Overwatch 2’s GOATS meta is back

One of Overwatch’s most dominant metas of all time is returning, as GOATS arrives in OW2 in Season 15—to the excitement and dismay of long-time fans.

GOATS will be available as a limited-time Overwatch Classic mode during a midseason update running from March 25th to April 27th, 2025.

GOATS is a team comp comprising three tanks and three supports and was widely popular in the earlier years of competitive Overwatch. It was so powerful that it prompted developers, Blizzard Entertainment, to enforce a role queue in casual, ranked, and Overwatch esports.

However, the Overwatch Classic limited-time mode will return the 6v6 format, and feature a limited roster of GOATS most impactful characters such as Zarya and Lucio. It will also bring new additions for a ‘modern twist,’ adding Moira, Brigitte, Ashe, and Wrecking Ball.

A recent blog post by Blizzard said: “Brigitte is the backbone of GOATS, providing armor, stuns, and frontline sustain, she does it all. Zarya’s barriers can fuel insane Grav combos and D.Va’s Defense Matrix makes clutch ultimate shutdowns a reality. And Lucio’s Speed Boost is key for game-changing engages, to rush in, reposition and outmanoeuvre the enemy.”

In-game challenges will also be available throughout the Overwatch 2 GOATS event, rewarding exclusive rewards upon completion.

In the Overwatch Showcase, Kenny Hudson, Senior Game Producer for Overwatch 2, said: “GOATS meta is a head-to-head battle testing which team can be the most thoughtful and strategic in setting up the best combination of plays, the best use of dual heals, and, of course, dual ults.”

However, the mode has seen mixed responses online. Some are excited to experience arguably one of the infamous eras of Overwatch’s history, while others dread to relive the sustain-heavy nightmare.

Brandon ‘Seagull‘ Larned gave a hilarious reaction to the announcement of GOATS return. When developers referred to GOATS as a ‘glorious time to play’ during the Overwatch Showcase, he responded with a resounding: “No, it was not, actually!”

He continued: “How it actually worked was that the first team to swap just auto-won until the other team swapped.”

The GOATS meta became popular around late 2018 and dominated the Overwatch competitive scene throughout much of 2019. For a while, Overwatch League teams could only play GOATS if they wanted to win—some teams tried to counter with tank killers like Reaper but this didn’t often work and only helped to solidify the prominence of GOATS. This was not only becoming monotonous for pros, but tiring for fans. Viewers were watching the same team comps over and over again and never seeing new strategies.

This could possibly be one of the reasons that Overwatch 2 esports started to decline.

GOATS excelled in prolonged team fights due to its heavy focus on sustain and healing. The tanks (Reinhardt, Zarya, and D.VA) could soak up damage while the supports (Lucio, Zenyatta, and later Brigitte) kept them alive, making them nigh unstoppable.

With recent entries, such as Kiriko and Mauga, dominating the scene, it’s easy to imagine how powerful GOATS would be with Overwatch 2’s current roster. Alongside the introduction of perks, it’s fair to understand why so many esports professionals have opted to keep the past buried.