Overwatch 2 Devs Reveal Sombra’s 93% Ban Rate and Most Banned Heroes

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As an ardent follower, I’ve picked up some intriguing insights from the Overwatch 2 team about the most frequently prohibited characters across all roles. Surprisingly, one hero is absent in more than 90% of matches!

In Season 16, Overwatch introduced hero bans for the first time, enabling players to significantly alter the standard strategies (meta) of the game by excluding specific heroes from the match.

So far, the ban rule has been widely regarded as a significant triumph, even though it’s caused frustration among certain player groups, particularly those who specialize in Mercy. They find it challenging to adapt and play other characters.

On May 23rd, developers disclosed data about console and PC hero bans, revealing that one character is significantly more frequently prohibited compared to others.

Sombra is banned in over 90% of Overwatch 2 games on console

Back in May 2025, developers disclosed some interesting statistics about Sombra. Specifically, they mentioned that approximately 85% of the time, she is banned when played on personal computers. On consoles, however, her ban rate is significantly higher at a whopping 93%.

Despite several updates to her abilities, Sombra continues to be a highly contentious character due to persistent problems in her toolkit that have been present since she was first introduced to the game in 2016.

As a gamer, I can tell you that nothing’s more frustrating than going up against a character who can become invisible and disable me at the same time – a combo that’s been a staple in every version of the Talon hacker.

Ranking second in PC games is Zarya with a rate of 59%, closely trailed by Doomfist at 43%. In console matches, the lead goes to Zarya again with 57%, while Symmetra comes in at 23%.

For advanced PC gamers, Freja is often the most frequently banned character. Conversely, Sombra is usually the top pick for bans among console players at the Masters level and above.

As for supports, Ana is the most banned on PC, while Mercy has been banned the most on console.

Developers indicate that this data plays a crucial role in their decisions regarding future adjustments (balance patches), yet it’s essential to understand that hero balancing (nerfs and buffs) won’t solely depend on ban statistics.

It appears quite likely that Sombra may require another update to her abilities given the impressive statistics we’re seeing.

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2025-05-24 00:50