Overwatch 2 Season 12 release date, ‘Space Ranger’ Hero & everything we know

Overwatch 2 Season 12 is the next major update to Blizzard’s ongoing Hero shooter, which is set to bring the first new character since Venture in Season 10.

Although Season 11 was a huge patch that focused on maps and crossovers like the Transformers event, the prospect of a new face joining the roster always gets the community excited.

So, here’s everything we know about OW2 Season 12 so far, from the release date to the new ‘Space Ranger’ Hero.

Release date

Overwatch 2 Season 12 begins on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, according to the Battle Pass timer shown in-game. Although the devs haven’t officially confirmed the date, this method has been reliable in previous seasons.

Of course, there’s always a chance that Blizzard could push the update back if they need more to time to work on it, so we’ll be sure to keep you posted.

New Hero

At Blizz Con 2023, the devs revealed that a new Support Hero codenamed ‘Space Ranger’ will arrive in Season 12 – the first OW character from the Mars colony in the game’s lore.

They didn’t reveal her abilities, but on the concept art her primary weapon was described as a “burst-fire Smart SMG.” This could mean that her SMG has a dual function like Ana, where she will be able to both heal and damage depending on who she is firing at, although this is just speculation.

During the first look, she was described as a “highly mobile” Hero with “quite a bit of verticle mobility,” hinting that she’ll be able to propel herself into the air using the thrusters on her space suit.

We’ll have to wait until closer to the release date for a full breakdown of her abilities and her actual name, but players will no doubt be keen to their hands on the first new Support since Illari in August 2023.

Expected content

We’re still waiting for the full roadmap of what OW2 Season 12 has in store, but there are certain new features that arrive with each season like clockwork. So, based on previous updates, here’s everything we expect to see:

• New Battle Pass
• Hero buffs and nerfs
• Events
• LTMs
• New skins

We’ll be sure to update this page with more details on the update as the devs reveal what they have planned.

In the meantime, there’s still plenty to enjoy in Overwatch 2 Season 11, from the new Community Crafted mode which introduced fan-requested balancing changes, as well as the chance to earn a free Aztec Sombra skin.