New Overwatch 2 Map Explained: Antarctic Peninsula Modes, Variations, Fishing & More
The Overwatch team has revealed the next map set to debut in Overwatch 2’s Season 3. This latest addition takes us to a location known as Antarctic Peninsula, an icy cold terrain with plenty of stunning views. If you’re looking for details regarding the map and how it will fit into the game, look no further; we’ve got all the information you’ll need. Here areall details revealed for the new Overwatch 2 map in Season 3.
Everything You Need to Know About Antarctic Peninsula in Overwatch 2 Season 3
Antarctic Peninsula will release inOverwatch 2alongside the Season 3 update on Jul 30, 2025. There are a lot of details to unpack regarding this brand new location, from gameplay to lore, so follow along below for a full breakdown of all the information surrounding this fresh, chilly zone.
Map Mode & Variations
Antarctic Peninsula has been crafted as a Control Map, meaning that matches in this location will take place in a king-of-the-hill style combatwhere both teams fight to take control of a point in the center of the map. To win a round, teams must hold this point until they reach 100% and win two of the three potential rounds to claim victory.
As this is a Control Map, three sub-maps with the Antarctic Peninsula location will rotate randomly with each round. Withthe announcement videoposted on Overwatch’s Twitter account, we get a glimpse of the control points in these sub-maps beforethe release of Season 3, and they look like a chilly thrill for all. I’m sure some chaotic team fights will occur on this icy terrain.
Aesthetics, Visual Attractions, & Lore Potential
Antarctic Peninsula has a variety of visual attractions to look forward to during your matches. The first is a beautiful aurora borealis sky that looks over one of the sub-maps appearing in the teaser video. This will be the next night sky that overlooks the sea on Dorado; I’m going to get distracted admiring the pretty sight during a match and killed before I even know what’s happened.
Alongside this, there’s also a very intriguing indoor setting for Antarctic Peninsula that would make a perfect spawn room. This is complete with all the props players love to climb over and punch around at the beginning of a match, such as cups, chairs, and plants. This location leads to an outdoor setting filled with icy structures and buildings. This appears to be one of Overwatch’s bases of operations due to the logo marked on these structures.
The sub-map’s following location appears to be within a frosty ice crater, where a light blizzard takes place in a gentle flurry. Within this ice crater, there seems to be a small shrine-like structure, which presumably will operate as the capture point. Most importantly,there are penguins located on this sub-map that waddle around.This is one of the most adorable features the Blizzard team could have come up with, and players worldwide will undoubtedly be dressing Mei up in her Penguin skin to match.
Speaking ofMei,it’s likely that this map will connect to this frosty Hero, as Antarctica is where her beloved animated short is set. The indoor, spawn room-like area could be where Mei performed her research. After all, it could arguably be compared to a lab or research facility with the inclusion of the table, chair, coffee mug, and environmental decorations, which screams Mei.
That’s right; you can go fishing in Antarctic Peninsula. As revealed in ateaser video with Soldier 76on Overwatch’s Twitter page, the map will feature small holes in the ice where players can shoot at the water, causing fish to jump out. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of this map. Have you ever felt hopeless and waited for that match timer to tick down while the rest of your team was getting spawn camped? If you’ve already given up, why not kill time by taking your team fishing instead?
Possible Winter Cosmetics
In the caption of the initial post that revealed Antarctic Peninsula, there was a statement made that players can dress up accordingly, which refers to skins and cosmetic choices. There’s already a bunch of cold-themed skins from previous Winter Wonderland events that will be perfect for equipping when you select your Hero at the beginning of a match, but this mention could also be taken as a hint by the Overwatch team.
After all, with no new Hero for Season 3, players will reportedly be receiving more unlockables in cosmetics and collectibles, so it isn’t out of the question to release a frosty, shiver-inducing skin or two in the Battle Pass alongside the map. For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
