Overwatch 2's new China-exclusive dating sim event looks so good that players say they've been 'robbed' of the experience

Genji dressed in his Loverwatch outfit
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Overwatch 2 is going in for round two of its Loverwatch dating sim—it first appeared two years ago on February 13. While this new iteration includes more heroes like Junker Queen and Mauga, it is, unfortunately, only available for players in China.

The original Loverwatch only had two romance options, Genji or Mercy, with a secret ending that involved you romancing Hanzo, who was posed as Cupid. But this time there are way more options. D.Va is taking centre stage for this event with Juno, Cassidy, Junker Queen, Genji, Mauga, and Lifeweaver all being romance options.

Steam sale datesEpic Store free gamesFree PC games2025 gamesFree Steam games

Steam sale dates: When's the next event?
Epic Store free games: What's free right now?
Free PC games: The best freebies you can grab
2025 games: This year's upcoming releases
Free Steam games: No purchase necessary

That alone is enough to make me green with envy, what do you mean I've been blocked from trying to romance Junker Queen? A sentiment that is apparently shared by at least one other player with impeccable taste: "If [Junker Queen] killed me wearing that skin, I'd thank her."

But players aren't just missing out on romancing heroes; there's also a worry that we could be losing out on new skins as well. "The new Chinese 'Loverwatch' event is something else," rvnsay says. "If these are going to be skins, and only for China, we've been robbed so bad."

Chinese new "Loverwatch" event is something else. If these are going to be a skin, and only for China exclusive, we're robbed so bad... from r/Overwatch

The first Loverwatch may have only had icons, a highlight intro, and some titles as rewards, but there was also the Cupid Hanzo skin available to purchase in the shop, a costume based on Hanzo's Loverwatch outfit. This skin was available to everyone, but only as part of the event.

So there's a precedent for Blizzard taking ideas from Loverwatch and making them into actual skins for players to get. Almost all of the new Loverwatch heroes in question also have pretty transferable outfits, with the only exception being Genji.

The Kimono that Genji's wearing in the Loverwatch promo isn't close enough to his in-game silhouette for it to make it into the game with zero alterations, although his suit could be made into a skin, as his outfits are quite skin-tight.

Retaining the same silhouette across different skins is an absolute must for Overwatch heroes. With a game that progresses as quickly as Overwatch does, it's crucial that players are able to identify what hero is flying towards them in a split second and then respond accordingly. Too many variations in hero skins would cause far too much confusion for those actually playing the game and not just playing the dating sim.

With that said, just because this event isn't currently available for anyone outside of China doesn't mean that it never will be. There's a good chance that this is a NetEase project, but I'm still cautiously optimistic that it means we could be getting another Loverwatch alongside new skins when Valentine's Day rolls around again.

Elie Gould
News Writer

Elie is a news writer with an unhealthy love of horror games—even though their greatest fear is being chased. When they're not screaming or hiding, there's a good chance you'll find them testing their metal in metroidvanias or just admiring their Pokemon TCG collection. Elie has previously worked at TechRadar Gaming as a staff writer and studied at JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs about Smash Bros. or any indie game that crossed their path.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.