Overwatch is a first person shooter, squad-based combat with two opposing teams of six players each. Players choose one of several hero characters, each with their own unique abilities and role classes. Characters in Overwatch come in four varieties: Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support. These roles serve to categorize the heroes of Overwatch by similar characteristics that can be used to describe them and their playstyle.
Offense: Offense characters have high mobility and are known for their ability to deal large amounts of damage. To balance this, offense characters have a low number of hit points. Defense: Defense characters excel at protecting specific locations and creating choke points. They can also provide several means of field support, such as sentry set-up and trapping the enemy team. Tank: Tank characters have the most hit points out of all the characters in the game. Because of this, they are able to draw enemy fire away from their teammates to themselves, so as to disrupt the enemy team. Support: Support characters are utility characters that have abilities that enhance their own team and/or weaken the enemy team. They might not deal the most damage or have the most hit points, but the buffs and debuffs they provide ensure that their teammates who do will make short work of their opponents.
Players can switch between characters in-game following deaths, which is encouraged by the game's overall design. The game's maps are inspired by real-world locations; the first three maps unveiled (King's Row, Hanamura, Temple of Anubis) are inspired by London, Japan, and the ruins of Ancient Egypt, respectively.