Overwatch 2 is adding Freja to the Stadium game mode during the mid-Season 16 update. Though both Freja and Stadium both only just arrived in Overwatch 2 in the new season, fans can look forward to taking the bounty hunter into the arena soon.
Stadium is a new Overwatch 2 game mode and the centerpiece of Season 16. Featuring the ability to customize character kits with Items and Powers, a unique third-person camera, and a special ranked progression system, Stadium launched with 17 playable heroes, with more to be added in future seasons.
Overwatch 2 Begins New Discord Quest for Season 16
Overwatch 2 celebrates the launch of Season 16 with a simple new Discord Quest that fans can complete to earn some free in-game items.
However, it seems players won’t have to wait until Season 17 for the 18th hero to be added to Stadium. During an Overwatch 2 developer update released right before the season went live, senior game designer Dylan Snyder confirmed Freja would be coming to the game mode during the mid-Season 16 update – likely arriving in about a month. Revealed at the 4:12 mark of the video, Snyder explained that fans could expect to learn about Freja’s unique Items and Powers in Stadium in a few weeks.
Overwatch 2 Mid-Season 16 Update Adding Freja to Stadium
Freja is the newest hero in Overwatch 2 who was also added in Season 16. A Danish Overwatch search and rescue agent turned bounty hunter, Freja is the first of three heroes planned for 2025. She is a swift, precision-based hero with a high skill floor and ceiling, so players will likely be able to enhance her mobility, lethality, and bounty-hunting capabilities to unleash even more devastation on her targets in Stadium.
While it may seem odd to some fans, who might have expected iconic characters like Winston or Tracer to be added to the mode before Freja, it actually makes sense for her to arrive first. Overwatch 2 was already actively developing her, so building her Stadium Items and Powers alongside her base kit and Perks was likely easier than starting from scratch. Considering Overwatch 2's Stadium game mode features a Bounty system where players who are on a killstreak grant additional rewards when killed, it is also thematically appropriate for Freja to join the roster as well.
Overwatch 2 Heroes Playable in Stadium
|
Tank |
Damage |
Support |
|---|---|---|
|
D.Va |
Ashe |
Ana |
|
Junker Queen |
Cassidy |
Juno |
|
Orisa |
Genji |
Kiriko |
|
Reinhardt |
Mei |
Lucio |
|
Zarya |
Reaper |
Mercy |
|
- |
Soldier: 76 |
Moira |
|
- |
Freja (Mid-Season 16) |
- |
Beyond Freja, fans can expect multiple heroes to be added to Stadium every season until Overwatch 2 catches up to the current roster of 43. However, given Freja is coming to Stadium quickly, players shouldn’t be surprised if Aqua or Overwatch 2’s mysterious 45th hero follows suit and is added to the game mode shortly after their arrival – if not immediately with their respective seasons.
Overwatch 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 65%
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
- Cross Save
- yes
- Franchise
- Overwatch
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- n/a
- Early Access Release
- October 4, 2022
- PC Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- PS5 Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- How Long To Beat
- 35 hours
- X|S Optimized
- n/a
