Though it is a recent release, Overwatch has quickly taken the world by storm from 2016. With its Team Fortress 2 like setup, incredible cast of bizarre and unique characters and overall charm, it has quickly attracted cosplayers from cons across the board. With a total of twenty-three characters in the game, Overwatch has no shortage of characters to replicate, and each have distinctively unique looks to them. In short, it is hard to mix up one character for another when it comes to Overwatch cosplay. No matter what convention you run into, you are sure to spot an Overwatch character somewhere in the crowd.

This is especially true for the female characters in Overwatch. Favorites that often crop up in pictures are Mei, Tracer and D.VA. Female characters include: Tracer, Mei, Zarya, Widowmaker, D.VA, Ana, Mercy, Symmetra, Pharah, and Pharah – though some might argue on other characters who are a bit more androgynous or mysterious. Considering the complexity of most of the character’s costumes in-game, these tend to be highly creative and complex, as was similar with the game art released by Blizzard. Some prefer the scantily clad approach when it comes to Overwatch ladies, and many famous cosplayers across cons have taken this approach. No matter how threadbare or showing, however, the spirit of the game still resonates within all the Tracers, Meis, Sombras and Mercys that tend to show up.

The male characters are just as diverse and interesting to look at as the females are, mind you. With male characters being: Genji, McCree, Reaper, Soldier 76, Hanzo, Junkrat, Torbjorn, Roadhog, Winston, Lucio and Reinhardt. Zenyatta and Bastion fall on the robotic side of mysterious, but fans of the game have their own theories which may contradict the official Blizzard guides. Regardless, these characters are just as much fun – both to dress as and to see at conventions. Some of the most creative costumes come from the robotic figures like Zenyatta and Bastion, though android or cyborg like costumes tend to be more difficult to incorporate than others in some cases. Popular costumes tend to be Hanzo, Winston, Lucio, Genji and Reaper. You might also see a lot of Junkrats’ in costume across the board – he is definitely an interesting character to try and replicate.

Regardless of who the character from Overwatch is, cosplayers have, again, come out in full to display both their love of the game and their creativity. With some being able to put together an amazing Mei costume, fur-line coat and all, some have gone as far as to build Mercy’s wings in a fully working manner – well, not flight ready, but they can pop open for sure. Some have gone the extra length to get Hanzo’s sword model or replicate it by using real blacksmithing techniques and some have even gone on to build a to-scale replica of Genji’s armor. That is the thing about both the Overwatch community and the cosplay community; they share their passion for what they love in some of the most creative, unique and interesting manners that other cosplayers, fans of the game or simple convention goers have ever seen.

If you are a fan of Overwatch and are heading to any convention across the world soon, definitely keep a look out for any of the Overwatch characters, and then some. You might even find a full cast from the game meandering about or just having lunch together and discussing strategies for dealing with waves. Both which way, you are no doubt going to see some real passion for both Overwatch and cosplay while out and about, and it is something that is truly worth the time to stop and appreciate – maybe even a good photo opportunity or two. The creativity and passion of fandoms and cosplayers is one of the best parts of conventions, and the effort they put into their costumes is typically nothing short of amazing. Some spend hundreds of hours just to wear it for a few days. That kind of dedication is a sight to behold. Again, whether you just love Overwatch, seeing amazing costumes or cosplaying in general, be sure and keep an eye out at the next convention or even the next Halloween.