Overwatch Season 5 will make Sombra a support hero and retire Roadhog’s one-shot combo
Blizzard also introduced Doctrine, a vampire-themed support hero with a sceptre, buffing drones, and mechanized bats.
Overwatch Season 5 will bring some of the game’s biggest hero changes yet, moving Sombra into the Support role and retiring Roadhog’s signature one-shot capability. Blizzard revealed the plans during BlizzCon 2026, with Season 5 scheduled to begin on October 6.
Doctrine is the more immediate reveal and will become Overwatch’s 55th hero. Game director Aaron Keller introduced the new Support hero through an animated trailer that places him alongside Doomfist and his allies. Blizzard’s official announcement describes an aggressive playstyle built around manipulating allies and enemies. Doctrine can heal and deal damage with a sceptre, rush across the map while shrouded in darkness, and deploy bat drones that provide combat stims and buff teammates. His kit also features a cyborg arm and mechanized bats, because apparently regular support abilities were not enough.
Doctrine’s main mechanic is called Infuse. Charging his abilities gives them stronger effects for a limited time, adding another timing decision to each fight. His perks can push that system in different directions, including one that trades some maximum health for additional healing and another that helps him gain Infuse charges faster by dealing damage. Doctrine will initially remain locked from Ranked play while Blizzard watches how his unusual Support tools perform in competitive queues.
BlizzCon attendees can try Doctrine on the show floor, while players at home can access his in-game Hero Trial from September 12 through September 14. Doctrine will join the full roster when Season 5 goes live on October 6.
Roadhog and Sombra are getting major role changes
Roadhog’s rework is aimed at reducing the frustration around his burst damage, with Blizzard confirming that his one-shot capability will be removed. Blizzard also said the new version of Roadhog will contribute more to his team instead of relying on the same damage routine. The rest of his changes remain undisclosed.
Sombra’s changes go even further. The hacker will leave the damage role and become a Support hero when Season 5 begins. Blizzard has not shown her new abilities yet, so the exact way she will heal, assist, or disrupt fights remains under wraps.
Doctrine’s trial gives players an early look at Season 5, but Roadhog and Sombra will require more patience while Blizzard shares their new kits.
Grímsvötn will expand the Watchpoint lineup
Season 5 will add Grímsvötn, an Escort map set in an Icelandic prison. It will be the second Watchpoint map and will connect directly to Doctrine’s story, since the prison held him before his breakout in the season cinematic. Doomfist will also receive a new design tied to his changing place in the story.
Blizzard is adding a Mythic Ticket as another season reward. Every player can earn one by playing a match before Season 5 ends, then exchange it for one Mythic skin from a selection that reaches back to the Thor-themed Reinhardt skin released about a year earlier.
The next Overwatch Spotlight is scheduled for February 2027. A previous Spotlight revealed and released five heroes together, although Blizzard has not announced what the upcoming event will contain.
Which Season 5 addition interests you most, Doctrine’s Infuse system, Sombra’s move to Support, or Roadhog’s team-focused rework? Share your thoughts, then follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Overwatch
Developed by Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch is a free-to-play first-person hero shooter developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Players choose from a large roster of role-based heroes and compete in 5v5 team matches across various objective-based game modes, with both casual and ranked competitive play. Originally released as Overwatch 2 in 2023 as a successor to the 2016 original, the game was rebranded to simply Overwatch in 2026 with a renewed focus on seasonal narrative content and expanded hero rosters.
- Genre Shooter
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Perspective First person, Third person
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release August 10, 2023
- Publisher Blizzard Entertainment
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Age Rating
