Overwatch's 10th Anniversary Event Revisits 2016 and 2020
Three weeks of rotating classic modes, shared unlocks, and anniversary loot mark a decade of Overwatch during the Season 2 midcycle.
At a glance
- Event dates
- May 12-June 1
- Classic rotations
- Three
- Guaranteed Legendary skins
- Ten
Three weeks revisited different versions of Overwatch
The anniversary event opened with Classic 2016 on May 12, moved to Mystery Showdown on May 19, and closed with Classic 2020 on May 26. Each rotation captured a different point in the game's ten-year history rather than treating the original launch build as the only past worth revisiting.
A shared global progress bar counted matches from the full community. Individual challenges added anniversary cosmetics from Blizzard developers and community creators alongside the larger collective unlocks.
The reward track was expanded after launch
Blizzard increased the community loot boxes for the second and third weeks and reduced the requirement for earning all 15 Anniversary Loot Boxes to 60 games, with wins counting twice. A 10 Year Anniversary Loot Box granted four guaranteed Legendary skins in the final week.
Across the event, the updated structure guaranteed ten Legendary skins. Long-term account milestones at one, three, five, seven, and ten years also supplied login rewards.
Top 500 Spectate opened elite matches to everyone
The midcycle introduced live spectating for Top 500 matches, allowing players to watch high-ranked games from inside the client. It served as both an entertainment feature and a way to study positioning, pacing, and fight decisions without relying on a tournament broadcast.
The update also added Mythic Ra Ana, Pride content, Champions Clash promotion, and alternate-universe shop designs. The anniversary remained the centerpiece because it combined playable history with rewards that recognized current accounts.
