Overwatch fans can start counting down to the launch of the Lunar New Year event for 2020.
And Blizzard has confirmed that there’s not long to wait because the Lunar New Year event has a January 16 release date.
The Year of the Rat in-game event runs for roughly three weeks, ending on February 5 and will continue the tradition of seasonal celebrations within Overwatch.
Gamers can expect the Lunar New Year update to arrive around 7pm, GMT, or 11am PT if you live in the United States. This will require fans to download and install the latest patch released by Blizzard.
To build some hype for the upcoming event, Blizzard has released a new trailer, with more teasers expected.
Last year saw Blizzard reveal designs like the Lu Bu Reaper skin, the Huang Zhong Hanzo outfit, the Guan Yu Reinhardt costume and the Zhuge Liang Zenyatta unlockable.
The same isn’t expected in 2020 due to Overwatch events being kept more low-key, but we do know that these same designs will be returning.
The Huang Zhong skin is the one featured in the new trailer and can be seen lighting a paper lantern and sending it to float up into a sky.
More cosmetics are expected to be released as part of the event, which is set to run for the rest of January.
And with the return of the Lunar New Year event, players can expect to see the return of a fan-favourite game mode.
Capture the Flag is almost certain to make a return with a brand new map to accompany it.
“In Capture the Flag, each team attempts to secure the enemy flag and return it to their base, while preventing the opposing team from doing the same,” a message from Blizzard explains.
“Determined players can try Competitive Capture the Flag, which includes placement matches, leaderboards, and Competitive Points.”
Competitive Capture the Flag, complete with its own set of rewards, could also be back in 2020.
Blizzard has been keeping recent events under wraps and only announcing them very close to their launch dates.
So it’s hard to say whether we will see an extensive range of new cosmetic items, or just a light sprinkling.
Overwatch 2 is now in development, meaning that resources are being more focused on the upcoming expansion, which will feature a story mode.
The good news is that the multiplayer section of Overwatch and its sequel will feature crossplay over various modes, meaning gamers will be able to continue enjoying events such as these in the future.