Overwatch's Anniversary Remix brings back old skins, replaces old events

Overwatch Anniversary Remix Vol. 1 Mage Mercy skin

(Image credit: Blizzard)

With the sequel on the horizon, Overwatch has spent the last few years on standby. Cosmetic events that bring new skins, sprays, and voice lines have been the only thing to look forward to in the absence of new heroes and maps. Anniversary Remix, announced today, is Blizzard's three-part event that will attempt to bridge the gap between the current game and Overwatch 2.

Anniversary Remix Vol. 1 begins on April 5 and brings back a bunch of fan-favorite skins, some with a new coat of paint. Witch Mercy, Oni Genji, Black Cat D.Va, Cultist Zenyatta, Nevermore Reaper, and Blackhardt Reinhardt all return with white as their primary color. Additionally, skins that were only available through limited time events like Bastet Ana, Combat Medic Baptiste, and Nano D.Va will also make a return as weekly challenges that require playing several games to earn. Sorry Pink Mercy fans, that skin isn't coming back, for whatever reason.

The event will also bring back popular game modes like the PvE Archives missions, the Rocket League-inspired Lucio Ball, and Mei's Snowball Challenge, with other returning modes rotated in every week.

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Overwatch Anniversary Remix Vol. 1 Mercy skin — (Image credit: Blizzard)

Anniversary Remix Vol. 1 will be live until April 26, but two more (with six reworked Legendary skins each) Anniversary Remix events will occur between then and August. Blizzard said these events will replace the Archives, standard Anniversary, and Summer Games events that usually happen throughout the year. This is the first time in five years that Overwatch's normal schedule has been interrupted.

"This three-part anniversary event enables our team to allocate more time and attention to the upcoming PvP beta, while simultaneously providing the community with the chance to earn unique variants of your favorite Legendary skins," community manager Andy Belford wrote on the forums.

Although Blizzard has said it before, Belford reiterates in the post that all previously earned cosmetics will carry over into Overwatch 2, so you don't have to worry about any of your fashion progress being thrown out.

The closed beta for Overwatch 2 begins next month with a shift to a five versus five format and reworks to heroes like Doomfist.

Tyler has covered games, games culture, and hardware for over a decade before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when it comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking about. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.