'Tis the season for giving, and in the spirit of Christmas, Blizzard Entertainment has brought Winter Wonderland back to Overwatch 2 this year. It's an annual event during the holidays where we see the return of some festive game modes to play in the arcade, as well as brand-new - and appropriately holiday-themed - skins to deck your favourite heroes in their best threads for the Christmas period.
But this year, Blizzard Entertainment has taken the event one step further, by introducing a mini battle pass to Overwatch 2 during Winter Wonderland 2023. So if you're keen to get your hands on some freebies, and want to check out what game modes are on offer over the holidays, then we'll talk you through everything that's coming. The Winter Wonderland event goes live on December 19, 2023, and runs until January 16, 2024.
If you're after more Overwatch 2 content, be sure to check out our guide on how to claim Twitch drops, as well as everything you need to know about feisty new tank, Mauga.
New skins coming to Overwatch 2 during Winter Wonderland 2023
There will be several new skins coming to the in-game store during the festivities, but the highlight will most certainly be the much-anticipated 'Jingle Belle' Mercy skin. The concept was first teased a few years ago when the game's official Twitter account posted some Christmas artwork that proved insanely popular.
Sadly, we don't yet have Genji in a Christmas jumper, but Jingle Belle Mercy will be hitting the store during Winter Wonderland this year. Along with the infamous Swedish support hero, others such as Tracer, Sojourn, Cassidy, Baptiste, and Illari will all receive the festive treatment, too.
Winter Fair event pass
Along with the skins coming to the store, there will also be an event pass - separate to the season battle pass - called the Winter Fair. This will see players earning purple tickets while they play through the Winter Wonderland event, and these will be able to unlock several cosmetics including skins, highlight intros, name cards, and more.
For a taste of what you can bag yourself, we've included the teaser below:
New arcade game modes during Winter Wonderland 2023
As well as some holiday-themed skins, we're also getting some new and returning game modes coming to the arcade during the Winter Wonderland event this year.
Mei's Snowball Offensive will see players deploying ridiculous strategies to enforce tactical eliminations, while armed with an arsenal of snowballs that can knock out opponents in a single hit. There will be a 5v5 elimination mode, as well as a somewhat terrifying solo deathmatch mode.
Yeti Hunt is also available to play during Winter Wonderland 2023, an arcade mode that is essentially a 5v1 PvP brawl. The third game mode is called Freeze-Flash Elimination, where heroes do not die when their health is depleted. Instead, they'll be frozen in the same way Mei turns into an ice block, and it's up to their allies to thaw them out before the enemies can freeze everyone else on their team.
Be sure to log in on December 19, 2023 and claim a free player icon, and then freeze your way through the event to earn some new cosmetics. That's all there is to the Winter Wonderland 2023 event!
Be sure to check out our Overwatch 2 support heroes tier list, to see where your new Jingle Belle Mercy sits in the current meta, plus we have all the details on the current patch notes so you can keep up to date with any changes.
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