Blizzard’s classic shooter Overwatch has pulled millions of fans together to work as a team. The game has become so popular that numerous spinoffs of the game have found their way into the light. From comics to a new game, Overwatch has been one of the most compelling team-building games to date. And with over 32 characters to choose from, it’s no wonder everyone is giving it a shot.

If you’re new to the game or want to explore more characters, it can be a little uncomfortable to try it out. The players mean business, and any shortcoming is looked at by the team extremely carefully. From Meis who block off players in dangerous situations to Moiras who don’t heal, it’s important to understand each character’s ability to ensure victory.

Luckily, we have a rundown of every playable character in Overwatch, so you can safely peruse or select your next main without having to fight on a team to figure it out. We also have explanations for the various characters and tips for improving your game on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, or Nintendo Switch.

Further reading

Damage characters are essential and extremely fun to play. Unfortunately, they’re also the most popular, so you’ll often find yourself on a team with few to no tanks or support players. The Damage Per Second (DPS) class has the most characters and seems to be the most desirable. Who wouldn’t want to be DPS? You run into the fray, do as much damage as possible, and just generally wreak havoc on enemy teams. It’s a fun class to play, and each character brings something different to the table to help round out your team.

Ashe is a sharp shooter whose skill can only be compared to that of Widowmaker. She’s proficient with bolt-action rifles and dynamite, making her a strong DPS to select. However, she’s not the easiest character to master. She has limited mobility and complex mechanics, which makes her a tricky character to play. However, mastering her skills can help you really lay on the damage to oncoming enemy teams. Her ultimate sends B.O.B. running in the direction of your choice until he hits either an enemy, built object, part of an environment, or travels 70 meters — then, he lays into any nearby enemies with a machine gun. Hitting enemies with B.O.B. will send them flying and deal a whopping 120 damage.

The robot Bastion can switch between a mobile soldier form and a devastating turret form, allowing him to hold choke points against entire teams. In turret form, Bastion can fire a constant stream of bullets that will shred anyone in sight. However, he is also immobile in this form, meaning snipers and characters that can get behind him are effective counters. Bastion’s ultimate changes Bastion into tank form and he fires explosives that can quickly tear teams apart. While using his ultimate, Bastion can actually move around in his tank form but each shot has increased damage.

Quick to move and quick to kill, Genji is a nimble character suited for flanking and quickly taking out high-priority targets. Genji can double-jump, as well as run up walls, allowing you to navigate levels with ease. Genji’s ultimate ability, Dragonblade, replaces his shurikens with a sword that deals massive damage at close range. Although he has low health, Genji’s speed and ability to deflect incoming projectiles means skilled players can dance through enemy teams without fear of dying. If you choose Genji ought to focus on tearing up the enemy supports, or else creating a distraction so their team can advance.

The front line of any team, a tank’s job is twofold: Soak up damage for your softer teammates, and charge into the enemy, breaking their ranks. Tanks may not get as many kills as their teammates, but by shattering enemy defenses, they can decide the course of a battle.

With her twin cannons that deal greater damage as she gets closer to her opponent, D.Va is an aggressive tank, one that’s also good at jumping on fragile targets and demolishing them. D.Va is also essentially two characters. In her mech suit, she has thrusters to move quickly and knock over enemies, two cannons that fire spreads of pellets, and a shield to block incoming projectiles. While her barrier is short-lived, it can completely neutralize even the most powerful projectiles, including Zarya’s Graviton Sphere. If her suit is destroyed, she hops out and fights on foot, using a laser pistol as defense. While it’s a risky maneuver, D.Va’s ultimate ability causes her mech to launch a few feet towards enemies, then self-destruct. Enemies near the blast don’t stand a chance unless they have their own defensive ability.

Death comes swiftly in Overwatch, unless you have a good support player backing you up. These characters have abilities that keep teammates in the fray, whether by healing them or making their attacks more powerful. Supports are the backbone of any team, which means they are also obvious targets; you’ll need to protect their supports from attackers, or else the whole team falls apart.

Many characters in Overwatch give you the ability to shoot your enemies, but wouldn’t it be nice to shoot your friends as well? Ana, a support whose sniper rifle hurts foes and heals allies, does just that. Ana is a tricky support to use properly, requiring you to keep track of their allies and hit them when they need healing. Ana’s other abilities include her sleep dart (which puts an enemy to sleep for a period of time or until they take damage), biotic grenade (which boosts the healing allies receive while reducing that of enemies), and nano dart, which dramatically increases an ally’s stats.

The downside? Ana doesn’t have any special mobility options. If an enemy gets close, a quick sleep dart may be her only means of escape. However, those who find themselves bored with traditional support characters ought to give Ana a shot.

Baptiste is a battle-hardened combat medic who is a little tricky to navigate if you’re a new player. His Biotic Launcher rewards accuracy and recoil control. It’s convenient that this weapon also doubles as a healing device by letting you throw projectiles that heal allies near the point of impact. He also has an Immortality Field which, once launched, will keep any allies within the field’s range from dying, although the field’s generator can be destroyed. His ultimate, Amplification Matrix, doubles damage and healing effects of friendly projectiles that pass through it.

Small tip: Baptiste also has Exo Boots which, by first crouching, can allow Baptiste to jump higher than before.

Brigitte is the youngest daughter of Torbjörn, so it’s no secret that her specialty is armor. She can heal teammates by tossing them a Repair Pack, which can heal an ally. Any extra healing that teammates may get also gets a boost of armor. Her Rocket Flail is a melee weapon that has an extended range, allowing her to strike multiple enemies with a single swing. Whip Shot allows her to throw her flail a long distance, dealing damage and knocking enemies away to create some space to run. She also has a Shield Bash, which stuns enemies. Rally, Brigitte’s ultimate ability, helps her move faster and gives nearby allies armor that lasts until damage destroys it.

Lúcio is a nimble support who can switch between healing allies and boosting their speed using his Crossfade ability. His sonic attacks can also knock enemies back, which makes for some interesting environmental tricks, such as knocking enemies off ledges. Additionally, Lúcio can run on walls, an ability that, when combined with his speed boost, makes him difficult to hit. His Sound Barrier provides a temporary shield to allies around him, and timing it properly can nullify normally terrifying abilities like Rocket Barrage.