Background

As the Overwatch 2 wiki says:

New heroes are added over time as free updates. However, players are required to unlock the heroes by leveling up the Battle Pass to a certain level during the season they were added. Heroes can also be unlocked by purchasing the premium Battle Pass that season or by completing a set of hero challenges after the season.

There can often be a large grind to unlock the new hero, especially if one wants to unlock them before they're available in "competitive mode". Some say that this situation makes new heroes "Pay 2 Win", as players may need to buy the new hero with real money if they want to stay competitive. Executive Producer for Overwatch 2, Jared Neuss, recently said in an interview:

"Would I like for every single player to be able to experience a hero the day that a season drops? Yes. Do I think that we will get there? Yes, I do think that we will get there, and we're actively working towards it right now. Can I talk about the details? No, I can't."

This was said during Season 8, while the next hero (Venture) is planned to be released in Season 10.

Resolution

This question will only consider competitive mode i.e.

• hero is released = some are able to pick the hero in competitive mode

• unlocks a hero = is able to pick them in competitive mode

Resolves YES if Venture is released and is easy to unlock without spending any money. Here "easy" means there could be a requirement to play them in the training room/tutorial/custom mode before being able to pick them, but it should take less than 30 minutes to unlock them.

Resolves NO if Venture is released and is NOT easy to unlock without spending any money.

Resolves N/A if Venture is not released before January 1 2025.