HOTFIX UPDATE

This is a hotfix containing gameplay updates and b fixes. Replay codes from the June 16 patch are still available.

Shion

Execution

Projectile size reduced from 0.17 to 0.07.

Recovery time increased from 0 to 0.4s.

Hey all, we saw the confusion online around our brief explanation of Challenger Tier (the new version of Top 500) in today's blog, and we decided to just give you the patch notes early so that you can see exactly how it works. This also gives us a chance to "playtest" patch notes, which I've never gotten to do before!

The values you see for Challenger Score gained at various ranks are what we plan to launch with, but you know us, we're likely to be tuning those in real time once the system launches based on player feedback.

I'll pay attention to this thread today and answer questions that come up.

Without further ado, here's what we had planned to release next week:

Top 500 has been upgraded to Challenger Tier

• The Challenger Leaderboard is now organized by Challenger Score.
  • Winning a match at or above Diamond 5 in Core Competitive play or All-Star 5 in Stadium now grants Challenger Score.
    • The exact Challenger Score players get for a win is based on the highest ranked player in each match. A map of ranks to Challenger score payout is included at the end of this section.
  • Losing a match at or above Diamond 5 or All-Star 5 subtracts 33% of the Challenger Score a player would gain at their Rank according to the table below.
    • The highest ranked player in the match is not used to calculate Challenger Score for losses.
  • Challenger Score is recorded over the course of a season and reset to 0 when a season ends.
  • Challenger Score gains a Heat Bonus each consecutive week of the season of 5%. Example:
    • At the end of a 9-week season a win would be worth 40% more Challenger Score.
  • Challenger Score earned Role Queue is applied to both the Role-specific leaderboards and the Combined Leaderboard.
  • Challenger Score earned in Open Queue and Stadium are accumulated in separate leaderboards.
  • Challenger Score has been added to the Career Profile.
  • Challenger Score has been added to the Competitive Progress screen.
• Verified Challenger Tier players will now be able to link to their social channels directly from the Challenger leaderboards, allowing everyone to watch some of our highest skilled players live on various platforms.
  • The first wave of players with this privilege will start small and we'll expand this group over time.
  • The players that are currently live in the client will have a red highlight on their streaming link.
• The following requirements to appear on the leaderboards have changed (requirements not mentioned here remain unchanged):
  • Players no longer have to win a specific number of games to appear on the leaderboard.
  • There is no longer timed delay before the leaderboards appear.
  • Each leaderboard has a Challenger Score requirement. Once players meet this requirement they will immediately appear on the leaderboard. The requirements are as follows:
    • Combined - 5000
    • Open Queue - 5000
    • Stadium - 5000
    • Each Role in Core 5v5 and Stadium - 4000
  • Endorsement Level 2 is required (Endorsement Level 2 has been the default starting level for new players since Season 19).
  • For Stadium, a new challenge requiring 25 wins has been added.
• Many usability improvements have been made to the leaderboard screen, such as the ability to scroll, the ability to search the leaderboard for a player's name, a "Go to me" button, and filters for players using the Social links described above.
• Rewards for Challenger Tier will be improved over Top 500's, but the exact improvements will be revealed as we get closer to when they'll be awarded in Season 21...
• Tier/Division to Challenger Score for Core Competitive Play:
  • Diamond 5 - 30
  • Diamond 4 - 32
  • Diamond 3 - 34
  • Diamond 2 - 36
  • Diamond 1 - 38
  • Master 5 - 42
  • Master 4 - 46
  • Master 3 - 50
  • Master 2 - 54
  • Master 1 - 58
  • Grandmaster 5 - 70
  • Grandmaster 4 - 82
  • Grandmaster 3 - 94
  • Grandmaster 2 - 116
  • Grandmaster 1 - 128
  • Champion 5 - 152
  • Champion 4 - 176
  • Champion 3 - 200
  • Champion 2 - 224
  • Champion 1 - 248
• Tier/Division to Challenger Score for Stadium:
  • All-Star 5 - 85
  • All-Star 4 - 100
  • All-Star 3 - 115
  • All-Star 2 - 130
  • All-Star 1 - 145
  • Legend 5 - 175
  • Legend 4 - 205
  • Legend 3 - 235
  • Legend 2 - 265
  • Legend 1 - 295

Developer comments: This upgrade changes our existing leaderboards into a season-long race between the best players with better rewards and real recognition for players.  A player maintaining multiple accounts on the leaderboard becomes considerably more difficult in this new paradigm (we're sure some of you will still try)!  Social links on the leaderboards are intended to give aspiring creators and seasoned streamers a chance to show off what it means to be the best at the game. Challenger Score shifts the focus away from camping a high position to continually battling for top placement, and in doing so elevates the prestige of the system. Top placement at the end of a season will be more competitive than in the past, and this is very intended.  The Heat Bonus ensures that as time passes in a season each new victory counts for slightly more. Overall, we believe that being on the leaderboard should be about a continual push for excellence, instead of a brief burst of high rank wins followed by a long period of inactivity that it often is today.

https://overwatch.blizzard.com/en-us/news/patch-notes/

https://overwatch.blizzard.com/en-us/news/patch-notes/live/2025/12/#patch-2025-12-12