#Elimination

• 
  Black Forest
• 
  Castillo
• 
  Ecopoint: Antarctica
• 
  Necropolis

Elimination maps, also called Arena maps, are small, symmetrical maps with a spawn room at each end. They are designed for straightforward, high-damage combat for 6 players. They are also used for 1v1 Duels and Team Deathmatch (except Ayutthaya).

Custom Games

These maps are only available in Custom Games.

• 
  Workshop Chamber
• 
  Workshop Expanse
• 
  Workshop Green Screen
• 
  Workshop Island

Training

These maps are used for learning the game and contain training bots.

• 
  Mastery Course
• 
  Practice Range
• 
  Tutorial

Seasonal modes

Game modes during limited-time events may also have modified maps, usually exclusive to that game mode.

Archives

These maps are only available during the Overwatch Archives event.

• 
  King's Row (Uprising)
• 
  Rialto (Retribution)
• 
  Havana (Storm Rising)

Uprising features a daytime version of King's Row from around seven years ago, after it was taken over by the omnic terrorist group, Null Sector. Retribution features a nighttime version of Rialto from eight years ago, during the Blackwatch mission that began the downfall of Overwatch. Storm Rising features a stormy version of Havana from six years ago, when Overwatch agents chased Maximilien with an oncoming hurricane.

Halloween Terror — Junkenstein's Revenge

• 
  Adlersbrunn

Junkenstein's Revenge is set in the fictional town, Adlersbrunn, which is a modified nighttime version of Eichenwalde.

Lunar Brawls

CTF Blitz

Main article: Game Modes#Capture the Flag

• 
  Busan Sanctuary
• 
  Ilios Ruins
• 
  Ilios Well
• 
  Nepal Village
• 
  Oasis City Center
• 
  Oasis University

Mischief and Magic

• 
  Lijiang Night Market
• 
  Overland

Summer Games — Lúcioball

• 
  Busan Stadium
• 
  Estádio das Rãs
• 
  Sydney Harbour Arena

Lúcioball has its own unique maps. They are a simple field inside a transparent stadium. Scattered along the field are launching pads and Lúcio can wallride on the sides of the stadium. Each team has a goal at each end that the other team's Lúcio must knock the ball into. All stadiums have an announcer who speaks in the native language.

Winter Wonderland

Mei's Snowball Offensive

• 
  Black Forest
• 
  Ecopoint: Antarctica

Mei's Snowball Offensive adds highlighted piles of snow around the map that are used for Mei's snowballs; they spawn randomly. Unlike the other brawls, this brawl's maps are not exclusive to it and can be accessed through regular Elimination.

Yeti Hunt

• 
  Nepal Village

Yeti Hunt's version of Nepal Village has one end that spawns a team of Meis and the other end a cave that spawns a Yeti (Winston). If a Mei dies, or if the Yeti falls off the map, they return to their respective spawn area. Scattered along the map are meat stations that the Yeti must collect; the meats recharge over time.

Other events

• 
  Horizon Lunar Colony (Starwatch)
• 
  Talantis (Control)

Seasonal variations

During seasonal events, some maps are redesigned and decorated to fit the theme. The normal versions of these maps are still available.

Halloween Terror

Main article: Halloween Terror

• 
  Château Guillard
• 
  Eichenwalde
• 
  Hollywood

Lunar New Year

Main article: Lunar New Year

• 
  Busan Downtown
• 
  Busan Sanctuary
• 
  Lijiang Tower

Winter Wonderland

Main article: Winter Wonderland

• 
  Black Forest
• 
  Blizzard World
• 
  Ecopoint: Antarctica
• 
  Hanamura
• 
  King's Row

Upcoming content

This section features content or features that are not yet available in the game.

New maps

• 
  Atlantic Arcology (unknown year after 2026)
• 
  Neon Junction (Season 3, 2026)
• 
  Iceland (season 3+, 2026)

Development

Part of the map design process is to review all the pre-existing maps and ascertain which areas of the world have yet to receive representation. Blizzard maintains a list of global locations that they're interested in, and when choosing a new location for a map, usually pick the one that Team 4 is most interested in. Sometimes, the location is related to a story moment or a character. The decision as to which location is chosen is usually made by the game directors and team leads. However, anyone can pitch an idea for a map.

Some assets are shared between maps. It takes two months on average to create a map, though is usually playable within the first two. After that, iteration is constantly carried out before it ships. Payload maps take the longest to design due to the amount of art required, while arena maps can be completed the fastest. When designing maps, the developers often visit real-world locations where applicable. The locations are often infused with 'fantasy' elements (combining the location with the 'fantasy' of it as it exists in the real world).

Cut Maps

• Amazon
• Berlin
• Cairo
• Galapagos
• India
• Iron Star
• Kyoto Temple
• London
• San Joaquin
• The Bayou
• The Iris

Trivia

• Busan: MEKA Base is the only Control map stage that does not exist as a standalone map.
• Horizon Lunar Colony and Paris have been removed from Quick Play and related modes as of the March 15, 2022 patch.
• When Assault, Escort, or Hybrid maps are added to the Arcade, they are cropped for Deathmatch. When Control maps get added to the Arcade for these modes, the stages are split into maps of their own and are given a new time of day.
• Kanezaka was initially announced for both Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch during the Kanezaka Challenge in 2021. Additionally, there was an invite-only Team Deathmatch tournament on Kanezaka. However, the map was never added to the map rotation for Team Deathmatch.

See also

• List of maps by release date