Summary

  • Heroes of the Storm celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new event where every hero is free until June 15.
  • Other updates include a new Gear Head Thrall skin, anniversary portraits, and nostalgic changes.
  • Despite no official revival, future unreleased skins may come as Blizzard continues to support the game.

Heroes of the Storm is celebrating its 10th anniversary in a big way, with two free portraits, a brand-new Thrall skin in the shop, and an event where every hero is free for a limited time. From now through June 15, players who log in can add these new Heroes of the Storm portraits to their collections before trying any hero in the game.

It has officially been 10 years since Heroes of the Storm first launched. Though Blizzard’s iconic crossover MOBA has been in maintenance mode for the last several years, Heroes of the Storm continues to receive periodic balance updates and bug fixes, keeping the game going despite the lack of new content.

heroes of the storm may 2025 balance update anniversary
Heroes of the Storm Reveals May 2025 Update Ahead of 10-Year Anniversary

Heroes of the Storm rolls out an impressive update only a few weeks before Blizzard's all-star MOBA celebrates 10 years of live service.

By 

Now, Heroes of the Storm is holding an exciting celebration for the major milestone. From now until the next update on June 15, fans can play every single character in Heroes of the Storm in any game mode, even if they haven’t unlocked them yet. In addition to this free hero event, players can also unlock two anniversary portraits simply by logging into the game during this time period.

If that wasn't enough, Heroes of the Storm also released a brand-new skin in the form of Gear Head Thrall. This never-before-seen cosmetic renders the iconic Warchief of the Horde in World of Warcraft as a mechanic, featuring a unique cell-shaded style not seen in any other skin. The skin can be purchased in the shop for 1500 Gems – a cash value of $15, though the currency can also be earned through gameplay.

The anniversary update also included some other fun changes, including a nostalgic makeover of the main menu and startup music. A handful of other balance adjustments and bug fixes have been made as well, including the removal of the minimum cast range for many hero abilities, such as Brightwing’s Arcane Flare, Hanzo’s Sonic Arrow, and Tychus’s Frag Grenade.

As exciting as this event is, this Heroes of the Storm announcement could mean the MOBA will never be getting an official revival. Many fans have been hoping Microsoft would revive the game after its acquisition of Blizzard, especially given the recent Xbox Game Pass Ultimate perks Heroes of the Storm recently received. That said, its 10th anniversary would have been the perfect time for such an announcement, so the fact it didn’t happen possibly means it never will. Even so, Blizzard did say the Classic Games team was searching the archives for other unreleased Heroes of the Storm skins like Gear Head Thrall, so at the very least, players could see more of them in the future.

Heroes of the Storm Patch Notes – June 2, 2025

New patch arrived to celebrate 10 Year Anniversary of Heroes of the Storm! Read on for more information.

General

  • All Heroes will be free starting from now until June 15th.
  • NEW: All players will receive two new portraits to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Heroes.
  • Players who are unable to purchase gems in-game can now purchase gems in the Battle.net shop.
  • Gem quantities have been standardized in all regions and prices have been adjusted to affect this change. Previous bonus value has been incorporated in the new price.
  • Updated Homescreen and Startup Music. CAUTION: May cause nostalgia.
  • Updated Startup Loading Screen.

Shop

  • NEW SKIN: Gear Head Thrall

Bug Fixes

Heroes

  • Brightwing
    • Base
      • Arcane Flare [Q]
        • Minimum cast range removed.
        • No longer bypasses flight time when cast inside Brightwing's space.

  • E.T.C.
    • Level 20
      • Power of the Horde
        • Fixed missing cast animations.
        • Fixed missing Power of the Horde cast visual.

      • Ride the Lightning
        • E.T.C. Will now face the direction that Ride the Lightning is cast in.
        • Fixed missing cast animations.

  • Gazlowe
    • Level 10
      • Grav-O-Bomb 3000
        • Minimum cast range removed.
        • No longer bypasses flight time when cast inside Gazlowe's space.

  • Hanzo
    • Base
      • Sonic Arrow [E]
        • Minimum cast range removed.
        • No longer bypasses flight time when cast inside Hanzo's space.

  • Murky
    • Base
      • Pufferfish [W]
        • Minimum cast range removed.
        • No longer bypasses flight time when cast inside Murky's space.

  • Orphea
    • Base
      • Shadow Waltz [Q]
        • Reverted fix that caused Orphea to not dash when moving after hitting an enemy Hero with Shadow Waltz. We will continue to investigate.

  • Tychus
    • Base
      • Frag Grenade [W]
        • Minimum cast range removed.
        • No longer bypasses flight time when cast inside Tychus' space.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Heroes of the Storm Tag Page Cover Art
9 /10

Heroes of the Storm
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MOBA
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Systems
PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
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Released
June 2, 2015
ESRB
t
Developer(s)
Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Blizzard Entertainment
Engine
Proprietary Engine
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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This free-to-play online team brawler assembles a diverse cast of characters from Blizzard’s far-flung realms of science fiction and fantasy, including the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo universes, and challenges them to compete in epic, adrenaline-charged battles. 

Thrall, Kerrigan, Diablo, Arthas, Zeratul, Tyrael—they’re all here and ready to test their might in the forge of eternal combat. Who will stand with you in battle? Build and customize heroes from across every Blizzard universe to suit your play style. Team up with your friends and engage in fast-paced mayhem across battlegrounds that impact strategy and change the way you play the game.

Good players win. Great ones win while dressed to kill. Distinguish yourself in battle with dozens of unique heroes, skins, and mounts, then customize your hero’s talents and choose heroic abilities. 

The game features an array of gameplay modes for players of every skill level, including Cooperative, in which players team up against computer-controlled opponents, and Quick Match, an accessible way to jump in and play versus others. Experienced players can also join forces against other teams of players in highly competitive, draft-style ranked play.

Genre(s)
MOBA
Platform(s)
PC
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty