However, as Overwatch 2 had been developed to be a faster game with five-versus-five teams rather than six-versus-six, several of the characters had tweaks or major rebuilds within Overwatch 2, as well as different character designs. The sequel builds upon the same hero roster and added more characters, currently consisting of 38 heroes. Its sequel, Overwatch 2, was released in October 2022 and replaced Overwatch. The original 2016 game, Overwatch, featured 32 playable characters known as heroes and a number of supporting characters as part of the game's narrative, which is told through animated media and digital comics outside of the game.
The Overwatch franchise, a series of first-person shooter games developed by Blizzard Entertainment consists of 38 playable characters across both games. A promotional image of the 32 different playable characters on Blizzard Entertainment's fourth-anniversary celebration of the release of Overwatch (listed from left to right: Junkrat, Doomfist, Lucio, Ashe and Bob, Tracer, Soldier: 76, Roadhog, Zenyatta, Genji, Pharah, Zarya, Echo, D.Va, Moira, Hanzo, Orisa, Widowmaker, Symmetra, Reinhardt, Baptiste, Reaper, Winston, Sigma, Mei, Mercy, Brigitte, Wrecking Ball, Cassidy, Sombra, Ana, Bastion, Torbjörn.)
