Overwatch 2 Teases More Nerfs for Sombra Amid High Ban Rates

Overwatch 2 is eyeing another round of changes for Sombra, following her sky-high ban rates in Competitive Play. Despite previous reworks, the infamous hacker hero appears to be heading for further nerfs soon—likely in Season 17, launching June 24 🗓️.

📉 Sombra’s Ban Rate Triggers Action

With the introduction of Hero Bans in Season 16, players can now vote to block heroes they don’t want to face. The result? Sombra has emerged as the most banned hero, with an 85% ban rate on PC and an even steeper 93% on consoles 🚫.

In the latest Director’s Take blog, Associate Director Alec Dawson acknowledged that systems like Hero Bans and the upcoming Map Voting feature are helping the dev team understand which heroes need the most urgent adjustments. He noted:

“Sombra’s high ban rate sheds light on necessary changes we’ll be making in the future.”

⚙️ What’s Changing for Sombra?

Sombra has undergone several major reworks since Overwatch 2’s launch:

• A full overhaul in Season 7, introducing her Virus ability
• Changes to Stealth and Translocator
• Perk swaps in Season 16

Despite all this, she remains one of the most frequently adjusted heroes—second only to heavily reworked characters like Bastion. With her current performance viewed as problematic by the player base, more nerfs are on the horizon.

👀 Other Heroes May Be on the Chopping Block

While Sombra leads the pack, she’s not alone. Heroes like Zarya, Doomfist, and Symmetra also suffer from high ban rates across platforms. Given the live-service model’s focus on balance, these characters could be next in line for tweaks—just as newcomer Freja has been nerfed multiple times since her debut.

🗺️ What Else Is Coming in Season 17?

Dawson also teased content for the upcoming season:

• A new Flashpoint map, Aatlis, launching with Season 17
• Major Flashpoint reworks to Suravasa and New Junk City coming in the mid-season update, not at launch

With Season 17 just weeks away, expect teasers and update details to start dropping very soon 📢.