Overwatch Season 20 map pool changes Control, Hybrid, Escort

Olivia Richman Published 03/01/2020

Blizzard has revealed the map pool for Overwatch’s 20th competitive season. 

All three of the Assault maps from Season 19 have returned in Season 20, including Temple of Anubis, Hanamura, and Volskaya Industries. 

While Assault has remained the same, Escort saw a pretty big change, with Watchpoint Gibraltar and Route 66 no longer in the pool. Instead, Dorado and Rialto will join Havana in the new rotation. Hybrid also saw some updates, with Hollywood being replaced by Numbani. Eichenwalde and King’s Row have remained in the map pool. 

The Control maps have also undergone some updates for Season 20. Nepal and Liajang Tower are no more. Meanwhile Numbani will live to see another season, this time accompanied by Illios and Oasis. 

Here’s an overview, put together by Blame the Controller: 

While fans were excited over some of their favorite maps entering the Season 20 pool, the untouched 2CP map list garnered a negative response overall. This may be due to the Overwatch community’s dislike of Assault maps overall. The game mode has long been considered the least favorite, and many of the maps have been ruled unbalanced and unfair, with most heavily favoring one side of the map over the other. 

“Can Blizzard just remove 2CP from the game. I dont think anyone in the playerbase enjoys playing TOA or Hanamura. Volskaya is alright,” one fan tweeted. 

Season 19 was the first time a limited map pool was used in Overwatch’s competitive mode. The change was announced at the Overwatch panel at BlizzCon, with attendees reporting that Season 19 would only have 12 maps instead of the usual 21. The biggest news, however, was the absence of Paris and Horizon Lunar Colony. This is a change that stuck with Season 20 as well. 

Paris and Horizon were the two most despised 2CP maps in the game. They were so disliked that many players admitted to purposely dodging the map in matchmaking, willing to lose 50 SR just to avoid them. It appears that Blizzard has listened and continued to bar these unbalanced maps from Season 20, but fans are most likely hoping Overwatch 2 will introduce a new map type that will elimiate 2CP from competitive altogether. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile

Read Also

Slots

This Is How Gates of Olympus 2500 Builds On The Iconic Series Ian John Since the first Gates of Olympus slot hit casinos in 2021, the series has evolved into one of the most recognisable in the Pragmatic Play stable. The combination of scatter wins, tumbling symbols and dramatic multipliers has established a formula that has been followed in a number of sequels and spin-offs. The latest in that series is the Gates of Olympus 2500 slot, but this game takes a slightly more ...

Dota 2

ESIC hand down ruling in EWC Dota match-fixing case: Lifetime ban for coach as DarkMago gets a nickel Michael Hassall South American Dota 2 player Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera will be banned for five years from competitive Dota 2, with his coach Juan "Vintage" Angulo banned permanently, following the results of an The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) investigation. ESIC handed down the findings and rulings from its investigation into match-fixing allegations leveled at members of South American Dota 2 team PlayTime during the Esports World Cup on Sep. 10, in a ...

News

Rams vs 49ers Preview — Who Will Win? Zachary Roberts The Los Angeles Rams open the season as Super Bowl favorites. Their first test? The division rival San Francisco 49ers. This game obviously has huge implications in what was the strongest division in football last year, sending three teams with 12 wins to the playoffs and hosting both NFC finalists. So, who's going to win? The Rams and 49ers face off tonight in the second game of the NFL season. ...

Twitch

iShowSpeed Livestreams Apple Keynote and Meets New CEO John Ternus Khizar Mundia Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. became one of the first non-tech streamers to livestream an Apple event, appearing alongside the company's CEO at the keynote despite initial speculation from fans that he was using a green screen instead of physically being there. Speed has consistently blurred the lines between a streamer and mainstream celebrity in 2026. He collaborated with FIFA on a game and then performed at the World Cup closing ...

Slots

Juice, New B2B iGaming Provider Backed by Stake, Launches at Casinos Ben Boland A new B2B iGaming provider has just been launched globally, with Juice going live on September 9. Juice comprises five studios well-known for producing a range of original games for Stake.com. It is releasing a range of over 100 games that can be used by operators all over the world. The five studios behind the new brand comprises Twist Gaming, Knucklehead Syndicate, Monstrums, Massive Studios and The Originals. The entire ...

News

It Looks Like the PlayStation 6 Is Not Coming Out Anytime Soon Zachary Roberts The PlayStation 6, much like the Project Helix Xbox, is under development. This much we know, but exactly when the new generation of consoles will arrive is anyone's guess. We know precious few details about the PlayStation 6, including its release date. Kalshi traders, though, have made their opinion known on when the next Sony console will hit the market. Will the PlayStation 6 come out this year? Almost certainly ...

Kick

N3on Claims To Be the World’s First AI Streamer Khizar Mundia Controversial content creator Rangesh “N3on” Mutama is facing backlash after announcing that he plans to use AI in his streams going forward, claiming to be the world’s first AI streamer. N3on is no stranger to controversy, but fans thought he was evolving beyond his dramatic reputation with some recent high profile events. In recent weeks he was apparently seen as a GTA character, livestreamed with Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg, and ...