Overwatch Season 1 kicks off on Feb. 10, but players can pre-download it ahead of time. Read on for our quick guide on how to pre-download the update and how to automate your Overwatch updates going forward. We also go into what players can expect in 2026's Overwatch Season 1 patch and beyond.
Overwatch Season 1 pre-download
- Sign in to your Battle.net account
- Click on the Overwatch logo
- Press the "Settings" button
- Click on the text that reads "Check for Updates"
- Finish the download to see the "Pre-release content downloaded" text
How to download Overwatch Season 1 automatically
- Click on the gear icon that's next to the "Play" button
- Select the "Game Settings" option
- Click on "Downloads"
- Scroll down to the "Game Updates" section
- Choose "Apply latest updates and download pre-release content for recently played games"
- Press the "Done" button
Overwatch Season 1 patch notes 2026
In terms of what to expect in the Overwatch Season 1 patch notes, Reign of Talon's Conquest era features five new heroes. These are Mizuki, Emre, Domina, and Anran, and Jetpack Cat. All of these heroes and the existing ones get new subroles, too.
Overwatch Season 1 also includes skins galore. The mythic hero skin is Celestial Guardian Mercy while the mythic weapon skin is Juno's Star Shooter. Mei's mythic hero skin, meanwhile, is slated for the mid-season update.
Overwatch Season 1 Battle Pass and shop skins
Don't forget about the new Overwatch Season 1 Battle Pass skins and shop skins, either. The Battle Pass skins include ones for Tracer, Genji, Sojourn, Vendetta, Emre, Moira, and Mauga. As for upcoming shop skins, below is a closer look at Loverwatch Hazard and Loverwatch Soldier: 76 plus new cosmetics for Kiriko, Domina, Ana, Anran, Mizuki, Juno, Symmetra, and Hanzo.
Blizzard Entertainment also teased Void Venture, Void Illari, Void Sigma, Rainy Day Roadhog, Rainy Day D.Va, Stadium All-Star Reinhardt, Stadium Elite Sigma, and Stadium Elite Tracer.
More Overwatch Season 1 updates
As for other Season 1 updates, players can look forward to the Conquest meta event, a ranked reset plus new Crimson Wolf weapons for Domina, Junkrat, Mercy, Reaper, and Vendetta, Vendetta as a Stadium hero, the Stadium hero builder feature, user interface (UI) plus user experience (UX) changes, and the adorable Overwatch x Hello Kitty collaboration.
That's all for now. Are you ready for Season 1? Bookmark esports.gg for more Overwatch news and updates!
