New Overwatch Skins And Map Out In New Update; Here Are The Patch Notes

A new Overwatch event is now underway, as the latest update for the game has kicked off the Year of the Dog. This is the new iteration of the Lunar New Year event that was held last year, and it introduces a bunch of new content across all platforms: PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

As is often the case for many players, the most exciting addition will be new skins. There are a total of six new skins, including those for Genji, Mercy, Zarya, and Pharah. There are also more than 50 new seasonal items in all. You can see all the new Year of the Dog Legendary skins (and more) in our gallery. The event runs from now through March 5.

Also new is a map set in Thailand called Ayutthaya. This is the first Overwatch map made specifically for Capture the Flag, which has undergone some changes as part of its return in this update. Flags are now picked up immediately but are dropped when using certain abilities (such as Winston's leap). Additionally, ties are no longer possible since matches will go to sudden death, if necessary. During this phase, teams flags are positioned closer to the center of the map so that flag carriers won't have to run as far to score.

In addition to the standard CTF mode, a new competitive season centered around CTF is being launched. This will run for four weeks, and those who make it into the top 500 will receive a special spray and icon.

One other change of note in this update is a fan-requested feature. Before starting a match, you'll now be able to easily change between any of the skins you own for a given character. This is done from the Assemble Your Team screen and can't be accessed mid-match, but it's still a welcome addition, particularly as players continue to amass increasingly large collections of skins.