Overwatch Season 26 DPS tier list - Every damage dealer ranked

Character selection and swapping is an integral part of Overwatch, knowing which heroes are best for different situations can lead to victories, racking up SR, and eventually moving up in the ranks. 

Of course, each meta some heroes stand out above the rest, and with Season 26 ongoing and a plethora of balance changes coming every month, we're here to walk you through the best DPS heroes to play ranked in Overwatch.

We'll be using a standard tiermaker graphic for this one. Do keep in mind that these are general tips, with some things being highly dependable on the map you're playing, your comfort picks, rank, and more.

• Read more: Overwatch February 11 patch notes: Orisa and Winston buffs, Wrecking Ball nerfed

Having said that, let's get to it.

(Image: Tiermaker)

Here's the explanation for each tier:

• S - Absolute must pick, regardless of map or team composition. In the right hands, it can solo carry entire games. 
• A - Can have very high impact on any map and any rank. Would need to mesh well with the rest of the team.
• B - Map dependant or more niche picks. Can work with a team that synergizes well. Easily counter picked if the enemy team works together. 
• C - Can work as part of a prepped strat. Only viable in very specific areas of certain maps. 
• D - Almost useless, but fill a very specific role as niche surprise picks in the meta.
• F - Don't waste your time. Trash picks. Usually requires the player to put too much effort for very little value, easily counter picked, in desperate need of buffs. 

(Image: Tiermaker)

S-Tier

Ashe - No amount of nerfs have been able to make the socialité queen less of a threat. Initially, she barely saw any play at a high and professional level, however, players finally managed to unlock her true potential thanks to insane AoE damage with her dynamite, and her primary fire which can put ridiculous amounts of damage if you manage to be precise and hit those sweet headshots. 

Echo - The last Overwatch hero to be added to the game almost a year ago has been a force to be reckoned with in recent months. She's got a high learning curve, but once you figure out the best way to utilize her toolkit, which boasts high mobility and ridiculous burst damage capabilities, you'll be dominating your lower-ranked games and climbing easily. Even at Grandmaster level, Echo is almost a must-pick

A-Tier

Tracer - The Overwatch poster gal is still a very strong pick as a DPS hero. Brigitte being a shadow of her former self allows good Tracers to dominate with a high tempo and smart cooldown usage. Again, like Echo, she's a character that requires tons of hours put into to improve your craft, but the payout is worth it.

Widowmaker - Yeah, the Widows you run into while in Gold might not make it seem like she's strong, but a character that still has one-shot kill potential, especially if powered up by a Mercy, will always be top-tier. Recent nerfs to her health and range have made her fall behind Ashe in the hitscan department.

Hanzo - You'll never be able to convince me that Hanzo will never not be, at the very least, a decent pick. His arrows pack some serious punch, Storm Arrow is a high damaging ability that can melt shields, decent mobility with his leap, and of course, his Ultimate synergizes with some of the most used Tanks in the game, like Zarya and Sigma.

B-Tier

(Image: Blizzard Entertainment)

Reaper- Reaper seems like a go-to at lower ranks thanks to being an insanely easy and one-dimensional character. You can take advantage of poor Tank players that don't know how to pressure you off, however, as you climb, you'll face the harsh reality that he's not what he used to be during the Mei-Reaper meta.

Doomfist - An annoying character in a vacuum. Yes, he's got very disruptive abilities, but if you're smart about engages and counter pick accordingly, Doomfist requires his entire team to pour so many resources into him it might not be worth playing him.

Mei - Once a must-pick, the meta shift has made her less of an integral part of any winning comp. Still very hard to deal with, you can force teams to swap from their comfort picks thanks to insane sustainability, disruption, and an Ultimate that can cover entire points of certain maps. 

McCree - The cowboy's been struggling for a long time to find a place in the meta. Outranged by Widows, out-DPSed by Ashes, with one of the worst Ultimates in the game if you're not playing bots, his only real value is the stun that can prevent your backline from getting obliterated by Tracers or other flankers.

Torbjorn - As Overwatch moved from fast-paced engages with dive to the slow burn that was GOATs, which eventually evolved with role lock, Torbjorn has crept his way into the meta for a little while. His turret can be pesky to deal for flankers and his Ultimate can be a powerful zoning tool, but ultimately, playing the character in wide maps like Junkertown won't end well for you.

Symmetra - The meme dream turned into a reality for all Symm one-tricks, as the character is far from the throw pick she once was. Her teleport provides a unique tool for potential match-winning plays, her turrets can rack up damage if unattended, and her Ultimate can give your team like no other. Of course, like Torbjorn, a Symmetra in maps like Junkertown or Hollywood is less of a threat than one in King's Row.

C-Tier

(Image: Blizzard Entertainment)

Sombra - The Mexican hacker has always relied on her team to follow up on hacks, EMPs, and damage. Now more than ever she's a facilitator that only real specialists can make work. Can work as a counter pick to characters like Echo or Doomfist with enough coordination.

Bastion - Overwatch's tried and true noob stomper. If you can't deal with a Bastion, chances are, you don't deserve to get out of Silver. Yeah, he has high damage, but his slow mobility and unreliable self-heal make him a prime target for a six-man all-out dive. Good luck finding players willing to coordinate at lower levels, though. 

Junkrat - People who prefer to relax and put no effort into their gameplay love this character. No real need to aim, great burst damage, a bad Ultimate that can get a lot of value at lower levels, the higher you climb the quickly you'll realize what Junk's weaknesses are, as he gets absolutely rolled by hitscan players with good aim.

D-Tier

(Image: Blizzard Entertainment)

Genji - The cyborg-ninja is a weird character. Nerf him a little, he becomes bottom of the barrel, slight buff and he's overtuned with the community petitioning for an immediate nerf. The reality is, Genji needs a ton of resources, great aim, extremely good awareness, and knowing how to get value out of one of the hardest Ultimates to execute in the entire game. He's not bad, just too difficult for the little reward you might end up getting in return.

Soldier: 76 - Vanilla-man himself. At this point, Soldier exists to help new players guide them through the tutorial. His Helix Rocket is laughably bad as a burst damage option compared to Ashe's dynamite, he doesn't have the same DPS output of other hitscans and his self-heal will barely keep him alive against the barrage of damage thrown at him if he stands still for more than three seconds.

F-Tier

Pharah

Blizzard, please do something. Pharah at this point is a worse version of Echo. Less mobility, no real burst damage, her rockets require a ton of precision and prediction to hit, one of the worst Ultimates in the game, needs Mercy pocket at all times. Simply put, the Rocket Queen deserves better.