Overwatch 2: The 10 Best Halloween Skins

It is the spookiest month of the year, and there are a lot of reasons to be excited. And if you’ve been playing Overwatch for a while, the release of the latest Halloween skins is one of them.

The skin design team for Overwatch has done phenomenal work over the years, but it’s in October that they have released some of their best work. Here are ten skins that you can get at the launch of Overwatch 2 to help you get into the Halloween spirit.

10/10 Reinhardt: Draugr

The Draugr skin turns the massive Reinhardt into one of the undead monsters of Norse mythology (or Skyrim) fame. Of course, Skyrim’s draugr often don’t feel like much of a threat, but if you ran into this version in Skyrim, you might be in trouble. Reinhardt is much bigger than the average Draugr, and is significantly more purple.

The theme is a bit confusing, since Draugr are creatures from Norse mythology, while Reinhardt is German, and there are actually Nordic characters in the game. That said, if the Overwatch team was looking for a character to turn into a giant zombie Viking wielding a battleaxe, Reinhardt was the obvious choice.

9/10 Zenyatta: Cultist

Cultist Zenyatta is one of the most visually interesting skins in the game. With his tentacled face and the eyes on his orbs that stare into your soul (right before they slam into your head), Cultist Zenyatta has all the markings of the Cthulhu mythos and Lovecraftian horror.

As an extra-fun note, the cultist theme is a fun corruption of Zenyatta’s usual, monk-like demeanor. While canon Zenyatta is focused on finding inner peace and enlightenment, the skin turns him instead into a worshiper of a terrifying being beyond human comprehension. Okay, maybe “fun” wasn’t the right word, but it’s definitely a unique take on the character.

8/10 Sigma: Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship, appearing in storms and as a general bad omen. In recent years, it has been referenced in everything from Spongebob Squarepants to the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Sigma’s Flying Dutchman skin has a distinct nautical theme, from the globe on his back to his Hyperspheres, which now have the spiky appearance of sea urchins. And of course, the skin is also a pun, since Sigma is literally a flying Dutch man. If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, you probably just hate fun.

7/10 Mercy: Witch

Witch Mercy might be the most recognizable of Overwatch’s Halloween skins. With her pointy hat and the transformation of her staff into a broom, the skin is exactly as "witch-y" as you would hope for. And while the Junkenstein’s Revenge event suggests that Witch Mercy is a villain, Mercy’s trustworthy, doctoral image makes that hard to imagine.

Overall, this skin isn’t flashy as some of the others on this list, but there’s something about it that works so perfectly. It may have been outclassed by some newer skins, but this classic still holds its own.

6/10 D.Va: Shin-Ryeong

The Shin-Ryeong skin portrays D.Va as a kumiho, a type of Korean fox spirit similar to the kitsune of Japanese mythology. Visually, it’s a surprisingly murderous take on D.Va’s regular gamer girl appearance, with sharp claws and an even more devious expression than usual.

The most interesting part of the skin, though, is that it recontextualizes D.Va’s mech as a haunted temple. There are quite a number of D.Va skins that take advantage of her mech in creative ways, but the Shin-Ryeong skin is arguably the best one.

5/10 Hanzo: Dai-Tengu and Genji: Karasu-Tengu

Here we have a pair of skins for Overwatch 2’s resident feuding brothers, Hanzo and Genji. The skins are variation on the same theme, with each representing a different type of tengu, bird spirits from Japanese folklore.

Dai-Tengu (or big tengu) are older and wiser than other tengu, reflecting Hanzo’s role as the elder, more dutiful brother. Meanwhile, the Karasu-Tengu are more birdlike (karasu being Japanese for crow), which fits Genji since his nickname is “sparrow.” And of course, it helps that both skins look incredible.

4/10 Mei: Jiangshi

A Jiangshi is a type of Chinese vampire, best known for its unusual method of movement. It hops around with its arms outstretched, allegedly because, as a corpse, it has entered rigor mortis and can’t properly bend its limbs. That’s dark stuff, but Mei’s skin is a bit lighter-hearted.

She has all the traditional trappings of a Jiangshi, with a talisman on her head and the traditional clothes of the Qing dynasty, but on Mei they combine to be adorable, rather than horrifying. And if you really want to complete the look, this skin pairs perfectly with Mei’s Hopping emote, which imitates the Jiangshi’s movements.

3/10 Soldier 76: Slasher 76

Many of the skins on this list reference mythological monsters from the Hero’s home countries, but Slasher: 76 is an homage to more modern horror history: the slasher film. And the skin is absolutely covered in references to some of the most famous killers in cinema.

Soldier has got Jason Voorhees’ hockey mask, and his gun has been turned into a chainsaw, evoking both Leatherface and Ash Williams. It’s a theme we didn’t see much of in Overwatch, and it would be fun to see more of it in Overwatch 2.

2/10 Tracer: Will-O'-Wisp

At first blush, Will-O’-Wisp Tracer might seem like a generic spooky-themed skin, but a closer look reveals it to be surprisingly clever. Will-O’-Wisps are ghostly lights that lure the unwary to their deaths in swamps.

In this skin, Tracer’s ghostly, glowing head blinking around will likely lead to your opponents chasing after you, inevitably to their deaths. Although Tracer takes a much more active role in her opponent’s demise than the traditional Will-O’-Wisp does.

1/10 Junkart: Dr. Junkenstein and Roadhog: Junkenstein's Monster

Junkrat and Roadhog are two peas in a pod in the lore, so the decision to give them paired Halloween skins was an obvious choice. These skins are a clear reference to the classic story of Dr. Frankenstein and his unnamed monster, a theme the unhinged Junkrat and the stoic, looming Roadhog fit perfectly.

The skins also have some clever touches, such as the lightning arching around them both or the fact that Roadhog’s green pig face is clearly a mask, implying that however scary Roadhog might be, the whole thing is just a costume.

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