Overwatch Anniversary event release date, time, launch skins and more

Overwatch fans are counting down to the start of the ten-year anniversary event, which is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Switch later this week. It's hard to believe, but Overwatch made its debut back on May 24, 2016. To celebrate this huge milestone, Blizzard is holding a special anniversary event for the next few weeks. The Overwatch Anniversary event has a May 12 release date and a 6pm BST UK start time. The event runs until June 1, giving fans plenty of time to earn all of the rewards.

Speaking of rewards, Blizzard has given fans a taste of what to expect from the 10th Anniversary Event.

"You’re in for a legendary good time during Overwatch’s 10th Anniversary Event," reads a Blizzard tweet.

"Join the party to earn 21 exclusive Launch Hero Skins, 15 Anniversary Loot Boxes, community-made cosmetics, and much more May 12 - June 1."

As you can see from the image below, each of the game's 21 launch heroes will receive new skins to celebrate the milestone.

As a reminder, the game launched with characters such as D.Va, Reinhardt, Roadhog, Winston and Zarya, as well as Genji, McCree (Cassidy), Pharah, Reaper, Soldier: 76 and Tracer.

The Defense heroes were Bastion, Hanzo, Junkrat, Mei, Torbjorn and Widowmaker, while Support characters include Lucio, Mercy, Symmetra and Zenyatta.

It's a far cry from the whopping 50 characters available today, with around five more expected to launch by the end of the year.

In addition to the 21 original hero skins, fans can complete community challenges to unlock weekly Legendary Loot Boxes.

Elsewhere, fans can open 15 Anniversary Loot Boxes, all the while unlocking various 2D Cosmetics and Weapon Charms.

There will also be a selection of exclusive Player Titles to celebrate the milestone.

Expect more announcements and surprises over the next few weeks, especially closer to the actual May 24 anniversary.