When does Overwatch 2 season 6 start? Start date and time

The season promises to bring more content than any other so far this year.

Illari charging a solar-powered ability in Overwatch 2
Screengrab via Dot Esports

Overwatch 2 season six is about more than just a new season of the same content with a new hero thrown into the mix. Season six represents the official start of Blizzard Entertainment’s PvE content efforts with “Overwatch 2: Invasion.”

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While season five of Overwatch 2 hasn’t provided all that much in the way of new, original content, Blizzard has promised a lot for the upcoming season including PvE Story Missions, a new permanent game mode called Flashpoint, Hero Mastery, and of course, a new support hero.

Following the season five mid-cycle patch on July 11, season six is fast approaching. And unlike the previous season, Blizzard has a slightly different approach to the timing of its newest content.

When does Overwatch 2 season six begin?

Screenshot by Dot Esports

Overwatch 2 season six will begin on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 2pm CT. Players who try to connect as soon as the update goes live may enter a queue or encounter server issues, so try to be patient.

Related: Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 roadmap for 2023: Season 5, new heroes, limited-time events, and more

The day of the week is a changeup for Blizzard, which typically launches its new seasonal content on the second Tuesday of a given month. There doesn’t seem to be an expressed reason for the switch up, but Blizzard has made it clear in an official post that the Overwatch 2: Invasion starts at that time.

The trailer for the new season revealed the new support hero Illari, plus several events coming in the season, including Overwatch 2: Anniversary at the end of September, and the Underworld co-op event, available on day one.

Along with Story Missions, the new season will include a new permanent game mod, Flashpoint, as well as a new support hero that Blizzard has already heavily teased. Given how redundant much of Overwatch’s content has been thus far in 2023, I’m excited about the new potential of something fresh.

I don’t expect everything in season six to be impressive, but if any of the new content is able to freshen things up, it will be better than the somewhat stale version of the game we’ve been playing for the past few months.

Author
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Max Miceli
Senior Staff Writer. Max graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a journalism and political science degree in 2015. He previously worked for The Esports Observer covering the streaming industry before joining Dot where he now helps with Overwatch 2 coverage.
Author
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Scott Duwe
Senior Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of all things Marvel, Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to corgis Yogi and Mickey, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.