Even if you’re the most casual gamer, you’ve probably at least heard of Overwatch. Released in 2016, the first-person shooter was instantly successful, being developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It gained a player base of over 30 million players and while it’s seen a decline since then, the game still has a steady stream of players as the developers continue to update the game drastically, adding new maps, game modes, heroes and alterations to all of the above. Overwatch has been one of my personal favourite games and it has consumed my life over the past year.
The game is known for its fast paced gameplay and, more importantly, the characters. There are currently 27 heroes to choose from in the game (not including the recent announcement of hero 28), and they’re all wacky and wild with quirky personalities, an arsenal of strange and almost superhuman abilities, and they all manage to balance out (for the most part) in a game that proves that team work really does make the dream work. Beneath, I have ranked all 27 heroes from worst to best, and because this game has a very passionate following, there are some controversial picks, so be ready for when you realise that your favourite hero probably isn’t topping the list. Let me preface this by saying that there aren’t any truly bad heroes in Overwatch, I’ve played and enjoyed playing all of them at one time or another. So without further ado, here are all current Overwatch heroes ranked from worst to best!
27 Torbjörn
Without a doubt, the worst hero in Overwatch is Torbjörn. The grouchy Swedish dwarf is notorious for being incredibly annoying, especially with his turrets that have pinpoint accuracy and can take down a hero in seconds.
The only way to work around his turrets is if you’re grouped up and just hope that his turrets don’t aim for you.
On your own, however, you’re in trouble unless you can destroy them, which is easier said and done with their tanky 300 health. Torbjörn just doesn’t have any interesting features outside of his turrets other than being able to give teammates armour, and his ultimate is just a slightly beefed up version of himself. And who doesn’t love watching Play of the Game’s where he’s just smacking a turret?
26 Symmetra (Before The Rework)
All I can say is thank goodness she’s had a rework. However, her upgrade hasn't been in the game for long enough so this is based on her pre-rework moveset. Everyone agrees that Symmetra was wrongfully placed in the ‘Support’ category as the damage she deals can melt any hero in seconds. Her ridiculously overpowered beam that locks on and increases in damage the longer it’s connected to someone, her annoying turrets that slow and damage the enemy, and the lack of skill required to play her is what makes her such a subpar hero. She could be a great hero so hopefully, Blizzard will maximize her potential in her upcoming rework.
25 Bastion
If you looked up the word ‘overpowered’ in the dictionary, a picture of Bastion would show up. Don’t let those cute beeps and whirrs fool you. Bastion is almost unbearable to play against and it’s not because of how skilled his abilities are.
Two words - Configuration: Sentry.
When Bastion is in this form, he’s virtually unstoppable unless overwhelmed. He mows down any heroes in the blink of an eye and with 300 bullets per mag, it seems like a lifetime before he has to reload. Also, he can heal himself at a pretty fast rate. However, as much as I hate to say it, he is actually pretty useful when defending a point.
24 Reaper
This one is bound to cause some controversy. This choice isn’t just based on my own bias either, it’s more to do with how little Reaper actually serves to the team.
His damage output is incredible when up close, but any further than 20 feet away and he tickles.
His teleport ability takes a long time to actually happen and it leaves him completely vulnerable. However, his invincibility is handy for a quick breather and his ultimate ability can be a game changer, but there are heroes who have more to offer than just a good ultimate.
23 Winston
I’ve never seen the hype with Winston. Sure, most, if not all tanks are useful to some degree. Winston, however, is the worst. He has the 500 health bar but he has no firepower to back it up, with just his measly Tesla Cannon with its painfully short range and his Jump Pack, that is only good for retreating. His barrier is good but the fact that it only lasts for six seconds seems a bit too short, especially with its thirteen-second cooldown. His ultimate is good for clearing a point but, again, its minuscule damage means he doesn’t pose much of a threat.
22 Widowmaker
Widowmaker is a mixed bag of a hero. She requires immense skill for her to actually be useful; she’s definitely not the type of hero you can just pick up and play.
