David Bridges
Do you have locked heroes in Overwatch 2 even though you’ve unlocked them in Overwatch 1?
Do most heroes say “Unlocked via special challenge, Battle Pass, or in-game shop”?
Overwatch 2 was released on October 4, 2022.
Since its release, the game has had multiple known issues.
Some of the known issues are server disconnection, cosmetics, items, currency not showing up, and others.
In this guide, you’ll learn why did are your Overwatch 2 heroes locked (PC) and how to unlock them (Battle.net).
Why are my Overwatch 2 heroes locked?
Your Overwatch 2 heroes are locked because your Overwatch 1 data hasn’t synced to Overwatch 2 yet.
If you’ve already merged your accounts (on console), you need to wait for your data from Overwatch 1 to transfer to Overwatch 2.
According to an Overwatch announcement by Jodie, a community manager, this is taking a long time because the player database is overloaded.
Many players are complaining about locked heroes on the Blizzard forum.
“I finally got into Overwatch 2, but most of my characters are locked and say, “Unlocked via special challenge, Battle Pass, or in-game shop. All of my cosmetics seem to be there, but for some reason, all of the characters are locked as if it’s a new account.”
“Yep, same issue here. All of my skins, legacy coins, and career profile are all there, it’s just the characters that are locked (PC)”.
“Same here. It looks like all of my cosmetics are synced, but my old heroes are locked on PC”.
How to fix locked heroes in Overwatch 2
To fix locked heroes in Overwatch 2, you need to relog into Battle.net and restart the game.
If you’ve restarted the game but you still have locked heroes, you need to wait for your data from Overwatch 1 to sync to Overwatch 2.
This can take several hours because the player database is overloaded.
Alternatively, you can contact Blizzard support for help.
Fix 1: Relog and restart the game
- Close Overwatch 2.
- Log out of Battle.net and close it.
- Open Battle.net and log in to it.
- Launch Overwatch 2.
Source: Blizzard Technical Support forum.
Multiple players claimed that restarting the game fixed the locked heroes bug.
“Restart the game. It fixed it for me!”.
“Closing Overwatch 2 and reopening it worked for me (logged out and in of the Battle.net app too)”.
Fix 2: Wait for your items to transfer over
- Blizzard mentioned that the player database is overloaded, so it can take a while for your Overwatch 1 heroes to sync to Overwatch 2.
- They are currently investigating the issue and are deploying a client-side fix in the next few weeks.
- No player data has been wiped or lost.
Source: Overwatch 2 Launch Status Update.
Fix 3: Open a support ticket
- Go to https://us.battle.net/support/en/games/overwatch.
- Select the “Technical” option.
- Click on the “Contact Support” button.
- Include a description of your issue.
- Select “I still need help”.
- Select “Technical” > Your platform > Can’t connect > Contact Us.
- Log in to your Battle.net account to submit a web ticket.
Further reading
How to Fix Blue Screen “DPC Watchdog Violation” in Overwatch 2
Mason Thompson
Cameron Steel
