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Unsure of the Overwatch Season 8 start time? The team-based FPS from Blizzard will soon be entering its new season, and that means plenty of new content for players to enjoy.
Overwatch 2 Season 7 has brought tons of new goodies to the game for players and brought a major rework to Sombra. While the game has been on shaky ground, receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam, gamers can still focus on the positive by getting ready for the season. When does Season 8 of Overwatch 2 start, and what’s in it? We’re here to let you know.
When does Season 8 of Overwatch 2 begin?
Season 8 of Overwatch 2 is set for a release date of Tuesday, December 5, 2023. Season 7 will come to an end on the same date, allowing for the game to transition to the new content.
The season is titled Call of the Hunt, centered around the new Mythic skin for Orisa. This is a beast-hunter themed season, with the skin being a terrifying monster. There will be a new Battle Pass to rank up in, a new hero, a new map, and plenty more to come.
Start time prediction for Overwatch 2 Season 8
While no official Overwatch Season 8 start time has been given by Blizzard, based on past updates to the game we can estimate that the season will begin at the following times:
- December 5, 2023 at 12 PM PST
- December 5, 2023 at 3 PM EST
- December 5, 2023 at 8 PM BST
This is when we predict you can jump into all the new seasonal content Overwatch 2 Season 8 has to offer. Previous seasons have begun at these times, so we can assume the times will remain the same.
Overwatch 2 Season 8 start time countdown
If you’re too excited for the new Season 8: Call of the Hunt, we’ve got our official countdown timer right here. With it, you can know exactly how much time is left before you can dive into the new season.
New battle pass – What new loot can you pick up in Season 8?
As always, a new season means a new Battle Pass to rank up with through gameplay. There will be over 80 levels of rewards to get from the Season 8 Battle Pass, from cosmetics to Prestige Titles. Things like skins for characters and weapons, emotes, victory poses, sprays, and more are all available to earn.
There are 25 free new skins, including two new Epic skins. Ultimate Battle Pass holders can get a head start on the Magma Mauga Legendary skin, the Wild Tracker Widowmaker Legendary skin, and the Magma Moira Epic skin with 20 tier skips.
Along with the new items from the Battle Pass, there are changes coming to how the rewards are earned. With Season 8’s Premium Battle Pass, players can earn Mythic skins from previous seasons that they missed. This includes skins like Adventurer Tracer and Galactic Emporer Sigma.
New Hero Mauga – The latest addition to the Overwatch roster
A new season means a brand new hero to play. This season is the long-awaited Mauga, a new tank hero. Mauga is a beast of a man. He has two powerful guns he can fire, an incendiary chaingun named Gunny and a volatile chaingun named Cha-Cha. You can fire them individually or together.
Mauga has been part of the lore for a while now, working with Baptiste in Talon after being physically augmented with enhanced strength. While Baptiste defected and left Talon behind, Mauga still works as a huge brute for the organization. He’s been a requested addition for a while, and fans are excited to finally see his debut as an official hero.
A look into Mauga
Mauga is the 39th hero introduced into the Overwatch roster, and the 12th tank hero. He is also noted as the game’s first Samoan hero, sporting traditional tattoos of the culture.
New Mythic Skin for Orisa
As mentioned above, Orisa is the hero receiving the new Mythic skin of the season. This skin is the Grand Beast Orisa skin, which transforms the omnic into a terrifying creature. Like previous seasons, the Mythic Grand Beast skin will unlock at level 80 of the Battle Pass.
The skin comes with color variations, new ability sound effects, and a new look for Orisa’s ultimate. Overwatch 2’s official Twitter showed off the new skin in a video post, showing different variations and how it looks during gameplay.
New map and mode arriving with the season
Of course, we can’t forget the new game mode and map coming with Season 8 of the game. The new game mode Clash is a PvP mode, similar to Assault that was removed in the jump from the original Overwatch to Overwatch 2. There are five capture points in a line across a map, which teams win by standing on them uncontested. The middle one unlocks first, and then moves closer to the opposing team’s base once earned.
The new map to go along with the season is Hanaoka, a spiritual successor to the fan-favourite Hanamura. Hanamura was removed from the game once Assault was taken out, so this beautiful map is highly anticipated. It has all the beautiful cherry blossoms and temples of the original.
This isn’t all that’s coming with Season 8. There will be new heroes added to Hero Mastery, including Mei, D.Va, Genji, Echo, and Lucio. The Leaderboards will also be reset for the new season.
That’s everything you need to know about the Overwatch 2 Season 8 start time, and the contents this new chapter hopes to bring. Be sure to check out our Overwatch 2 Flashpoint guide to dominate the game mode, and how to earn coins to get more sweet loot.
Overwatch 2 Season 8 FAQ
How long does an Overwatch 2 Season last?
Most seasons for Overwatch 2 run for a total of nine weeks.
What is Overwatch 2 Season 8 called?
This season of Overwatch 2 is called Call of the Hunt.
