Events, shop rotations, and battle passes in Overwatch 2 always include plenty of new cosmetics for the game’s ever-growing cast of heroes. Some of the most coveted items are skins, which give heroes completely new looks and silhouettes. Skins are often themed around specific seasonal events and season themes: season one’s battle pass and shop rotation, for example, were themed in part around cyberpunk.
With the removal of the first Overwatch’s contentious loot boxes, it’s now possible to buy most skins outright using either the game’s new Overwatch coins currency or legacy currency imported from the previous game. While players are split on whether this is a beneficial evolution for the series, it means that purchasing skins is completely different in the sequel than in the first game.
Here’s how to buy skins in Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2 skin purchase details
In Overwatch 2, skins can be purchased from one of two places: the in-game shop or the hero gallery. Fans who played the first Overwatch are probably familiar with the hero gallery method. By navigating to the Heroes page from the main menu, then selecting a hero, players can purchase a variety of cosmetics associated with that hero. Many existing cosmetics, including skins, can be bought with legacy currency, which is equivalent to however much currency you had in the first Overwatch when the servers shut down.
Other skins from the hero gallery are only purchasable with Overwatch coins, the game’s premium currency. You’ll have to either grind challenges or pay real money to obtain Overwatch coins, which in turn can be spent on these skins. These include both old skins and newer ones released since Overwatch 2’s launch.
You may notice that not all old skins for heroes are purchasable in the hero gallery. It’s not clear why this is, though many of them are likely event skins that are only sold during certain parts of the year. Halloween Terror skins, for example, can generally only be bought during the Halloween event unless Blizzard decides to feature them in the shop.
Speaking of the shop, it’s the second main way to purchase skins. Skins sold in the shop can be bought with either Overwatch coins or Overwatch League tokens, an old currency that has been carried over into Overwatch 2. Overwatch League tokens can be purchased with real money or earned by watching official OWL broadcasts.
The shop carries both skins that are new to the franchise and older skins from the first Overwatch. In a pre-launch blog post, the development team explained that during the game’s first few seasons, it’s including skins from the first game in the weekly shop rotation to allow new players to “catch up” with the rest of the community and snag some of Overwatch’s very best skins. There are also new skins that even longtime collectors will enjoy.
To purchase a skin from the shop, simply navigate to the one you want and click the purchase button at the bottom of the screen. You’ll be prompted to either confirm the transaction or purchase more Overwatch coins if you don’t have enough to complete the sale. After buying a skin, you can head back to the hero gallery to equip it. The same purchase process also applies to non-skin cosmetics bought from the shop.
