Overwatch 2 Season 18 preload: Start date, size, and more

The Overwatch 2 Season 18 is almost here, and the upcoming season definitely has a lot of content in store. Starting from the addition of a brand-new Support, Wuyang, to the plethora of balance updates that are coming to the game, we believe that the upcoming season is definitely going to be a hit for the community.

With so much great content right around the corner, we believe fans should definitely get their hands on the Overwatch 2 Season 18 content as early as possible. In this article, we will provide you with a detailed brief on everything we know about the OW2 Season 18 preload. Read below to know more.

Overwatch 2 Season 18 preload start date

As of writing the article, the OW2 Season 18 preload has officially begun on August 23, 2025, across all regions. A majority of players can get their hands on the seasonal content beforehand, provided they're on platforms that support this feature, such as Battle.net and PlayStation.

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Preload size

Currently, the preload content details have only been disclosed for Battle.net (PC) and have been confirmed to be 5GB.

How to preload

If you want to get your hands on the preload content on Battle.net, you can follow these steps:

First and foremost, launch the Battle.net client on your PC.
Proceed to login using your credentials.
Go to the game library on this launcher, and click on Overwatch 2.
Once you get access to the page, scroll below till you reach the launch prompt.
Here, right under the 'Launch' button, you will find a prompt for 'Download pre-release content'.
Click on this prompt to initiate the download process.

Upon following these steps, you will have successfully preloaded Overwatch 2 Season 18 on your computer.

One of the biggest benefits of preloading the upcoming seasonal content is that it provides you with an opportunity to skip the massive queues and avoid download errors on the day of the update. As soon as the update goes live for all regions, you can directly access the game and explore everything that the new season has to offer without getting stuck in login queues and matchmaking errors.

Check out: What is Hero Skill Rating in Overwatch 2?

That's everything that you need to know about preloading Overwatch 2 Season 18. For more related articles, stay tuned to Sportskeeda's esports section.

About the author

With a bachelor's degree in History and pursuing Law at the moment, Sportskeeda Esports & Gaming writer Jay Sarma may not have an ideal connection to the journalism world. However, his sheer passion for gaming has helped him reach over 4 million reads and is fast approaching the two-thousand-article mark.

Jay always strives to provide the most accurate information after cross-checking multiple sources. His coverage focuses exclusively on FPS titles such as COD, Apex Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike, and Overwatch. It was Counter-Strike that sparked his love for competitive esports, and presently, Apex Legends is his favorite multiplayer title.

He enjoys watching ALGS (Apex Legends Global Series) during tournament seasons and loves to observe how each team plays out different strategies in the competitive scene. His favorite organization is Falcons, but he also roots for Team Luminosity solely because of pro player sweetdreams.

In his free time, he loves to soak in the serenity of nature with walks and runs. He is an avid gardener as well.

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Edited by Jay Sarma