As a sniper, Widowmaker is limited in what she can do.
While her rifle does also double as a machine gun, it does pitiful damage but it can help out in a pinch. Her ‘Venom Mine’ easy to notice and destroy but her grappling hook does allow her to reach some creative vantage points. Just don’t expect to ever see her carrying the payload.
21 McCree
Like a few heroes listed already, McCree doesn’t have a lot to offer in terms of usefulness to the team. He’s simply a cowboy that can shoot a gun and throw a flashbang. He’s basically a sniper in disguise as his revolver has a ridiculously long range, and his ‘Fan the Hammer’ is a good way to finish off low health enemies. His ultimate is good but only from a vantage point as he’s left completely vulnerable during it. McCree isn’t a bad hero, per se, he’s just nothing special.
20 Mei
Don’t underestimate Mei. Her cute appearance and sweet demeanor may make you dismiss her but she’s actually pretty powerful, and with her power comes her ability to annoy people.
Her freeze ray acts absurdly fast and if you’re a 200 health hero, it’s basically a guaranteed death sentence.
Her icicles are powerful but the delay can make them difficult to aim properly. She does have the ability to heal and her ice walls are great for blocking ultimates, and her own ultimate can be great when used properly. However, her little quirks don’t make her massively useful in a casual game but when played well, she can surprise you.
19 Doomfist
Doomfist is arguably one of the hardest heroes to master in the entire game. His abilities are only effective when all used in a combo but it leaves him practically defenseless afterward.
He’s agile with his ‘Rising Uppercut’ and ‘Seismic Slam’ abilities, being able to cover quite a long distance in a short time.
His abilities are good as they all stun the enemy to an extent and his ‘Rocket Punch’ can be devastating when fully charged. His ultimate is okay for clearing some space but due to its long wind-up, it’s very easy to dodge. Overall, Doomfist is a lot of fun but his absence isn’t really noticeable.
18 Roadhog
Roadhog is the definition of a tank. He has an absurd amount of health, he can self-heal, he has a lot of power and his hook is the stuff of nightmares. However, he’s only effective against single targets as overwhelming him can bring him down pretty easily.
His scrap gun is only effective when close but the hook helps to make that possible.
He may be sluggish when moving but his ultimate is fantastic for pushing enemies off a point and it also deals a great amount of damage. He has the advantage of having no voice line before his ultimate strikes making it effective to catch people off guard.
17 Tracer
The mascot herself, Tracer possesses incredible speed but that’s really all she has going for her. Her ‘Blink’ ability allows her to be super annoying by zipping around enemies, and it’s also useful to stall points in overtime. She deals decent damage but she’s hindered by the small mag size on her guns, and not to mention her low health, meaning playing as her requires some skill. Her ultimate is just a sticky grenade so it’s not going to win any awards for being useful but it can eliminate multiple heroes if they’re close together. Tracer is good at what she does but she doesn’t have much to offer outside of being annoying.
16 Sombra
As one of my personal favorites, Sombra has a lot of tools at her disposal, but for a DPS character, the one thing she lacks is the ability to deal damage.
Her hacking ability is the gift that keeps on giving.
With its ability to stop enemies from using their abilities and speed up the regeneration time of health packs and even taking away certain mobility perks; this is especially effective against a Tracer or Genji. Like Tracer, Sombra is good at being annoying as she has great mobility with her teleporters and invisibility. However, she’s not really a vital part of the team, as proven by the current meta.
15 Orisa
Orisa is a great tank to have on any team as her barriers have a ridiculously quick cooldown of just eight seconds and their hefty 900 health bar.
She’s good at being a wall but like most tanks, she lacks the ability to fight back effectively.
Her gun isn't very strong and the bullets move pretty slowly, making it hard to actually land hits and that’s her only means of offense. ‘Halt’ is a great ability, dragging low health enemies back into the line of fire, and ‘Fortify’ turns her into a semi-invincible wall. Overall, Orisa is good and she definitely has her use, but there are tanks that do the job better.
