The first-ever Overwatch seasonal event was the Summer Games, which has traditionally added new game modes and summer-themed skins to the popular hero-shooter. Overwatch fans can expect the Summer Games event to return every year around this time and 2021 is no exception to the rule. Blizzard has officially revealed its plans for the Overwatch Summer Games 2021 event, confirming its start and end dates, new skins, and more.
The Overwatch Summer Games 2021 start date is Tuesday, July 20, and it will run until August 10. The event will include new skins for a variety of characters, with Blizzard confirming a Mermaid skin for Damage hero Symmetra, a skin for Ashe that turns her signature rifle into a water gun, and a skin for Mei that makes her look like a 50s-era waitress. These three skins may be the main ones for this iteration of Summer Games, but there will likely be other new skins for Overwatch fans to unlock as well.
RELATED: Overwatch Fan Shows Off Custom Van Helsing McCree Statue
While most fans may be looking forward to unlocking the new Overwatch Summer Games skins for 2021, it's worth pointing out that all the skins from previous seasons will be available during the event's duration as well. Overwatch seasonal skins become cheaper every year they're available, so the Summer Games 2021 event is the perfect opportunity for fans to pick up any skins that they've missed out on.
The headlining feature of the Overwatch Summer Games event has been the Lucioball game mode. Perhaps best described as the Overwatch version of Rocket League, Lucioball sees players all take on the role of Lucio as they try to work together to score goals on the opposing team. Lucioball has undergone many changes over the years, and so it will be interesting to see if the 2021 version of Lucioball is any different from how the mode functioned in 2020.
The Overwatch Summer Games is the start of another set of seasonal events for the game, and if previous years are any indication, there will be a few more for fans to look forward to before 2021 comes to a close. In a few months, the Overwatch Halloween Terror will return with its wave-based PvE mode Junkenstein's Revenge, and then the last Overwatch seasonal event for 2021 will most likely be the return of Winter Wonderland.
Seasonal events have been a big way Blizzard has kept Overwatch fans engaged with the game for the long-term, but it seems many are growing impatient for Overwatch 2. Whether or not seasonal events and new Overwatch features like crossplay are enough to keep busy busy remains to be seen, but those who are still playing the hero-shooter can look forward to the usual seasonal events throughout 2021.
Overwatch is out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.