Overwatch 2 players have received official confirmation that the Hero Mastery game mode will be permanently removed from the game with the arrival of Season 19. All existing courses will disappear from the game, leaving fans with approximately two months to complete these single-player challenges before they vanish forever.

Introduced during the mid-Season 6 update in September 2023, Hero Mastery provided solo obstacle courses designed to help players improve their skills with specific characters. Over the following years, Blizzard expanded the mode to include challenges for more than a dozen heroes, though the feature never achieved the popularity of other game modes.

Community Manager Kaedi recently announced through official forums that the development team has decided to sunset the Hero Mastery feature. No additional courses will be created, and all existing content will be removed when Season 19 launches in late October or early November 2025.

During the remaining weeks of Season 18, players can still complete Lifetime challenge rewards from Hero Mastery courses. Those who complete Mastery I and Mastery III levels before the removal deadline will receive a complimentary Epic Loot Box and an exclusive Player Title as final incentives to engage with the mode.

The decision to remove Hero Mastery follows similar patterns seen with the multiplayer Hero Mastery Gauntlet mode, which was discontinued in June 2024. Blizzard aims to focus development resources on more popular game formats like Stadium, Competitive Play, and Quick Play while reducing interface complexity.

Despite this removal, Overwatch 2 continues to expand with substantial content updates. Season 18 introduces a revamped progression system, the Payload Race mode in Stadium, and new support hero Wuyang. Additionally, an exciting crossover event with Persona 5 will bring Phantom Thieves-themed skins to the game, including a Joker transformation and at least three other character skins.