Overwatch 2’s Winter Wonderland returns with new skins, classic modes, and a second battle pass

'Tis the season for Overwatch again.

Mercy on winter King's Row map variant with her new Winter Wonderland 2023 Legendary skin.
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Grab your snowballs and your sleigh bells and get the Overwatch 2 squad back together: Winter Wonderland is back for 2023, and the skins are poppin’.

A new set of Legendary skins for multiple heroes, including Mercy and Illari, highlight the seasonal drop, alongside returning limited-time modes and a “Winter Fair” battle pass-like way to earn rewards during the event.

An image of Illari's Winter Wonderland 2023 skin on the winter variant of BlizzardWorld.
BlizzardWorld might actually get a blizzard. Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Mei’s Snowball Offensive, Yeti Hunt, and Freeze-Flash Elimination are all back in the Arcade for the duration of the seasonal event, and players who hop in can earn bonus XP in the season eight battle pass along with the Winter Fair pass. All of the wintry-themed modes will be available for a limited time, so players looking to enjoy them while they can should jump online during the holiday break.

The Winter Fair Event Pass includes both a free and paid track, with the paid track priced at 500 Overwatch Coins. To earn rewards, players simply complete matches, with a ticket awarded after every nine games with wins counting as double.

If players earn enough tickets, they can use them to redeem one free Legendary skin of their choice: new Formalwear skins for Cassidy or Baptiste, or Illari’s Winter Jammies skin, as seen above.

The Premium track includes three additional Legendary skins, as well as new items like Reinhardt’s Legendary Wrapping Paper skin or Widowmaker’s Kerrigan skin from StarCraft. Tickets must be used before Jan. 15, or any remaining unspent tickets will be converted to Overwatch Credits.

But the skins. It’s all about the skins. Each week, new skins will enter the shop, including Jingle Belle Mercy, Nutcracker Pharah, Formalwear Tracer, Formalwear Sojourn, and Festive Kiriko.

Winter Wonderland begins in Overwatch 2 on Dec. 19, and anyone who logs in during the event will earn a new player icon.

Author

Scott Duwe
Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Pokémon, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Marvel Snap, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to Yogi the Corgi, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.