The Overwatch Winter Wonderland event returns with a frosty new 4v4 mode
Freezethaw Elimination joins Mei's Snowball Offensive, Yeti Hunt, and Snowball Deathmatch in the annual holiday event.
Winter doesn't officially begin until December 21, but the Winter Wonderland is snowing and blowing in Overwatch today. The annual event brings back Mei's Snowball Offensive, Yeti Hunt, and Snowball Deathmatch modes, and adds an all-new 4v4 brawl for 2020 called Freezethaw Elimination.
Players in Freezethaw Elimination will be frozen instead of killed when they're downed, taking them out of the action but leaving them in the game so they can be thawed by teammates. To win, a team must freeze every player on the opposing side, which depending on how well the other side communicates could be quite a job.
Weekly challenges are also back, giving players a chance to earn limited-time rewards by winning games in Quick Play, Competitive, or the Arcade over each of the event's three weeks. Three wins per week will get you an icon, a spray comes at six wins, and for nine wins you'll earn a new epic skin each week—check 'em out below:
Week 1: Elf Junkrat
Week 2: Gingerbread Ana
Week 3: Frosty Roadhog
The event will also add five legendary skins to the game—Conductor Reinhardt, Penguin Mei, Ice Empress Moira, Toyboy Zenyatta, and Lumberjack Torbjorn—along with some new player icons and skins.
The Overwatch Winter Wonderland 2020 event is live now and runs until January 5. Full details, including all the winter-themed skins, emotes, and intros, are up at playoverwatch.com.