Overwatch Anniversary Event 2021 Start Date, Skins & More Revealed

Overwatch’s Anniversary event rolls around every year to celebrate the game’s official release date back in 2016. Here’s everything you need to know about 2021’s iteration, including the dates, skins, and more. 

When it comes to events, Overwatch likes to go big or go home. The annual Anniversary event lets players party in style to celebrate the game getting another year older, and brings us a whole payload full of new content every year.

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Usually, directly after Overwatch Archives, which just wrapped up at the end of April, the Overwatch calendar for spring is jam-packed with fun-filled adventures.

Contents

• What is Overwatch Anniversary?
• When is it?
• Anniversary Legendary skins
• Weekly challenges and skins

What is Overwatch Anniversary?

Blizzard Entertainment

Get ready to party hard at Overwatch’s Anniversary event!

Anniversary is the yearly celebration of Overwatch’s release date. Having dropped all the way back in 2016, this year will mark the game’s fifth trip around the sun since coming out on May 24. 2016.

• Read More: Overwatch 2: Release date, new heroes, game modes & maps

Fans have been immersed in Blizzard’s FPS for the last half-decade, so maybe we’ll see some fun new content given that this is a milestone in the title’s history, but nothing’s been announced just yet.

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When is Overwatch Anniversary?

Going off of previous dates for anniversary we predicted back in March when this article first came out that Overwatch Anniversary 2021 would run from May 18 to June 8 this year, and right on schedule Blizzard confirmed we were 100% correct on May 16, two days before the event got going.

Party on the payload!

Overwatch Anniversary begins May 18. pic.twitter.com/B3cusMt8lX

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) May 16, 2021

Anniversary skins & cosmetics

Blizzard Entertainment

Little Red Ashe has become one of the Anniversary event’s most iconic skins.

Every year the Anniversary event brings with it some amazing skins, sprays and other cosmetics. With around 3 Epic and 5 Legendary drops, some of the game’s most iconic cosmetics have come out of the Anniversary event.

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Last year we saw fan favorites like Little Red Ashe, Masquerade Reaper and Dragoon Mercy enter the fray, so expectations are pretty high considering that this year is more momentous than the others.

• Read More: 5 features Overwatch 2 needs to rebuild its playerbase

All of these will be available for purchase during the event using Overwatch’s in-game currency, as well as in the special Anniversary Loot Crates. So, make sure you’re grinding hard for that cash!

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“But what about new 2021 cosmetics, Dexerto?” Well, you’re in luck, as Blizzard also teased three Legendary skins coming during the event. Currently, we’ve got:

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Funky Baptiste

Activision Blizzard

We want the funk, give up that funk.

Venus Moira

Blizzard Entertainment

Moira raising Venus flytraps seems more appropriate the more we think about it.

Junkfood Junkrat

Blizzard Entertainment

Fancy a bite of that candy? Looks like it bites back.

Gladiator Doomfist

Blizzard Entertainment

“Are you not entertained?”

Black Cat Sombra

Blizzard Entertainment

Sombra’s Black Cat skin is puuurfect.

Overwatch Anniversary Weekly Challenges

Weekly challenges have become a staple part of Overwatch events. Usually offering a themed spray, icon, and Legendary skin in return for winning a set amount of games every week, Weekly Challenges are an easy way to bag unique cosmetics.

For Anniversary, Blizzard have switched things up a bit:

• You need to play 27 games of Quickplay.
• Every 9 games, you will receive an icon, spray then skin.
• Winning counts as two games.

This cycle should reset every week for the three weeks of the Anniversary event, therefore giving you the chance to get 3 unique icons, sprays, and skins.

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Thus far, it’s been revealed that the Weekly Challenge skins are:

Week 1: Cybermedic Ana

Blizzard Entertainment

Ana looks like she’d fit right into Cyberpunk 2077 with this skin.

Week 2: Bird of Paradise Echo

Blizzard Entertainment

Bird of Paradise Echo is one of the new Legendary skins available in Anniversary 2021.

Week 3: 8 Ball Wrecking Ball

Blizzard Entertainment

Wouldn’t want to snooker this 8 ball…

That’s all you need to know about the Overwatch Anniversary Event! As more details become available, we’ll update this page, so make sure to check back soon!