You can shape odd barriers as Domina, fire projectiles tied to Cassidy’s greeting, and stack three hats on Mizuki in the 2026 April Fools’ update for Overwatch. This year’s event, titled “Underwatch,” shifts the usual rules and adds playful twists across the roster.
Each April, the game introduces a limited-time mode with joke adjustments, altered abilities, and lighthearted changes that break from standard balance. Underwatch continues that tradition by turning familiar heroes into exaggerated versions of themselves for a short run in the Arcade.
Overwatch Underwatch Patch Breakdown
Underwatch changes core hero behaviors across all roles. Tanks gain extreme survivability or disruptive tools, DPS heroes receive chaotic utility shifts, and several mechanics ignore normal balance rules.
Underwatch Tank Updates
| Hero | Ability | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| D.Va | Micro Missiles | You fire two oversized, slow-moving rockets with larger blast radius. |
| Domina | Barrier Array | You cycle through preset barrier layouts at random. Barrier panels gain 50% more health and cooldown drops to 7 seconds. |
| Doomfist | Passive Interaction | You see active Talon members through walls and both deal and take 50% more damage against them. |
| Rocket Punch | You hold the charge indefinitely and lose the movement penalty at full charge. | |
| Hazard | Jagged Wall | You replace the projectile with a 5-second self-buff that sharply boosts attack speed, reload speed, movement, cooldown recovery, and jump speed. Cooldown reduces to 8 seconds. |
| Junker Queen | Scattergun | You shoot seven knives instead of pellets. |
| Jagged Blade | You throw a shotgun. It fires when it impales a target and again toward your crosshair on recall. | |
| Mauga | Overrun | You can maintain Overrun without a fixed duration. Staying in it too long ignites you and spreads fire to enemies on impact. |
| Cardiac Overdrive | You launch explosive lava projectiles that immediately ignite targets. | |
| Mei | Role Shift | You move fully into the tank role, lose the specialist passive, gain 200 shields, and increase in size by 25%. Ice Wall also grows by 25%. |
| Orisa | Energy Javelin | You propel yourself forward instead of throwing the javelin normally. |
| Terra Surge | You rise into the air with free movement while charging, then slam down. Overhealth is removed and maximum damage caps at 400. | |
| Ramattra | Base Stats | You gain 500 health and 500 armor and apply permanent anti-heal to enemies. |
| Ravenous Vortex | You heal for 250% of damage dealt and ignore anti-heal. | |
| Annihilation | You heal for 100% of damage dealt, ignore anti-heal, and apply anti-heal to enemies. | |
| Reinhardt | Charge | You pin multiple enemies, adjust speed with movement input, and extend duration to 10 seconds. |
| Roadhog | Chain Hook | You remove the pull effect. Instead, you apply slow, hack, anti-heal, burn, and reveal for 3 seconds. Cooldown drops to 4.5 seconds. |
| Sigma | Accretion | You fire a shotgun-style rock spread and gain two charges. |
| Winston | — | You cannot select Winston. |
| Wrecking Ball | Roll | You grow significantly, gain unstoppable status and 30% damage reduction, but move slower. |
| Grappling Claw | You launch forward when the claw retracts. | |
| Zarya | Secondary Fire | You shoot explosive bubble projectiles. |
Underwatch Damage Role Changes
| Hero | Ability | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Anran | Fan the Flames | While airborne, your secondary fire pushes you backward in the direction you aim. |
| Vermillion Revival | You move briefly after death before the revival effect triggers. | |
| Ashe | Dynamite | Shooting Dynamite midair creates another Dynamite that launches upward from the blast. |
| Bastion | Configuration: Assault | You emit powerful wind gusts that knock back enemies at short range and move faster in this form. |
| Cassidy | Greeting Interaction | Using “Hello” fires a piercing round that causes bleeding. |
| Echo | Tri-Shot | Each consecutive shot increases projectile count and alters the firing pattern. |
| Flight | Cancelling Flight propels you in your current movement direction. |
Underwatch Support Role Adjustments
Underwatch primarily targets tanks and DPS heroes with the most dramatic changes.
You should expect limited or situational support modifications during this event mode, with the focus centered on amplified frontline pressure and chaotic damage interactions rather than traditional healing balance.
Overwatch April Fools 2026 Patch Details
You can jump into the Underwatch event from April 1 through April 13, with a limited-time Arcade mode built around chaotic rule changes and visual gags. Every hero now sports oversized googly eyes, setting the tone for a deliberately unserious update.
Several heroes receive temporary kit adjustments:
- Mei shifts into the Tank role.
- Sojourn can knock enemies down while sliding.
- Cassidy fires shots from his finger while using a greeting animation.
- Domina’s shield appears riddled with visible openings.
Cosmetic changes extend beyond faces. Mizuki wears hats topped with wobbling eyes, and Emre’s chest emblem features a single oversized eye. These changes remain active only during the event window.
