Overwatch Loot Box Odds Revealed Following Chinese Regulation

If Overwatch players are familiar with anything, it's the game's loot boxes — rewards for rank-ups and various numbers of match wins — and their tendency to almost never give the most desired cosmetic items. Players have often complained about the poor drop rates for Epic and Legendary items, which include things like costumes, voice lines, and emotes. Now, thanks to new regulations in China, Blizzard has disclosed the exact odds of players receiving different types of loot box items.

The new regulation over China's gaming market went into effect this month, and it requires that developers reveal the exact probabilities of rewards for randomized items that can be purchased with real money. This applies to many popular online games, including League of Legends and Dota 2, as well as Blizzard's Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, in addition to Overwatch.

As per the new requirements, Blizzard has posted the breakdown of loot boxes on the Chinese Overwatch website. It reveals that every loot box contains at least one Rare (blue) item, while on average an Epic (purple) item will be in every 5.5 boxes, and a Legendary (orange) item in every 13.5 boxes.

It's worth noting that these drop rates are specific for the Chinese version of Overwatch, and there's no mention of the probabilities for regions like North America, nor a requirement to disclose them. However, it seems unlikely that these odds would be different for different markets of the world, and, personally speaking, they seem accurate when compared to my own play experiences.

Overwatch players can buy loot boxes with real money in varying amounts, often at a rate of $1 per box. However, that's not the only way to get the rewards. The boxes can be earned at each rank-up milestone, by getting a certain number of wins in the Arcade mode, and by participating in seasonal events when they're active.

SOURCE Blizzard