Overwatch 2 Season 18 Brings Persona 5 Collab Featuring Joker

Sagar Mankar
Aug 23
2 min read

Overwatch 2 Season 18 trailer (via YouTube)

Blizzard Entertainment has officially revealed that a Persona-themed crossover is coming to Overwatch 2, with Joker from Persona 5 set to make his debut in Season 18.

The announcement was teased in the season’s launch trailer, which ended with a striking silhouette against a red star-patterned background. The figure eventually revealed Joker’s iconic white mask and red gloves, leaving little doubt about the collaboration.

Blizzard has a history of bringing high-profile crossovers into Overwatch 2. Past partnerships have included One-Punch Man, My Hero Academia, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and even K-pop stars like LE SSERAFIM.

The new collaboration aligns with the upcoming Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) Stage 4 in September. According to reports, Blizzard is clearly looking to build momentum not just among its existing player base but also in regions like Japan, where Persona 5 maintains massive popularity. Considering the title’s global reputation, this crossover could very well boost both esports viewership and in-game engagement.

Season 18 Launch and Features

Overwatch 2 Season 18 — launching August 26, 2025 — is one of the game’s biggest seasonal shake‑ups yet, blending a new hero, major competitive changes, and high‑profile crossovers.

New Support Hero — Wuyang

healer from Wuxing University’s Water College
- Primary fire: Controllable water orb that can be launched or guided mid-air
- Restorative Stream: Places healing rings around allies
- Rushing Torrent: Movement speed boost and bonus jump height
- Guardian Wave: Healing boost for allies and knockback for enemies
- Ultimate (Tidal Blast): Water shield that protects and heals, then detonates

Competitive & Progression Overhaul

Hero Skill Rating (HSR): Individual competitive rankings for each hero - play a hero for 3+ minutes across 5 matches to get hero-specific SR (0–5000).
Hero Progression 2.0: Upgraded hero progression system with new rewards, hero-specific cosmetics, legendary loot boxes, and evolving portrait frames at levels 20, 40, and 60.
Matchmaking refresh: Tighter skill matching, reduced one‑sided games
Penalty upgrades: Harsher consequences for leaving matches early

Stadium Mode Evolution

New Stadium Quick Play mode — a faster-paced format with shorter match times, an updated item economy, backfill support, and full cross-play.
New Payload Race variant — both teams push parallel payloads to the finish
Draft Mode for counter‑picking before matches
Three new maps: Powder Keg Mine, Thames District, Oasis Gardens
Expanded item pool with reworks to shake up stale metas
New Heroes: Winston, Brigitte, and Pharah join Stadium, with Tracer coming mid-season

Hero Balance Changes

D.Va: Faster Defense Matrix cooldown, better burst‑damage blocking
Sojourn: Slight Railgun damage nerf
Moira: Higher healing output
Reinhardt: Lower barrier health for more strategic shield use

Events & Crossovers

Summer Games 2025: Sept 2–15 — Lúcioball (now in third‑person), Winston Volleyball, new summer skins
Persona 5 collaboration: Joker‑themed cosmetics teased; more Phantom Thieves skins expected later in the season
Cowboy Bebop crossover returning mid‑season

Quality‑of‑Life & Platform Updates

Mouse & keyboard support for all current consoles, with separate matchmaking pools
Map rotation refresh and clearer scoreboard UI
Numerous bug fixes for stability

Watch developers' commentary on the new season below: