Overwatch will not be free to play, Blizzard confirms

OVerwatch

We finally have confirmation that, as we speculated earlier this week, Blizzard's team-based FPS Overwatch will not be free-to-play. Instead, it will be released in three different editions, coming in at three different price points.

The standard edition of Overwatch will include 21 "extraordinary heroes" and sell for $40. For $60, you can upgrade to the Overwatch Origins Edition, which tacks on five "Origin Skins" that tie into the game's lore—Overgrown Bastion, Blackwatch Reyes, Slipstream Tracer, Strike-Commander Morrison, and Security Chief Pharah—and bonus items for other Blizzard games: Mercy's Wings for Diablo 3, six in-game portraits for StarCraft 2, an Overwatch card back, a Baby Winston pet for World of Warcraft, and the Tracer hero in Heroes of the Storm.

And finally, for the big spenders out there, is the physical Collector's Edition, which bears a $130 price tag and comes with a source book, soundtrack, a statue of Soldier 76, and of course everything that's included with the Origins Edition. Prepurchasing any of the three editions will also net you a bonus Noir Widowmaker skin at launch.

Blizzard also revealed that Overwatch is expected to go live in the spring 2016, "on or before 06/21/16." A prepurchase option is live now at Battle.net.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Latest in FPS
black ops 6 season 1
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 3 has been delayed, as the devs say they're 'taking the time to deliver a great experience' for what will be a 'big moment' for Call of Duty
The Local gameplay
The Local is a free and blazingly-fast tribute to surf maps and bunny hopping
midnight murder club
'The point is to be generous': This $20 FPS releasing next month is trying something new—giving away a full version of the game
Atomfall Gamescom screenshots
Tread carefully, Atomfall's world includes 'exploding sheep' that can 'infect you with spores that creep into your lungs'
splitgate 2
The Splitgate 2 open alpha is live now and very fun
An electric encounter with an enemy in Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
One of the best Return to Castle Wolfenstein mods just got an update that turns the WW2 FPS into a Killing Floor-style wave shooter
Latest in News
Image of Tecumseh in Civilization 7
Civilization 7's 'first major update' tweaks balance and fixes some UI issues, but don't expect an overhaul
Jeff Jarrett headshot
Legendary 1990s publisher Acclaim is back from the dead, and a pro wrestler famous for clobbering people with a guitar is on its advisory board
Monster Hunter Wilds screen
Monster Hunter Wilds sells 8 million copies in 3 days, 'the fastest any game has done so in Capcom’s history'
Tony Hawk doing a kickflip or whatever the hell it is in the cover art for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake is real, and it's coming in July with new skaters, parks, music, and more
The streamer Emiru gives the peace sign to camera.
Three women livestreaming on Twitch harassed by man who then goes for them while making repeated death threats: 'This happens off-camera to women all the time'
Marvel's Avengers screen
Will another Avengers game be assembled? 'We would definitely be open to it' says Joe Russo, co-director of Avengers: Doomsday