What Time Does Overwatch Archives Event 2021 Start?

UPDATE - Overwatch Archives start date has been confirmed by Blizzard. The event begins on April 6 and will end on April 27. The first new skin has also been revealed - Mousquetaire Widowmaker!

Original Story - Overwatch hold many events throughout the year, but for fans of the games deep lore, it's the Archives event that perhaps peaks fan interests the most.

Whilst seasonal events such as Halloween Terror, Summer Games or Winter Wonderland tend to lean more towards 'seasonal' themed fun, Overwatch Archives is all about the game's characters.

It's a unique event all geared towards providing extra insight into Overwatch's history, which normally tie into some form of new PvE game mode. Plus, with Overwatch 2 coming potentially in early 2022, the next Archives event might lay one last bit of groundwork 

With the Lunar New Year 2021 event now firmly in our rearview mirror, it's time to start wondering when the Archives event will begin.

When Is Overwatch Archives 2021 Starting?

For the past year, we've been seeing Overwatch's events beginning and ending at dates that don't exactly match the times we've normally seen Seasonal events beginning in the past.

So trying to predict when the 2021 Overwatch Archives event could start is tricky.

First, let's have a look at when the event has typically started in the past:

• Archives Uprising Event 2017: Started April 11, ended May 2
• Archives Retribution Event 2018: Started April 10, ended April 30
• Archives Storm Rising Event 2019: Started April 16, ended May
• Archives Event 2020: Started March 12, ended April 2

It's clear that the Overwatch Archives event for 2021 hasn't started yet (obviously), but whilst it might be late compared to 2020, it's fairly normal to see the event begin mid-April.

It's also worth noting that Overwatch hero 'Echo' was released mid-April in 2020, which might explain why the Archives event started much earlier on March 12.

Overwatch Archives 2021 Start Date Prediction

If we had to place bets, we'd say that the event for 2021 is most likely beginning on April 8, 2021.

This would be a Thursday, which is historically the day Overwatch Seasonal events usually begin.

At a push, it's possible the event could begin as late as April 15, 2021. Again, a Thursday.

We doubt the event will begin on April 22 as that would surely be far too late for the event given past start times.

Stay tuned for more info in the coming weeks.