Overwatch Patch Notes October 2026: Roadhog and Sombra reworks, replay codes wiped

If you run Overwatch scrims or tournaments, check one line first. The 20 October 2026 bug fix update wiped replay codes. Blizzard's notes say so in one sentence, and the 13 October hotfix had said codes from the 6 October patch were still available, so anything saved from that patch should be treated as gone. Export what you need, and tell players not to rely on old codes in a dispute.

The bigger story is the 6 October patch, the start of Season 5 (Reign of Talon, "A Grim Doctrine"). It reworked Roadhog and Sombra, adjusted hit volumes across the roster, shrank hitscan projectile sizes and added a new Escort map. Two smaller updates followed on 13 and 20 October. This piece covers the competitive parts of the retail notes. Blizzard's footer says the balance changes affect Quick Play, Competitive, Arcade and Custom Games, so your lobbies are included.

Roadhog: a new secondary fire

Roadhog's Scrap Gun now fires two bursts per volley. Ammo doubles from 6 to 12 and total damage per volley goes from 175 to 204. Pellets drop from 25 to 16 and each does 4.25 instead of 7, but a larger centre projectile was added. Spread tightens from 8 to 6 degrees, falloff range shrinks from 30 to 50 metres to 20 to 35, and the critical multiplier falls from 2x to 1.5x. Projectile speed rises from 80 to 100 metres per second.

The old secondary fire is gone. In its place is Trash Compactor, which absorbs projectiles in front of him for 2 seconds, then fires an explosive shot. Damage scales with what he absorbed, from 75 to 200, at a 30 percent conversion rate. He moves 15 percent slower while it is active. The cooldown is 10 seconds in 5v5 and 11 in 6v6.

Chain Hook changes too. The stun after a pull is shorter (0.4 down to 0.3 seconds), the target ends up further away (3 metres to 4.5), and the cooldown drops by a second (7 to 6 in 5v5, 8 to 7 in 6v6). Take a Breather now lasts up to 2 seconds instead of 3, heals 200 per second instead of 150, gives 35 percent damage reduction instead of 40, and has a 2 second cooldown instead of 1.25.

Blizzard's developer comments name two goals: make Chain Hook less lethal, and give Roadhog a tool to help his team the way a more traditional tank would. Trash Compactor vacuums up projectiles in front of him and flings them back as an explosive shot. My guess is that he plays as less of a one-shot threat and more of a sponge against rockets and grenades, but I would test that in scrims before building a ban list around it.

The 13 October hotfix nudged him again. The centre projectile does 40 instead of 34, Take a Breather's cooldown is back to 1.25 seconds, damage reduction is back to 40 percent, and its maximum duration is 2.5 seconds.

Sombra moves to Support

Sombra is now a Support, in the Tactician subrole, moved over from Damage and the Recon subrole. Hack is removed. Blizzard says most players found being locked out of their abilities jarring and frustrating, and replaced it with Weaken, a debuff that halves an enemy's own damage and healing output.

Her new kit includes:

• Hotfix, on secondary fire. It heals an ally for 65 instantly plus 25 per second, lasting until 175 healing is done or 12 seconds pass. It has 2 charges and an 8 second cooldown, and it can also hack health packs and most enemy deployables.
• Cyberspace, on Ability 1. A projectile makes a zone lasting 3 seconds with a 5 metre radius. Enemies inside are weakened and allies inside are healed.
• Translocator. Stealth lasts longer (6.5 seconds) but takes longer to enter (0.75 seconds), the throw range is shorter (12.25 metres) and the cooldown is 7.5 seconds.
• Conspirator, a passive that reveals fully charged enemy ultimates to her.

Her EMP costs 67.5 percent more ultimate charge and does less damage (20 percent of current health instead of 25).

The 13 October hotfix cut Machine Pistol damage from 7 to 6.5, cut Cyberspace's explosion damage from 40 to 20, and raised its cooldown from 12 to 13 seconds.

For captains, this changes role composition. Sombra now takes a support slot, so a team that wants her has one fewer healer to work with. Whether that trade pays off depends on how well the team uses Weaken. If your rules have a hero ban list, she now counts as a support ban.

Hit volumes and hitscan size

Blizzard made a broad pass on hero hit volumes. Most heads, torsos and legs got bigger, a few shrank, and the notes list raw values hero by hero. Ana's head went from 16.9 to 18, Cassidy's torso shrank from 37 to 33, and Anran's torso grew from 18 to 23. Blizzard says the sizes are not strictly standardised, the aim is more consistent targeting on average, and it should not feel very different in play.

To offset that, global hitscan projectile sizes were reduced: "large" from 0.07 to 0.04 metres and "small" from 0.04 to 0.02. Blizzard's reasoning is that the new hit volumes smooth out inconsistencies between heroes, so the projectiles shrink to keep effectiveness similar. If a player says their aim feels off, this is a likely suspect, and a week of scrims may be needed to settle in. That settling time is my estimate. The Advanced Info Panel now also shows projectile speed and size.

Other hero changes in the 6 October patch

• D.Va: Micro Missiles fire rate rises from 11 to 14 shots per second.
• Domina: Crystal Charge cooldown goes from 8 to 7 seconds, and Reconstruction lifesteal from 75 to 100 percent.
• Bastion: Reconfigure duration drops from 6 to 5 seconds.
• Cassidy: Deadeye can no longer attach to Jetpack Cat's Lifeline.
• Genji: Swift Strike damage goes from 50 to 60, and Dragonblade damage from 110 to 100 with 15 percent faster swings.
• Doctrine: ultimate cost rises 8 percent, with nerfs to Transfusion, Invigorating Drones, Shrouded Momentum and Deliverance. The 13 October hotfix cut Eternal Scepter damage and healing from 60 to 55 and Invigorating Drones duration from 6 to 5 seconds.
• Lúcio: Sound Barrier duration rises from 5 to 6 seconds.
• Ana: the Groggy minor perk was replaced by Local Anesthetic.

The 13 October hotfix also raised Kiriko's base health from 225 to 250 and lowered D.Mon's base armor from 275 to 250.

Competitive and map changes

The Top 500 Challenger leaderboard now sorts by Rank by default instead of Challenger Score, end of season title rewards reference Rank, and Heat Bonus is removed. Blizzard says Challenger Score stays only as the requirement for making the leaderboard.

A new Escort map, Grímsvötn, arrived in this patch. Halloween versions of Hollywood, Lijiang Tower and Château Guillard are available through 3 November in all queues. On Eichenwalde, a sightline through a door near the first chokepoint was fixed. If your event uses the standard map list, check what your custom game settings offer before match day.

For your event

Ask players to save VODs rather than rely on replay codes before the next patch. Decide on day one whether Roadhog, Sombra and Doctrine are allowed, keeping in mind that reworked heroes were hotfixed within a week this time. And give teams time to settle into the new hit volumes before a high-stakes bracket.

Browse the open Overwatch tournaments to find an event that fits the current patch.

Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Overwatch Retail Patch Notes for 6, 13 and 20 October 2026, https://overwatch.blizzard.com/en-us/news/patch-notes/.