14 Lucio
Lucio is a rather mixed bag when it comes to being a healer. It’s wise for him to not be the only healer as he heals rather slowly and his agility can make him hard to keep up with. His gun shoots projectiles that move at a snail’s pace, making it very easy to dodge them, and even if they hit, they don’t deal a great amount of damage. Lucio also possesses the ability to switch between a speed boost and healing. His ultimate is arguably one of the best in the game as it can really turn a losing game into a triumph, making him very useful as a secondary healer and as a good defense.
13 Genji
Controversy alert! Genji, the nation’s favorite glass cannon isn’t the best hero, and this reflects on the current meta. Genji is a good hero and with the right team composition, he can definitely lead a team to victory.
However, Genji does lack in some areas to the point where it can seem like the rest of the team has to accommodate to his flaws.
His biggest downfall is his lack of defense, and while that’s no surprise with him being a DPS hero, he is very fragile on his own. He shines the most during his devastating ultimate, but outside of it, it’s hard to keep him alive without constant attention.
12 Ana
Ana may seem like just an old lady with a sniper rifle, but her abilities are actually very useful to the team.
Fair warning, however, she is pretty tricky to master, and a novice Ana may cause the team to die a lot.
Her biotic rifle both heals and damages, enabling her to heal from afar, making her less of a target by the enemy team. Her biotic grenade is great in a pinch and it can heal/damage multiple targets at once. While the meta hasn’t been kind to her lately, she’s still a great secondary healer alongside Mercy or Moira.
11 Pharah
Now we move on to Ana’s daughter, Pharah. Boasting high damage, paired with the fact that she spends 99% of her time in the air, Pharah can be very annoying to the enemy team, especially with a Mercy hovering behind her. Her rockets, while sometimes hard to aim, can easily kill a hero in two shots and her flying ability makes her hard to hit. Her ultimate is powerful and can wipe out the enemy team with a single use but she is left completely vulnerable during it, so it is tricky to pull off perfectly if she doesn’t have the support of a Mercy.
10 D.Va
To kick off the top ten, we have possibly the most popular tank in the game. D.Va has a diverse arsenal that suits her for almost any situation. Her 600 health bar enables her to take many hits before being knocked out of her mech, where she then has another 150 health for herself. Her mini rockets can deal fair amounts of damage if they make contact and her defense matrix lets her block projectives. However, the mech does have a strong weakness to beam characters as they are unaffected by her blocking capabilities, but her boost lets her either shove enemies to cause some damage or retreat if she’s low on health. Her ultimate is devastating so prepare to run for your life whenever you hear "NERF THIS".
9 Reinhardt
One of the most beloved heroes, Reinhardt is great at doing what he’s supposed to do, which is to just be a wall.
His 2000 health shield can take a good ol’ beating before being destroyed.
Unfortunately, he’s slightly hindered by his other abilities. His hammer is fairly powerful but it’s very short range and he’s left vulnerable when attacking, and his fire strike is pretty useless as it’s slow and only travels in a straight line. His ultimate is arguably one of the worst in the game as it only stuns enemies for a few seconds, which can be good if the rest of his team are around but more often than not, it’s pretty easy to evade. He’s simple to play, reliable as a tank but he doesn’t have much firepower to retaliate if need be.
8 Soldier: 76
For anyone who did the tutorial for the game, Soldier: 76 was the first ever hero they experienced.
Being the tutorial character, and by that logic, the easiest to play, he’s kitted with many abilities that give the player a taste of what the game has to offer.
His machine gun does good damage and it’s easy to aim, his helix rockets are powerful and are good for finishing off enemies, he can heal himself and others and he has decent mobility with his sprint ability. His ultimate is good and it can get rid of enemies pretty quickly. Overall, he’s a jack of all trades that has a lot to offer to any team.