This page will always show the latest Overwatch Tier List for ranked, competitive play. This list is compiled by utilising our own experience in Overwatch, alongside the input of our community and highly experienced players. In addition to this, we also ensure that the list takes into consideration the fact many players won't always play in a premade team, and instead, will often rely on random players. Our Overwatch Tier List is designed to rank Heroes in terms of their strength in the current meta. 

Remember, although some Heroes are considered niche or balanced, those that aren't Tier S or A+ shouldn't be considered poor. While any match can be won with any Hero, this list is designed to present you with the strongest based on the above. Full descriptions relating to all heroes can be found below. 

Updated: 5 February 2018


Tier List Descriptors

Tier S - Heroes which are often first pick, first ban material and are considered top tier.  (>95% Usage Rate)

Tier A+ - Above the point balance, these core Heroes comprise most team compositions and are rarely swapped out. (>80% Usage Rate)

Tier A - The focal point of balance, these Heroes should see few if any changes and are often seen in matches.  (>50% Usage Rate)

Tier B+ - These Heroes are generally considered good, but require a highly skilled individual to get the most out of them and aren't viable in all situations. (>20% Usage Rate)

Tier B - Team compositions generally need to be built around a Hero in this pool to make them viable. They are rarely seen in competitive play.  (>5% Usage Rate)

Tier C - The lowest pick rate Heroes and not considered viable in competitive play. (<5% Usage Rate)

Tier List Movement  ↑ 

"We've made significant changes to the layout of our Tier List to make it much easier to understand at a glance. Let us know your thoughts."

S Tier

A+ Tier

A TierB+ Tier

B Tier

C Tier


"Below you'll find the reasoning behind our placements, and why we've put Heroes in their respective Tiers."

S Tier

Mercy (Support) - Loathed by many, Mercy is the hide and seek champion of Overwatch that has kept her place at the top. With high single target healing, she can sustain one individual for lengthy periods of time. Not only that, but with no down-time between her healing, she can freely switch to amplify the damage of a target, significantly boosting the output of one individual. What's also carrying Mercy fairly hard right now is also her ability to resurrect a player, while her Ultimate ability is fairly ridiculous. The fact she can now resurrect a fallen ally, without being restricted behind an Ultimate, she has changed the dynamic of all encounters.

A+ Tier

D.Va (Tank) - Having had her balance tweaked on several occasions, it's fair to say D.Va isn't as strong as she once was. Despite that, her Defense Matrix is still invaluable and she remains more than capable of bullying in small skirmished. Her and Winston combined make an incredible dive pairing, allowing them both to bully a back-line with ease, while still being able to get out alive.

Tracer (Offense) - Despite her high skill ceiling, Tracer is undeniably strong. Fast, difficult to pin-down, a nuisance to try to kill, and more than cpable of cleaning up against players who are a little too far away from their team. Although coordinated teams can shut her down, in the right hands she's more than capable of carrying any team to victory. Super fun to play, super annoying to fight against (a bit like Genji).

Zenyatta (Support) - Without doubt my favorite Hero, Zenyatta finds himself in high demand right now. His Orb of Discord is still exceptional, while his Orb of Harmony and its enormous range allows him to keep team health topped up. Although he lacks mobility and burst healing, he makes up for this with a powerful Ultimate (Tranquility). He's capable of dealing a surprising amount of ranged damage thanks to hOrbs and if you can aim, he's exceptional at landing head-shots.

Moira (Support) - With somewhat comparable healing to Zenyatta, albeit with a different sort of utility, Moira is a solid pick. While she's not yet in the Grandmaster meta, there's no mistaking her potency. A powerful Ultimate, combined with both damage and healing, she does fit a similar vein to Zenyatta. Although he's picked that little bit more, I suspect she'll eventually wrestle for an equal space against him. 

A Tier

Lucio (Support) - Lucio previously fell fairly heavily down our Overwatch Tier List as his kit was hit hard by Blizzard. With Crossfade haven't its radius massively reduced, alongside his self healing from Heal Song also neutered, there's little wonder he fell down the pecking order. Fortunately for Lucio, he's back on top and has been the go-to pick in recent competitive matches. There's no denying his Ultimate is still strong and his mobility absolutely invaluable. If you're needing to get back to the fight quickly, he's still your best bet.

