The Overwatch 2 Winter Wonderland celebrations are back, with four fan-favorite modes, free skins, and more. This year’s Overwatch 2 Winter Wonderland begins on Dec. 19, 2023, and runs for three weeks, with a new event appearing in the multiplayer game‘s Arcade section every week.
The modes might be familiar, but the Winter Fair Pass is a new addition to Blizzard’s winter festival. Playing matches in any mode earns you event tickets, which you can redeem in the event store for rewards. The Winter Fair Pass mirrors the usual battle pass in that there’s a free track – which costs 500 Overwatch Coins – and a paid track. The paid track includes more rewards, such as a StarCraft-inspired skin for Widowmaker, though you can still get a free legendary skin for Illari (Winter Jammies), Baptiste (Formalwear), or Cassidy (Formalwear) on the free track.
It takes nine matches to earn one ticket, though wins count as two matches, and you can earn tickets until Jan. 9, 2024. The in-game store will also feature fresh skins every week, and any tickets you have leftover after the event ends will convert to Overwatch Coins.
Winter Wonderland’s returning Arcade modes kicks things off with Mei’s Snowball Offensive, a 5v5 deathmatch-style mode where you only have Mei’s ice abilities and some very potent snowballs. After that is Yeti Hunt, a 5v1 mode where five Meis and one overpowered Winston face off to see who can capture whom.
Finally is Flash-Freeze Elimination. Heroes whose HP reaches zero get frozen in this mode, and if you play your cards right, you can unthaw them and get them back in the match. It’s a wild, hectic mode, and playing all three of these earns you extra XP for the Season 8 battle pass.
Speaking of the latest season, if you’re just diving back into Overwatch 2 for the holidays, check out the Overwatch 2 Season 8 patch notes to see what’s changed.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF