Best Tank Heroes In Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 provides players with ample opportunity to play their own way, especially those who run a tank. Tank heroes are made to soak up damage, destroy fortified positions, and group with their allies to ensure they alone are the target. The best tanks in Overwatch 2 will lead the charge, keeping their team well-hoarded and safe from the many threats coming from an opposing team.

But what are the best tanks to dominate and protect one’s team in this wild looter shooter? Following the latest release of Hazard, Overwatch 2 has a whopping 13 tanks to choose from. Each of them brings unique styles of play, and a necessity for situational awareness to counter opponents, protect one’s team, and come out on the other side to claim victory.

Updated on January 31, 2025, by Stephen LaGioia: Another season has come to Overwatch 2, once again shaking up the meta for everyone, including tanks. With over a dozen tanks in Overwatch 2, players will want to find the best for them to main in the current season and beyond, and with recent reworks, nerfs and buffs, a solid choice is always up in the air. With the gameplay seemingly getting even more chaotic and complex, it’s more important than ever to pick a solid tank that can absorb damage and gel with the team. For players still seeking the best Tank in Overwatch 2 — for their playstyle, a given situation, or as a whole — this list will rank their abilities and advantages of play to see which Tank takes the top spot of the meta.

13

Roadhog

Free Heals & Grab Squishy Enemies To Separate Them From The Team

Constant nerfs strike Roadhog, leaving him in a bit of a lacking state in the recent meta pecking order. While Roadhog was once the king of the tanks, he has fallen from grace thanks to his lacking Chain Hook ability and the dwindling damage for his Scrap Gun. While Roadhog may still be able to one-shot some squishy enemies depending on his proficiency, it’s not often worth it due to his size which makes him a great target for building up ultimate abilities.

Roadhog is easy to counter, and is basically just a slower damage character with more health than normal. His Take a Breather healing ability is still somewhat nice, but the meta isn’t forgiving for Roadhog, as he’s easy to eliminate when focused and offers little protection for himself and his allies.

12

Wrecking Ball

Distract Opponents With Fast Movement & Mines

If players want to be an utter nuisance to the enemy team, look to Wrecking Ball, a cheeky hamster in a mechanical ball that can roll around the battlefield, distracting enemies, and harboring a large pool of health and shield thanks to the Adaptive Shield ability, which grows his health pool depending on the threat of enemies that are around him. Wrecking Ball is a great choice, and easily distracts foes, but he is going to require practice and a skilled hand, as players can easily leave their team without a tank due to one unfortunate mistake.

Wrecking Ball doesn’t dish out the most effective damage with his Quad Cannons, but his Grappling Claw and Piledriver abilities mean he can keep pushing enemies away, distracting them, to simply roll off and come back ready for more. His Minefield ultimate also traps the enemy field with explosive mines, making him a true burden for the enemy team who will have to focus on what’s ahead, whilst also looking out for Wrecking Ball, who is always flanking.

11

Doomfist

Rewarded With Shields For Quick Damaging Combos

A high-risk and high-reward tank, Doomfist isn’t an easy character to learn, but he sure is fun. Players can take that element of fun and turn Doomfist into a monster, thanks to his fast abilities, which will see him bully other smaller targets like attackers and support. Doomfist can easily get behind targets, using an assortment of slams, punches, and his hand cannon to delete the health of his foes.

His Power Block ability also allows him to negate the damage done to him, and absorbing heavy damage will enhance the power of Rocket Punch. Whilst Doomfist can no longer one-hit enemies with the Rocket Punch, he’s still powerful to those who know when to go in, dish out damage, and jump out.

10

Reinhardt

Become A Walking Shield That Hits Hard & Close-Up

A champion of old, Reinhardt may still be great, but his powers haven’t exactly changed in recent years. Reinhardt is a fairly competent choice under the right circumstances, as his Barrier Field allows him to walk with a capable shield that can protect his whole team as he attempts to push the point and defend areas. Yet, it’s easy to get behind, and his damage capabilities aren’t stellar for competitive play.

Reinhardt is a team-based tank, and he’s great for putting pressure on foes, thanks to his gigantic shield that allies can shoot behind. Reinhardt has a Rocket Hammer for dealing melee damage, and a Charge ability to launch himself and grapple enemies, but he’s ineffective against long-range targets when his shield is down, and his reliance on team composition makes him very situational.

9

Mauga

Steamroll The Competition With Two Guns & Two Hearts

Armed with two hearts and dual machine guns, Mauga seems like a great pick, but his health is on the lighter side, and any attempts to defend himself when alone, see him quickly taken care of by enemies. Mauga is still a good pick, but he exists in a spot of normalcy after his release, in which Blizzard was probably scared of having Mauga be a tank-like Bastion. After all, they already have Orisa.

Mauga is a big target, and his abilities may help somewhat in battle, but players will want a healer at their side to make sure they stay alive. His ability to take reduced damage and heal through dealing damage is fairly average, and his Cage Fight ability to trap himself with enemies isn’t the most efficient other than for a sacrifice play or to create further aggressive carnage that can easily distract opponents long enough to secure objectives.

8

Ramattra

Eat Enemy Health & Create Shields

The leader of Null Sector, Ramattra will show the world his brutality through his many abilities. Ramattra has a Void Accelerator as his main form of attack, which fires a stream of projectiles, like a weaker version of Orisa’s turret. He can also throw up Void Barriers to shield himself and allies, and his Ravenous Vortex will make sure enemies can’t stay behind one place for cover, as their health will be eaten up.

Ramattra also has a Nemesis Form, in which he can punch enemies, block their damage, and even steal their health from them with the Annihilation ultimate. With his ultimate active, Ramattra can easily bully other tanks and annihilate squishy enemies, controlling zones and ensuring he’s in charge. He’s a solid pick thanks to his reliance on shields, eating damage, and dishing out violence.

7

Junker Queen

Target Supports To Cancel Healing & Enrage Enemies

The cutthroat leader of the Junkers comes to Overwatch 2 in full force, bringing her axe, Carnage abilities, and a scattergun. Junker Queen compliments other attack characters thanks to her Commanding Shout, which increases the health and movement speed of herself and allies that are in the vicinity. This can be great for getting to targets fast, and giving that extra surge of health when things are getting tough.

Her pump-action shotgun deals great damage, especially when aiming for the head, and the long-range Jagged Blade can be thrown and imbed into enemies for a nice assortment of damage. Junker Queen compliments the team well, as long as she stays with them, and she can easily bully other characters, especially if she bans healing thanks to her Rampage ultimate.

6

Zarya

Enhance Damage Power By Using Shields On Allies & Zarya

One of the strongest women in Overwatch 2, Zarya exhibits great power and care for her allies. Zarya is always a fantastic pick thanks to her Particle Barrier and Projected Barrier, which allows her to protect herself or allies with a shield, channeling damage dealt into power for her Particle Cannon.

Zarya can fully charge her Particle Cannon to gain intense energy, firing a short-range linear beam to devastate enemies and their health, including those who can deflect. Zarya is a brutal tank who can eliminate foes easily thanks to a great mix of defensive and offensive play, even with recent nerfs to her Projected Barriers, which will see longer cooldowns of her bubbles to make her more vulnerable in intensive fights.

5

Orisa

Fortify To Become A Walking, Immovable Minigun

It’s hard to beat Orisa, and if the enemy team has one — it may be useful to counter fire with fire. Orisa is a monstrous tank and easily holds the title for those seeking Overwatch’s 2 best tanks. Her weapon, the Augmented Fusion Driver, is a heat-based weapon that can be shot near endlessly and deals incredible damage at close range. The Energy Javelin can impale enemies for great damage, and cancel them out of their abilities and ultimates.

If that wasn’t enough, her Fortify ability will increase her health, reduce damage dealt to her, and allow her to walk through moves that would otherwise flinch and stun her. Orisa is a walking beast, and she can easily take care of whole squads with the right player and healer guiding her. Cooldowns and durations have been nerfed pretty heavily for Orisa, and while she’s still an extremely competent pick, and one of the best out there, her slower and less damaging playstyle is underperforming in the current meta.

4

Winston

Use Shield Bubbles To Aid The Team, & Shock Enemies That Can’t Deflect

Who wouldn’t want to play as a super-intelligent, genetically engineered gorilla with a love for peanut butter? Winston started his journey in Overwatch as a tank that not many people would pick. However, many were quick to realize that they had underestimated this tank, as his Tesla Cannon can damage multiple enemies at once, requires little focus to use thanks to its tracking, and ignores enemies with deflect or absorb abilities.

Even better still, Winston has a Jump Pack that allows him to get involved in the fight, or jump away from it, and his Barrier Projector allows for a shield bubble that can trap enemies and ensure their damage does not leave the dome. Whilst he doesn’t deal the best damage, he can be great at distracting and targeting even great support heroes whilst other heroes run in to take care of mean squads.

3

D.Va

Absorb Damage & Fly Around To Be An Aggressive Distraction

A classic tank pick from day one, D.Va has a range of abilities that make her a solid choice for a team. She is armed with Fusion Cannons, which deal a healthy amount of damage at close and medium range. Whilst it’s not the strongest source of damage, it can quickly build up her Self-Destruct ultimate, which will see her detonate her mech like a nuke, almost always ensuring a team kill when well-placed.

Her ability to use her boosters to fly, a defense matrix to eat up enemy fire, and some ultimate abilities, make her a decent defender, as well as a moderate attacker, with a great way to flank enemies and cause a riot thanks to her health and ability to stay alive once her mech is destroyed.

2

Sigma

Create Shields & Throw Rocks To Cancel Enemy Attacks

A Brilliant astrophysicist who can manipulate gravity itself, Sigma may have lost his mind to his experiments, but players who are in control can dominate the battlefield for allies and cause a nightmare for foes. Sigma is armed with Hyperspheres, which dish out two charges of imploding spheres for a burst of area-of-effect damage, and Accretion, where he throws a large boulder for incredible damage and ability-canceling power.

Sigma’s abilities make him a solid choice for an impactful tank. Kinetic Grasp eats at eager enemies’ damage, feeding his shields to make him even stronger, and the Experimental Barrier is a portable shield that allies can shoot out of. His ultimate is also great for dealing with clusters of enemies, pulling them into the air to then slam them down, creating an opportunity for an immobilized attack.

1

Hazard

A Buff Punk Rock Fighter That’s True To His Name

The latest tank addition to Overwatch 2, Hazard is a large and potent force of nature, with his (relative) mobility combined with his sheer power from close and medium range. His mechanics and slew of abilities give him a vibe that’s something of a Winston and Doomfist fusion, with a bit of Sigma, Genji and even Mei (Jagged Wall being the key similarity).

He can leap about and take out foes fairly quickly with Violent Leap and Bonespur, while being generally disruptive against enemy pushes and defenses. As is the case with many new heroes, this dive-centric tank has proven quite impactful to the point of many calling him overpowered. Thus, time will tell if Blizzard keeps him the powerhouse he is, or if he sees some of his abilities dialed back a bit. But for now, he’s worth trying out, as he can take on several roles and give the enemy lots of trouble in various ways.