Reindhart (Tank) - He has rarely been out of the top tiers and is still considered a solid front-line Tank simply because of his Barrier Field. It remains invaluable when pushing a Payload, and despite Genji and Tracer causing him a fair amount of misery, he still remains the best hero for protecting his team and mitigating incoming damage. I'll also add that a well placed Earthshatter can comfortably clean up the enemy team, while Charge is still exceptional for punishing a hero out of position.

Soldier 76 (Offense) - What makes Soldier 76 so sought after is not just the fact his rifle offers hit-scan shots, but because he provides reliable and consistent damage. If you also factor in how how easy he is to play, and that his Ultimate ability can comfortably clear a room if the enemy team aren't paying attention. Best of all, Soldier 76 doesn't need Lucio to get around quickly - Sprint does that for him.

Winston (Tank) - Winston's value has changed regularly depending on the approach Blizzard have taken to his mobility or shielding. His value is diving deep and killing low-health heroes, before quickly escaping again. Although he's poor as a solo Tank, he works exceptionally well in a dive composition. When paired with D.Va he can be particularly difficult to bring down, and if he makes effective use of his Leap to pressure heroes such as Mercy or Zenyatta, he can be a nuisance.

Zarya (Tank) - Zarya is incredibly tough to bring down, and a hero that not only bolsters almost any composition, but one that brings a great deal of damage with effective shield management. If Zarya is left unfocused she'll keep her team alive with relative ease and can setup some incredibly effective team-wipes with her Gravity Lapse. If she has any weaknesses, it's simply that she lacks mobility and experienced players avoid her while her shields are up.

B+ Tier

Ana (Support) - Ana will always have value simply because she can deny incoming healing on an enemy player. However, she has had her kit reduced in potency multiple times, while she lacks the healing reliability of Zenyatta or the utility of Mercy and her revive. There's no denying a skilled Ana can still do well, and in the meta right now (which is entirely based on dive compositions), she's back on top. 

Genji (Offense) - Genji is an all or nothing sort of hero. In the right hands, against the right composition, he can excel. Against others, he can struggle to find value. Unfortunately for Genji, he attracts a type of player that has no care for an effective draft, or when Genji is useful. On maps with multiple routes, alongside a dive composition, where he can make use of his verticality, he's often strongest. Just be conscious of the fact that against coordinated teams, he can be focused.

Junkrat (Defense) - Junkrat is a great deal of fun to play, but he's also a challenging hero that lacks burst and accuracy. A great deal of the time your shots will miss, or deal too little damage where you actually need it. The static nature of his play, his lack of sustain and mobility also isn't ideal for Defense. He can excel in coordinated teams and like many Defense heroes is best chosen in close-quarter environments.

McCree (Offense) - Purely because of his Flashbang and newly improved High Noon Ultimate, McCree will always remain somewhat viable. He's inferior to Soldier 76 purely on the basis that his shots need pin-point accuracy, while he's somewhat vulnerable to dive heroes such as Winston (who can eat him up, even if he suffers a Flashbang). Despite that, McCree does well in close-quarter encounters and remains a hard-counter to Tracer.

B Tier

Orisa (Tank) - Orisa can excel in close quarter scenarios where her shielding gains maximum value. However, her lack of crowd control combined with her slow movement makes her a situational, largely static hero. If she can rotate her barrier, while having the help of another Tank or double Support, she can do well. Unfortunately for her and because of the above, she does fairly badly within large open spaces so is best chosen on a first or final Control Point.

Pharah (Offense) - Limited only by her need for verticality, Pharah remains a powerful hero. Although she excels in large open spaces, she can struggle against the reliable hit-scan of Soldier 76 or Zenyatta. Not only that, but she has been repeatedly tweaked to ensure her aerial prowess isn't as strong as it once was. On certain maps she can excel, and her Ultimate ability - if timed correctly - can still deal enormous damage (if D.Va isn't about).

