Will Overwatch 2 have a story mode? PvE details

Joseph Pascoulis
overwatch 2 story mode omnics

For co-op-hungry PvE players who are also fans of Blizzard’s Overwatch, here’s everything we know about Overwatch 2 story mode and its future plans.

Overwatch 2 is currently in its fifth season filled with various cosmetics that players can obtain through the Battle Pass, a new hero, and in-game events.

While players try to level up as fast as possible and enjoy the sequel-exclusive characters Sojourn, Junker Queen, and Kiriko, some may dip into the competitive side of things, or keep it more casual with Arcade and Quick Play.

Having said that, Blizzard have previously announced they were working on a PvE story mode, but since it’s not available at the moment, many are wondering when Overwatch 2’s story mode will release. Sadly, we have bad news in that regard.

Is Overwatch 2 story mode coming?

After months filled with rumors and speculation, Blizzard have confirmed that there won’t be a PvE story mode in Overwatch 2 after all. The mode was previously set to launch sometime in 2023 with a seasonal update.

The news was shared by game director Aaron Keller and executive producer Jared Neuss in a new video released on May 16, 2023. The developers stated they had made the difficult choice of scrapping most of their PvE plans since they saw no end in sight to the constant efforts they were pouring into the co-op story mode.

While the campaign, skill trees, and progression systems were scrapped, Blizzard announced that Story Missions are coming to Overwatch 2 with Season 6. While there aren’t any official details yet, players expect them to be like the PvE events they enjoyed in the original Overwatch.

We’ll keep you updated with any new details on these Story Missions.

If you want to know how the Overwatch 2 PvE mode was going to look like, we have all the details for the scrapped mode down below.

Overwatch 2 scrapped story mode details

Overwatch 2’s story mode was going to be a permanent PvE co-op experience that saw players battle their way through a full story-driven campaign, delving deeper into the Overwatch lore and world.

The gameplay was said to be wave based and similar to that of Left 4 Dead. Players could select any hero on the roster, and the missions would take place on all of the existing maps, with some even including additional areas.

Overwatch 2’s PvE campaign was going to be part of the free-to-play package, meaning that players across all platforms could enjoy the story mode for free just like the PvP.

The devs planned on introducing hundreds of Hero Missions for players that finished the main campaign, so we might see some of those in future updates in the form of Story Missions.

Overwatch 2 scrapped story mode plot

At Blizzcon 2019, the Overwatch 2 devs revealed the Heroes from the first game’s roster would have to reunite in order to uncover the truth behind another Omnic uprising.

The missions were going to have cinematics, along with gameplay and musical themes for each hero and location. Additionally, each hero was going to be able to level up and unlock different skills through a unique skill tree. The “Talents” progression system was something players were really excited about because it would show new abilities and co-op attacks for characters they know and love.


For more on the Hero shooter, make sure you check out our guides on PvP, including the best Heroes to use and optimal controller settings.

About The Author

Joseph is a Senior Writer at CharlieIntel specializing in shooters - Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch. He also enjoys Souls-likes, the Resident Evil franchise, and Tekken. After writing for KeenGamer, he joined CharlieIntel in 2021. If Joseph isn't writing about games, then he's most likely playing them. You can contact him at [email protected].