The Overwatch dating sim and its associated rewards are back for a limited time, but it's still got far fewer romances than its China-exclusive counterpart

Loverwatch—the cheeky browser-based dating sim where you win the hearts of various Overwatch heroes—is back. It first appeared as an impromptu Valentine's Day celebration in 2023, and back then you could romance Genji, Hanzo, or Mercy. Last year, western Overwatchers howled in lonely despair as China got an exclusive sequel of sorts to the event which included a different, larger selection of heroes, and even though the sim's back, the lonely howling will continue..

For the first time since 2023, you can play the dating sim again, but it doesn't come bearing any new romance paths. You can, however, get the rewards you might have missed the first time around: a few profile icons and titles, as well as the Cupid's Kiss highlight intro for Hanzo. If you want to find love by following a written guide instead of your heart, we have the technology for that.

That's not to say there are no changes this time around. Players have spotted new dialogue teasing something involving Ramattra (even though the sim still calls the shooter Overwatch 2, a game that no longer exists), and it has beefed-up mobile support in case you want to gaze lovingly into Hanzo's eyes at the grocery store.

Still, I sympathize with the players who long for more. Time and time again, competitive games come in hot with a bite-sized spinoff that teases a world of possibilities, and then it's promptly taken down as it was only ever intended to be a seasonal novelty. Am I saying Blizzard should pull its focus from the currently thriving Overwatch to add more options to a limited-time dating sim? If it means Reaper and I can spend a cold Valentine's Day night by the fire together, absolutely.

Loverwatch is available to play in-browser through March 1.