Reaper (Offense) - Reaper is much improved after his Passive was reworked, but I don't yet consider him to be top-tier. This is partially because his teleport is static and fairly slow, while his close-quarter shots don't suit a lot of map locations. In a close quarter environment he can do exceptionally well, and he can chew through Tank heroes with ease. Unfortunately for Reaper he has to be very close to an enemy to deal his highest damage. This makes his poke particularly limited when compared against Soldier 76 or Pharah.

Roadhog (Tank) - Roadhog's ability to one-shot players is is still possible, but it's no-where close to how it was. Roadhog's role now is to pull players out of position, to be a damage sponge and for his sustain (thanks to his self heal). The only major downside to Roadhog, besides the fact his Hook is now a much weaker threat, is the fact he allows players to easily charge their Ultimate's; never a good thing.

Widowmaker (Defense) - She can be absolutely devastating in the hands of a professional Overwatch player, but it's fair to say the vast majority of Widowmaker players are poor. She has no utility, struggles to gain valuable sight-lines on most maps, offers no real value when attacking a Control Point and her very nature - standing at the back of a fight - dictates she isn't really helping her front-line. There's no doubting that she has the potential to kill, but that alone doesn't win matches. Having a hero that can push a Payload, zone the enemy, peel for an ally or contest a Control Point brings much more value.

C Tier

Bastion (Defense) - He can still do exceptionally well against shielding and if a composition is built around Bastion, he can be difficult to uproot. Sadly the popularity of Zenyatta and Tracer, alongside Pharah's continued prominence, ensures Bastion's potency remains limited. If you're seeking to play him, do so only when you've a strong front-line (Reinhardt), alongside Mercy/Zenyatta for Support.

Doomfist (Offense) - Despite a kit that's dive orientated, Doomfist actually spends a lot of time on the sidelines. If a team is built around him, such as Winston and D.Va, he can work well. Unfortunately he's vulnerable to ranged fire and only truly excels when mopping up a team that's already low health, but if he hangs back and buys his time (a somewhat similar playstyle to Genji), he can do alright.

Hanzo (Defense) - Hanzo is a hero that everyone seems to love, and yet he's undeniably poor. There's no doubt in the hands of a professional Overwatch player he can be incredibly strong. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Overwatch players lack the twitch-aim neccesary to make Hanzo worthwhile. Poor on Offense and Defense (there are simply better choices of ranged hero, who bring more to the table), it's best to avoid him entirely. If you want to get better with him, it's best to take him to Quick Play instead of inflicting misery on the rest of your team.

Mei (Defense) - A personal favorite behind Zenyatta, Mei remains the Devil of Overwatch. With a kit that's entirely designed to frustrate, she can be incredibly annoying to deal with. In a coordinated team and with effective use of her Ultimate ability Mei can wipe a team, while she can seriously hamper the progress of any attacker. As long as you can aim with her alternative fire, securing head-shots and poking from a distance allows her to poke without much worry. Best chosen on small maps.

Sombra (Offense) - A hero that I absolutely love to play but one that's been niche for a long time. You need near perfect aim with her machine pistol, she has an incredibly low health pool and she's entirely reliant on Translocator to do just about anything. Despite that, she does very well right now because she can shut down D.Va and Doomfist with relative ease. In the right hands Sombra can be incredibly slippery and hard to pin down, while she has particularly good flanking potential.

Symmetra (Support) - Symmetra is a weird one when it comes to value. Her shielding is reasonable, her turrets can zone flanking routes, and her ability to teleport players into the front-line invaluable when defending the furthest Control Point. Unfortunately for Symmetra she lacks mobility, her primary attack has a very slow rate of fire and she's easily focused if out of position. Fundamentally, if you're taking Symmetra it's for a limited time and only when your team can spare the second healing support.

Torbjorn (Defense) - Undeniably the worst hero in Overwatch, Torbjorn is an incredibly simplistic hero that offers nothing of real value. His Armor Pack is largely fine, but that alone doesn't make him worthwhile. His Sentry Turret is easily killed, his basic attacks are poor and...that's it. Unless you're seeking to lose, it's best to avoid Torbjorn entirely.


Additional Guides


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Overwatch Game Page.

Last Updated: Feb 05, 2018

About The Author

Lewis is a long standing journalist, who freelances to a variety of outlets.

Comments