When Overwatch said it was returning to the story, I did not expect its most genius decision: Reworking maps for the fun of it

When Overwatch said it was returning to the story, I did not expect its most genius decision: Reworking maps for the fun of it | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Third Person Shooter Arrowhead wants Helldivers 2’s assault on Cyberstan to really sell the promise of the Galactic War: ‘We don’t know how it will play out. We don’t know if they will win’ Third Person Shooter I wish I wasn’t missing out on new quests in Arc Raiders just because I’m not willing to grind the old ones every two months Third Person Shooter Nobody is doing live service better than Helldivers 2 because Arrowhead makes expansions, not just updates Action Blizzard says it’s open to even more Diablo 2 expansions and reworks unless people get really mad at it about this one: ‘We’re going to have to see what the players say’ FPS Overwatch just hit its all-time player count peak on Steam, clocking in over 165,000 players, more than two years after it first released on the platform FPS Overwatch fans and voice actress call for a redesign of its newest hero: ‘This concern is important, this is a hill worth dying on’ FPS The Overwatch dating sim and its associated rewards are back for a limited time, but it’s still got far fewer romances than its China-exclusive counterpart FPS Emre’s kit in Overwatch is the best of the new bunch, not just because it reminds me of Halo’s battle rifle, but because it’s just so simple Fallout Fallout 76’s design director is still defending its original absence of NPCs: ‘At the beginning, we wanted it all to be player-driven’ Third Person Shooter Marvel Rivals’ latest balance update continues to fan the flames of a broken meta: ‘Today’s patch notes have made me lose all hope’ FPS Overwatch players are being completely normal about Jetpack Cat and all her hideous combos: ‘I hate this cat with a passion’ FPS Highguard review FPS Overwatch creeps past Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty’s concurrent players on Steam, hitting its biggest peak in years Action Inside PC gaming’s wildly creative Tomb Raider mapping scene: ‘Being able to create my own adventures for other people to play is such an addicting concept’ RPG Diablo 4’s age of reworks might finally be over with its next expansion as it plans to deliver major features players have wanted for years PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Arc RaidersBest PC gearFalloutGame Quizzes Games FPS Overwatch When Overwatch said it was returning to the story, I did not expect its most genius decision: Reworking maps for the fun of it Features By Rory Norris published 16 February 2026 Fresh spins on old favourites. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Blizzard) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O’clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O’clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what’s on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Overwatch’s story is a bit all over the place; there’s no denying it. Nearly a decade on from the launch of the first game, we’re still more or less where we began—Winston’s recalling old agents—only, finally, there’s an actual villain: Vendetta’s Talon. Sure, we’ve had Talon, Null Sector and whatnot causing trouble in the lore before, but now it’s actually moving towards something. It’s all part of Overwatch’s new focus on narrative that will guide the years to come, beginning with Season 1: Conquest, kicking off the Reign of Talon arc.Of course, when this was all announced back at the Overwatch Spotlight, I expected this story to be told through more-themed events, comics, and shorts tied in with new hero and map releases to push the narrative forward. That’s all the case, but what I did not expect was for Team 4 to return to old maps and touch them up just for the sake of it.In Season 1, Watchpoint Gibraltar and Rialto have been updated based on the events in the story. Talon rules Rialto, so there are statues of Vendetta, banners, and cameras everywhere, but the biggest changes are to Gibraltar. After being attacked by Talon, the base is in ruins, opening up new sightlines and flanking routes. Deemzies from The Omnic Post has done a tour of the changes: Related articles Overwatch’s glow-up didn’t just happen overnight—its successes have been in the works for years now Overwatch 2 drops the 2 and goes back to being Overwatch as Blizzard launches its biggest update ever next week: ‘We want to gain players’ confidence, we want them to have trust in the game’ Overwatch’s biggest