Since Overwatch 2‘s early access release more than a year ago, in October 2022, Blizzard Entertainment has been ensuring that its player base always has plenty of content to play and enjoy, with the developer and publisher constantly launching new features in the form of seasons.
Fast forward to October 20, 2023, and the first-person shooter multiplayer title released its seventh season, called Rise of Darkness, on the 10th of that month, with it being the first proper season that the game entered after dropping its early access label. However, although it has not even been two months since Season 7 officially came out, Blizzard is already getting ready for the next chapter in Overwatch 2, which is, fortunately, almost here.
When Exactly Does Overwatch 2 Season 8 Officially Launch?
Blizzard Entertainment released the official trailer for Overwatch 2 Season 8 a few hours ago, which will be titled Call of the Hunt, and it is just one day away from being launched. In its almost two-month lifetime, one of the highlights from the previous chapter of the game, Season 7, was the introduction of an amazing Samoa map, and things are looking to get even better with the next instalment in the multiplayer title.
But since the newly revealed footage does not specify the exact time when the next Overwatch 2 season will come out, some fans are probably wondering when to properly start the countdown.
Of course, if all goes smoothly and exactly as planned, Blizzard will launch Season 8 of Overwatch 2 tomorrow on Tuesday, December 5, at 2 p.m. ET. PC gamers have been quite lucky in the aspect of getting the Overwatch 2 Season 8 pre-release content already downloaded on their platforms, so they would not have to wait around to check Call of the Hunt out.
Unfortunately, that privilege is exclusive to PC players, as console gamers will not be able to pre-download the Overwatch 2 Season 8 content before it officially releases tomorrow. However, considering how the file size for the next season is not that large and comes in a relatively smaller 3.5GB, it would not be too long before they can join the rest of Blizzard’s player base.
To add to the community’s hype and excitement, the Season 8 trailer showcased a lot of new content that is set to accompany the upcoming chapter of the free-to-play game.
What’s New in the Upcoming Season 8?
Along with the trailer for Season 8, Blizzard also shared a detailed post on its official website, explaining everything new that will be coming with the next chapter. The upcoming season of the game will feature “epic new rewards” while also introducing plenty of fresh content, including the much-awaited arrival of “the newest Tank hero Mauga.”
Since the holidays are just around the corner, Season 8 will also have various festive events, along with “new Hero Mastery courses” as players learn to navigate and survive the “beast hunter-themed season.”
Mauga was first introduced a month ago at Blizzard’s flagship event, BlizzCon 2023, during which fans got to see the latest Tank hero in all his glory, but he will be making his proper Overwatch 2 debut in Season 8. Described as a “fierce tactician,” he comes with his own unique set of weapons, dual chainguns, that can be used to “burn and burst down” any surrounding foes.
There are plenty of ways in which Mauga can absolutely obliterate his enemies, ranging from charging through and “crashing down on them with Overrun” to using his Cage Fight move to deal with close-quarter combat, while also helping his friends with an ability called Cardiac Overdrive.
As mentioned before, Season 8 will be based around the concept of hunting, and it will introduce a brand new 4v4 PvPvE game mode called The Battle of the Beasts, during which, as the name suggests, players will have to fight “epic and powerful Grand Beasts.” Fans can take on challenges for a limited time only until December 18, which will reward them with fresh cosmetic items, plenty of Battle Pass XP to already be ahead of the game in the Season 8 Battle Pass, and more.
From the Mythic Grand Beast Orisa skin exclusive to the Premium Battle Pass to new weapon skins, Blizzard seems to be going all out with the upcoming season of Overwatch 2.
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
