Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season patch notes: Junkrat's loot hunt, Better Together challenges, major map updates, and more

The Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season patch notes have gone live for all regions on July 22/23, 2025. The latest mid-season update has introduced significant map changes in the game, starting with alterations to core maps for Flashpoint, such as Suravasa and New Junk City, among others. Furthermore, the developers have also included details about new LTMs and challenges that will surface soon in the game.

In this article, we will explore all the major additions made with the Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season patch notes. Read below to know more.

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All changes and additions made with Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season patch notes

Junkrat's Loot Hunt

From August 1 to August 3, Junkrat is back with another blast of chaos, and it’ll be raining loot again...and also probably shrapnel. Junkrat’s Loot Hunt is bringing daily match challenges that will unlock 3 Loot Boxes per day and up to 9 Loot Boxes total. Play 2, 5, and 10 matches each day to hit your milestones and stack the rewards. Progress resets daily at 11 AM PT, so you’ve got a fresh chance to go boom every morning

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Better Together Challenges

Overwatch is always better with backup! From July 29 to August 25, you’ll get rewarded for rolling with your crew. Complete 2, 4, and 6 games with a group to unlock up to three Loot Boxes, with each milestone paying out once. Simply completing the games is all it takes, but wins and Stadium matches count double, so bring your A-game. Buddy up and battle it out again to finish the season strong, whether that's rallying old friends or queuing with new ones. Have some fun, it's Better Together!

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General Updates

New Tag Improvements

We've made several enhancements to the "New" tag for newly acquired cosmetic items and brought back the "Mark All as Seen" button in the Hero Gallery. Because this is implemented, all previously owned items will appear as "New”, but you can dismiss them by clicking the "Mark All as Seen" button.

Drives

Competitive Drives return from August 21 to 26 with a new challenge curve and the Season 17 Signature. Rack up wins, checkpoint your progress, and master your climb. Squad wins earn a bonus Drive Score, and if you completed the last Drive, you’ll see a shiny Prestige upgrade waiting at the top. Before the first checkpoint, you won't lose any Drive Score for losses, and the amount you lose now scales up to last season's rate as you climb the Checkpoints, making it easier than ever to claim these awesome rewards. Drive progress can now be earned in both Competitive Play and Stadium Ranked modes.

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Read more: All hero buffs and nerfs in Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season update

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Core Map Updates

Developer Comments: Flashpoint has always sparked a range of passionate opinions, and with the new map Aatlis, we felt that we applied a lot of learnings from Suravasa and New Junk City—so it’s only fitting that we go back and update those maps as well. These changes focus on three areas: Readability, Stronger Themes, and Flow. Navigating and understanding where you are (and where you need to go) should now be easier. Entrances to Points have been highlighted more clearly, and the layouts and cover surrounding many entrances have been reworked. Building heights have also been reduced to help keep the focus on points of interest and spawn rooms. Understanding these maps is crucial, and having a clear visual distinction between areas is key. Many themes have been improved to ensure each area feels stronger, more distinct, and easier to recognize in the heat of battle. Objective Points are now less contained. The chokes are, as the team puts it, “less choky.” Various pieces of cover, new flank routes, and updated connecting paths have been added to give players more options—and a better shot at pushing onto and capturing points successfully.

Suravasa

Market

• Market Boxes have been added to the walls surrounding the point for easier upward access.
• Signage and surrounding prop cleanup have been made to help highlight the entrance to the Market.

Temple and Ruins

• The entrance to the areas surrounding these points has been rotated 45 degrees and scaled up to feel more open and intuitive to players on approach.
• The pavilion in the transition near the starting spawn has been replaced with an open wall and recessed garden area, giving players a cleaner line of sight and making it easier to orient.
• There's a new back path connecting Temple and Ruins for more strategic rotations. The long staircase into Ruins now opens to a balcony that overlooks the point.
• Water has been added to the Ruins to visually reinforce the point’s theme. There is also a new back path behind the points to connect Temple and Ruins for more strategic rotations.
• The Market and Garden areas will have cover adjustments, and one of the less-used side paths is getting removed entirely to simplify the layout.

Starting Spawn

• The enclosed structure near the starting spawns on the Temple and Ruins side has been replaced with an open wall and recessed garden area, giving players a cleaner line of sight and making it easier to orient.

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Check out: Stadium hero buffs and nerfs with Overwatch 2 mid-season update (July 22, 2025): D.Va buff, Kiriko changes, and more

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New Junk City

To varying degrees, there have been reworks to every point in New Junk City.

Arena

• The Hammer Mill entrance has been scaled up, the column inside slimmed down, and the side door is bigger. A new hallway will link both lower sides with a grating that lets you see—but not shoot—onto the point, offering an easy connection to navigate the space without making players feel exposed.

Bomb Flats

• The 2 main side chokes have been widened, slightly moved to the side, and the overhang removed. Cover placement and theme around the point have been reworked.
• New bomb props and visual elements will make the area feel stronger thematically, while pathing and sightlines are being refined for better fights and easier comebacks for the attacking team.
• The street at the main entrance has been simplified, and the lowered path has been removed.

Junkyard

• New crane props and thematic changes have also been added to the front entrance to further sell the setting and support player orientation.
• The large trash piles in the choke are scaled down. Ramps have been added along with other small layout changes to the center route for easier rotations around all entrances.

Refinery

• The main entrance doors have been scaled up for cleaner sightlines and smoother movement.
• The props and their positions outside of the main entrance have been changed to strengthen the theme and flow around the exterior.
• On the point, the small cylinder props now have an extended cover along the sides.

Forward Spawn

• Runbacks are slightly reduced with new upper paths and overhangs. It’s a small timing change that adds up over the course of a match.

Exterior Street

• Similar to Suravasa, there have also been readability adjustments around the entire map to improve the general navigation for players.
• Various building heights have been reduced and simplified to help frame the points of interest around the map.
• Various cover objects have been removed or their placement adjusted. Navigating the map should be much easier for players.

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That's everything you need to know about the Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season update patch notes. For more related news and guides, stay tuned to Sportskeeda's esports section.

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Edited by Jay Sarma