Arcade is a game mode in Overwatch that can be accessed by the Play menu. It was added on 15 November, 2016 in place of the Brawl option.
It first launched with 5 game modes: 1v1 Mystery Duel, 3v3 Elimination, 6v6 Mystery Heroes, 6v6 No Limit, 6v6 All Brawls! The Arcade was also updated to include the Game Browser, where players can create and join custom games with tailor-made rules. However, the Game Browser has since left the Arcade, and is currently a separate entity from it.
In addition to those modes, seasonal events' brawls and game modes will replace some Arcade mode in the time of an event.
Modes[]
Primary modes[]
Only 5 gamemodes are active at any given time. Arcade gamemodes rotate weekly, with the exception of the gamemode in the top-right slot marked with "Changes daily", which consistently changes every day at 00:00 UTC, as well as the gamemode in the bottom-right, which rarely changes.
| Mode | Description | First used |
|---|---|---|
| 3v3 Elimination | Teams of three fight to the death | November 15, 2016 |
| 1v1 Mystery Duel | An equal duel where both players are given the same hero | November 15, 2016 |
| Mystery Heroes | Heroes are randomly assigned upon spawning | November 15, 2016 |
| All Brawls! * | Each match has a different, unique ruleset | November 15, 2016 |
| No Limits | Hero stacking is allowed | November 15, 2016 |
| Capture the Flag | Capture the enemy's flag and return it to your base | February 28, 2017 |
| 3v3 Lockout Elimination | Same as 3v3 Elimination, but heroes are locked upon winning a round with them | May 23, 2017 |
| 1v1 Limited Duel | Same as 1v1 Mystery Duel, but both teams are given a selection of 3 heroes | May 23, 2017 |
| Total Mayhem | Doubled health, quartered ability cooldowns | May 23, 2017 |
| 6v6 Lockout Elimination | Same as 3v3 Lockout Elimination, but with teams of 6 | June 12, 2017 |
| Low Gravity | Gravity is very weak | June 20, 2017 |
| Deathmatch | An 8 player free-for-all, first to 20 eliminations wins | August 29, 2017 |
| Team Deathmatch | A 4v4 continuous battle, first team to 30 eliminations wins | August 29, 2017 |
* = No longer in rotation
Special modes[]
On some special occasions, a gamemode will be added for a limited time.
| Mode | Date | Rule | Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome to Oasis | January 4-11, 2017 |
|
Introduction of Oasis |
| Horizon | June 20-27, 2017 |
|
Introduction of Horizon Lunar Colony |
| Doomfist Elimination | July 27-August 8, 2017 |
|
Introduction of Doomfist |
| Château Deathmatch | August 29-September 5, 2017 |
|
Introduction of Deathmatch and Château Guillard |
| 6v6 CTF: Ayutthaya Only | February 8-March 6, 2018 |
|
Introduction of Ayutthaya and new Capture the Flag rework |
Seasonal Brawls[]
Every seasonal event except for Anniversary has a unique mode only available during the event.
| Brawls | Event |
|---|---|
| Lúcioball | Summer Games |
| Junkenstein's Revenge | Halloween Terror |
| Mei's Snowball Offensive | Winter Wonderland |
| Capture the Rooster | Year of the Rooster |
| Uprising |
Archives |
Seasonal modes[]
| Mode | Rule | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Mystery |
|
Winter Wonderland |
Rewards[]
Players can earn up to three Loot Boxes by winning any Arcade game modes. These boxes are rewarded after the 3rd, 6th, and 9th win. The count is reset at 00:00 UTC every Tuesday.
Furthermore, whenever a new Arcade game mode is added in to the Arcade, including Seasonal Events, players can also receive a Lootbox upon winning that game mode for the first time.
Trivia[]
- If the player hovers over the Arcade mode option, a piece of music that resembles the one used in the arcade for Hanamura will jingle.
- Coincidentally, a remix of Heroes of the Storm's theme can be heard.
Patch changes[]
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