New Overwatch 2 gameplay reveals revamped Havana and Dorado maps

First look at Overwatch 2’s revamped Havana and Dorado maps with pro playtest insights and strategic analysis

First Look: Havana’s Nocturnal Transformation

Blizzard has unveiled the first substantial previews of the reimagined Havana and Dorado maps for Overwatch 2, sourced directly from professional player testing sessions in Hawaii.

Fresh gameplay footage from Overwatch League pros participating in Hawaii-based playtests offers our inaugural glimpse of Havana under moonlight and Dorado bathed in sunlight within the upcoming sequel.

While we’ve known about new locations like New York, Rome, and Toronto coming to Overwatch 2, the October 9th video releases showcase something different: comprehensive visual redesigns of existing fan favorites. Havana and Dorado aren’t just returning—they’re receiving substantial atmospheric overhauls that fundamentally change how players will experience them.

Dorado has maintained its status as a community darling since Overwatch’s original launch, while Havana gained substantial popularity following its May 2019 debut. The sequel executes a clever inversion: Havana transitions to nighttime operations while Dorado emerges from perpetual dusk into full daylight.

Strategic Implications of Environmental Changes

The embedded playtest videos demonstrate Havana’s conversion to nighttime combat. Although the attacking team only progressed through the initial section during this session, the preview reveals significant strategic implications. The Cuban capital undergoes a complete atmospheric shift—illuminated buildings, streetlights casting elongated shadows across payload paths, and ambient lighting that transforms familiar sightlines.

This lighting overhaul creates what essentially functions as a new tactical environment. Darker areas provide enhanced cover for flanking heroes like Sombra or Reaper, while illuminated zones become natural kill boxes that advantage defensive positions. The warm glow of streetlights doesn’t just beautify the map—it creates visual waypoints that will influence how teams navigate space and control territory.

Shift focus to Dorado, where the Mexican locale finally sheds its perpetual nighttime aesthetic. Players have speculated about daylight Dorado since Castillo Deathmatch offered glimpses of the environment under different lighting conditions. The playtest footage delivers the complete experience: vibrant building facades, enhanced color saturation, and environmental details previously obscured by shadow.

Practical Impact on Gameplay and Meta

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Daylight fundamentally alters Dorado’s gameplay dynamics. The enhanced visibility benefits long-range heroes like Widowmaker and Ashe, who can now utilize sightlines previously limited by darkness. However, this also means defensive positions become more exposed, requiring teams to develop new strategies for holding key chokepoints. The color contrast between buildings creates natural visual separation that will help players quickly identify enemy positions during chaotic team fights.

While new heroes and original maps understandably dominate Overwatch 2 conversations, these classic map revamps deliver tremendous value to veteran players. The environmental changes force re-evaluation of established strategies and muscle memory, providing fresh challenges within familiar spaces. As development progresses toward release, these modifications signal Blizzard’s commitment to preserving what works while eliminating visual stagnation.

Advanced Player Considerations and Common Pitfalls

Experienced players should prepare for several strategic adjustments when these revamped maps launch. On Havana, expect sniper sightlines to shift dramatically—darkened areas will conceal defensive setups but also hide approaching threats. Teams that traditionally hold specific high ground positions may need to reconsider based on new lighting conditions that either expose or protect those locations.

Common mistakes will include playing Dorado as if it were still a night map—overestimating cover that’s now illuminated or failing to utilize new visual cues. The increased color saturation means camouflage abilities and skins that worked well in shadows may become more visible. Advanced players should study the playtest footage frame-by-frame to identify which flank routes have gained or lost effectiveness based on the lighting changes.

Optimization tips include adjusting monitor brightness and contrast settings specifically for these maps, as the extreme lighting differences between Havana’s darkness and Dorado’s brightness could impact target acquisition. Consider hero selections that leverage the new environments—Havana’s shadows favor ambush specialists while Dorado’s clarity benefits precision-based characters.

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