While Overwatch itself doesn't have in-game cut-scenes or a single-player story mode to speak of, Blizzard has worked to build the game's universe and lore through other means. There are plenty of Overwatch comic books and short stories that go a long way in providing deeper insight into the characters and expanding on their backstories, but perhaps the most effective way Blizzard has told the game's stories is through its animated shorts.
Blizzard has produced a number of Overwatch animated shorts in the years since the game was first revealed, all of which showcase specific heroes and provide players with more context for what's happening. A new short has been released since 2019, but the ones that Blizzard has released give fans of the hero-shooter plenty to chew on.
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Here is what happens in every Overwatch animated short released so far.
While not officially labeled as an "animated short," the first Overwatch animation was revealed at BlizzCon 2014. It establishes the general concept of the Overwatch universe, showing two kids in a museum talking fondly about the disbanded Overwatch hero group. Suddenly, the kids find themselves in the middle of a fight that sees Overwatch agents Winston and Tracer take on Talon operatives Reaper and Widowmaker.
Reaper and Widowmaker are apparently attacking the museum in an effort to get Doomfist's gauntlet. The kids manage to get their hands on the gauntlet and use it to give Winston and Tracer an assist in the battle. Eventually, Winston and Tracer are able to win the fight, successfully preventing Reaper and Widowmaker from making off with the gauntlet.
The first official Overwatch animated short dropped a couple of months before the game's launch in May 2016. Entitled "Recall," the short sets the stage for Overwatch's story, detailing the origin of Tank hero Winston as he initiates the Overwatch Recall.
The titular Overwatch was essentially a group of superheroes that fought on the side of humanity in an event known as the Omnic Crisis. A black ops arm of the Overwatch group that carried out assassinations and other secret operations, dubbed Blackwatch, was outed to the public. Due to its connection to Overwatch, the United Nations made the decision to effectively shut down both groups.
Winston, a gorilla who was raised on the Horizon Lunar Colony and given vast intellect and the ability to speak by the scientist who raised him, now lives alone at Watchpoint: Gibraltar. In the short, he is reminiscing about his childhood and his time with the Overwatch team. However, the base is suddenly attacked by Talon forces led by former Darkwatch member Reaper, as they try to steal data on the world's Overwatch agents.
Winston is able to fight them off, zapping Reaper and sending the Talon forces fleeing. Then using the AI Athena, he makes the decision to recall Overwatch, reuniting the group in the face of new threats.
In the Overwatch universe, there is a great deal of divide between humans and Omnics, worsened by the Omnic Crisis. However, some individuals have ben attempting to restore relations between humans and Omnics, with a key figure in that movement being the monk Tekhartha Mondatta. An influential spiritual and political leader, Mondatta became a target for the villainous Talon group, and so they sent their top assassin Widowmaker to kill him.
Widowmaker attempts to kill Mondatta while he is giving a speech in London at King's Row, but she is momentarily distracted by Tracer. Tracer and Widowmaker fight throughout King's Row, but Widowmaker is still ultimately able to kill Mondatta. She then defeats Tracer in a fight and successfully makes her escape.
Overwatch heroes Hanzo and Genji have a complicated relationship, to say the least. The Overwatch animated short "Dragons" puts the brothers' relationship on full display, explaining their backstory and giving fans an action-packed showdown between the two. In "Dragons," it's established that Hanzo visits Hanamura every year to pay respects to his dead brother, who he believes died by his hand. This year, though, Hanzo is attacked by a cybernetic ninja, who is then revealed to be none other than his dead brother Genji.
Released mere days before the official Overwatch launch, the "Hero" animated short serves as an introduction to Soldier: 76. This short reaffirms the ongoing conflict between humans and Omnics, as some street thugs try to talk a little girl into beating one with a baseball bat. The girl is saved by Soldier: 76, who has been operating as a vigilante ever since the Overwatch team was disbanded.
The Omnic crisis saw human soldiers and Overwatch members fight giant armies of robots, including Bastion units. A decade after being taken down on the battlefield, one Bastion wakes up in the woods, having been overgrown with moss. It befriends a bird and starts to discover the wonders of life. However, it struggles to keep control of itself, bouncing between its destructive programming and newfound friendliness. Ultimately, with the help its bird friend, Bastion is able to overcome its programming and is seemingly going to attempt to join modern society.
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Damage hero Sombra was the first post-launch character confirmed for Overwatch, and after months of teases, Blizzard finally gave her a proper reveal at BlizzCon 2016. The event included a Sombra animated short that served to establish the character's role in the Overwatch video game universe, as well as give players a flashy presentation of the abilities that she would bring to the table.
In the short, Sombra, Reaper, and Widowmaker, working for Talon, infiltrating Volskaya Industries to assassinate Katya Volskaya. The operation seems to be going well, but Katya is able to escape to her office. Sombra then pulls a double-cross on her teammates so she can blackmail Katya with images of her working with Omnics, hoping to call upon her later for a favor. Sombra then lies to Reaper and Widowmaker, telling them that Katya escaped.
Overwatch scientist Mei and her research team travel to Ecopoint: Antarctica and establish a base there. The team then goes into hibernation, but Mei is the only one that wakes up. And when she does wake up, she discovers that Overwatch has been disbanded, all of her friends died due to a malfunction with their hibernation chambers, and she is seemingly all alone in Antarctica. However, Mei receives Winston's Overwatch Recall, and then decides that she is going to fight to survive. Mei gathers her supplies and sets out to make her way back to civilization.
Tank hero Reinhardt is one of the oldest members of the Overwatch team, but at one point, his leader Balderich was actually going to be joining the team instead. Balderich ended up dying in battle before he could join Overwatch, and so he passed the honor on to a young Reinhardt. In present day, Reinhardt receives Winston's call to rejoin the Overwatch team, and he decides that he's going to do it, despite the objections by his protege and Support hero Brigitte.
Overwatch's D.Va, aka Hana Song, was once a famous professional esports player, but she's moved on from that career to work with MEKA, utilizing a mech suit to fight off incoming Omnic threats. In the Overwatch video game, D.Va is portrayed as generally fun-loving and upbeat, but it's clear from the "Shooting Star" animated short that she is mostly putting on a brave face for the public. In reality, D.Va seems to struggle with mental health issues like anxiety and PTSD stemming from her activities in the mech suit.
In "Shooting Star," D.Va nearly sacrifices herself to save her city from a violent Omnic, and while she survives, she does wind up with broken bones. The short also highlights D.Va's mechanic Dae-hyun, who provides support while she's out in the field.
The "Reunion" animated short for Overwatch accomplishes a lot, and is arguably one of the most important animated shorts that the team has released to date. While it mainly focuses on McCree and a train heist, it also introduces Ashe to the Overwatch roster. McCree finds himself at odds with Ashe and her Deadlock Gang, but he is ultimately able to defeat her in a fight. He then gets his hands on one of the crates that Ashe stole from the train, which houses Damage hero Echo, added to the game about a year and a half after this short was released.
McCree sends Echo to join the Overwatch team in his stead, saying that they "want" him but "need" her.
Years after fans saw Winston initiate the Overwatch Recall, they finally got to see the team reunited in the "Zero Hour" cinematic at BlizzCon 2019. Winston, Tracer, and Mei are seemingly on their own against an army of Omnics, but they are slowly rejoined by some of the former allies, including Genji, Mercy, Reinhardt, Brigitte, and Echo. The team is able to work together to save lives and win the battle, declaring the official return of Overwatch.
Overwatch is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.