Overwatch 2 mid-Season 20 update: Early patch notes, release date, Doomfist Mythic & more

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A new update for Overwatch 2, arriving mid-Season 20, will include a fresh skin for Doomfist, along with adjustments to balance several heroes.

Season 20 was a major update released at the end of 2025, adding a lot of new content. Highlights included the new hero, Vendetta, the Winter Wonderland event, and improved aim assist for players on consoles.

As usual, Blizzard is planning a mid-season update to adjust the heroes and make things more balanced before Season 21 starts. While it won’t have as many new features as a full season launch, it will include some helpful improvements.

So, here are the early patch notes for the Overwatch 2 mid-Season 20 update.

OW2 mid-Season 20 update release date

The mid-season update will be released on Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 10am Pacific Time / 1pm Eastern Time / 6pm GMT. You can download it now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC so you’ll be ready to play as soon as it’s available.

Mid-season 20 update reduces file size

Overwatch 2 Community Manager Megan Reardon announced the next update will be unusually large. It’s a “rebase” patch, which means the initial download will be big, but the overall game size will be smaller afterward.

She said the pre-download is meant to make Thursday’s update faster, but it will use extra space on your console temporarily. Luckily, that space will become available again once the update is finished.

Please be aware that updates might be delayed on Thursday. This update is primarily to make the release smaller in size when it goes live on January 8th, 2026.

— Megan (@meganleigh_r) January 5, 2026

Mythic Magma Tian Doomfist skin

The highlight of this update is the new Magma Titan Doomfist Mythic skin, which players got a sneak peek at in the recent Battle Pass.

This is the second Mythic skin released this season, following the launch of Divine Desperado Cassidy. While we haven’t seen the full design yet, the recently revealed Player Cards and Icons offer a strong preview of what it will look like.

The new Doomfist Mythic skin, MAGMA TITAN, is coming to Overwatch 2 this week during Season 20! 🔥

— Naeri X 나에리 (@OverwatchNaeri) January 5, 2026

You can get it from the Mythic Shop using Mythic Prisms, which you earn by progressing through the Battle Pass.

Hero balancing changes

The mid-season update will include balance changes for several heroes, with some getting stronger and others weaker. While we don’t have a complete list yet, the developers confirmed during a livestream in December that Vendetta will be adjusted.

Since the new damage-dealing hero was released at the start of the season, she’s been winning most matches. A big reason for this is how quiet she is – she can easily sneak up on opponents. It’s unclear how the game developers will handle this advantage, but they might change the sound her footsteps make or give her some other weakness to balance things out.

We’ll be sure to update this page with the full patch notes as soon as they’re released.

While you wait, don’t forget to explore the optimal Perks for each hero. Player numbers are also remaining strong as we head into 2026.

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2026-01-07 19:19