Overwatch celebrates its 10th anniversary event this May 12 to June 1, bringing a plethora of new cosmetic rewards for its 21 launch heroes, as well as fan-made skins for newer heroes. Additionally, Overwatch players are also in a heated controversy surrounding the Chinese version.
Overwatch Celebrates 10th Anniversary With New Skins, Avatars, and Lootboxes
Join the Party and Earn Exclusive Cosmetics
Overwatch is officially turning 10, and Blizzard Entertainment is kicking off the hero-shooter’s decade-long celebration from May 12 to June 1, 2026, offering players a chance to acquire new cosmetics and rewards by playing the game.
Among the Overwatch 10th Anniversary rewards are 21 launch hero skins for the game’s original cast of characters when it officially launched on May 24, 2016. These include new costumes for characters such as Tracer, Mercy, Winston, and Soldier: 76. While it remains unclear whether some of these are paid content or free rewards, the official Overwatch social media pages, including X (formerly Twitter), have only stated that players simply need to join the party to earn these cosmetic rewards through 15 unlockable loot boxes.
Players can also acquire cosmetic rewards for free by completing challenges, which normally encourage players to try out different roles and fulfill objectives like healing and damage dealing. These unlock new Legendary Loot Boxes each week, with a guaranteed Legendary cosmetic drop for players.
Other cosmetic rewards include 33 developer-and community-made 2D cosmetics, such as sprays and player profile banners. Lastly, those who participate in the event can acquire five weapon charms themed around the game’s 10th anniversary, as well as an exclusive anniversary player title featuring the classic "man flipping chair" emoticon.
Ana Mythic and Community-Made Skins Coming to Overwatch 10th Anniversary
Earnable cosmetics are not the only additions coming to Overwatch’s 10th Anniversary event. Ana’s second Mythic rarity skin is also arriving during the celebration, costing 80 Mythic Prisms, or roughly $60 to $70, depending on the bundle purchased. Her new Mythic skin draws inspiration from the Egyptian god Ra, featuring multiple customizable hairstyles for Ana and color schemes inspired by her Egyptian roots.
Newer heroes in the game, like Ramattra, Talon leader Vedetta, and Wuyang, will also receive new outfits based on Blizzard Entertainment’s collaboration with NetEase for a fan-made skin contest held in China a year ago. A trailer was released ahead of its official global announcement on the Chinese site Bilibili and reposted by Overwatch fanpage Overwatch Cavalry, showcasing three coming to the game, including a housekeeper-themed Ramattra and a firefighter-inspired outfit for Wuyang, all of which will arrive when the anniversary event begins this May 12.
Overwatch Fans Clash With China’s Anniversary Event
In the middle of the international community celebrating Overwatch’s 10th anniversary is a clash with its Chinese anniversary version, which is operated in partnership with Chinese gaming giant NetEase. International fans have complained online on platforms like X and Reddit that the rewards offered in China’s 10th Anniversary rewards are more appealing, as players receive nine Mythic cosmetics simply by logging in. These include Mythic outfits for Kiriko’s Amaterasu, Genji’s Cyberdemon, and Sigma’s Galactic skins.
Chinese players can also receive 80 additional Mythic Prisms for a limited time by logging in for 10 days, which they can exchange for other Mythic costumes from Seasons 10 to 14, including the Vengeance Mercy and the Spellbinder Widowmaker cosmetics.
Fans remain divided over this distribution of content between regions, with some arguing that the international anniversary rewards are mostly "recolors" of existing skins, while Chinese players can obtain Mythic skins for free. As of now, NetEase and Blizzard have not stated a reason for this event strategy.
For international players, the anniversary event will mainly feature the 21 launch hero skins as well as a selection of fan-made cosmetics for newer heroes, as the event runs from May 12 to June 1.
Sources:
Official Overwatch Posts Anniversary Details
Overwatch Fan Page Shares New Anniversary Skins Trailer
Overwatch Fan-Made Skins Contest Winners
