Overwatch Unvaulted Passes delayed until Season 5

Overwatch Unvaulted Passes delayed until Season 5

Players waiting for a way to reclaim missed Overwatch battle pass rewards will have to wait longer. Blizzard has moved Unvaulted Passes from the Season 4 mid-cycle update to the beginning of Season 5.

The delay was confirmed by game director Aaron Keller in a September 4 blog post. Blizzard says the feature needs additional quality-assurance testing before release, with the aim of avoiding a bug-heavy launch.

Why the Unvaulted Passes are delayed

Unvaulted Passes are intended to give players another opportunity to earn cosmetics from older battle passes. Blizzard first confirmed the system in August, but has not yet explained exactly how players will purchase or progress through each pass.

The planned system reflects a wider change in live-service games. Battle passes, popularised by Fortnite, traditionally use limited availability to encourage players to keep playing before rewards disappear. Overwatch has followed that model since 2022.

Other games have begun removing those time limits. In Marvel Rivals, for example, a battle pass remains available after purchase rather than expiring, allowing players to work through its rewards later.

What players can expect

Unvaulted Passes should provide access to missed emotes, sprays and other battle pass cosmetics. However, some older currencies and Mythic skins will not transfer to the new passes.

Blizzard has not released the full rules for buying, unlocking or progressing through Unvaulted Passes. Keller says more information will be shared before Season 5 begins.

The feature is now expected at the start of Season 5, rather than during Season 4’s mid-cycle update.

Season 5 is expected to start on October 6. More information about its additions may arrive at BlizzCon 2026, which is scheduled for the following weekend.

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