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CounterWatch
Winston

How to beat Winston

Tank · Overwatch

The best counters to Winston right now are Roadhog, Mauga, and Bastion, led by Roadhog at a +4.2 counter rating. Every hero below is ranked by how hard they beat Winston in real duels and teamfights, all ranks, updated Jul 8, 2026.

Ratings blend one-on-one duel wins (two thirds) with teamfight impact (one third), from the kill feeds of community matches. Each hero's general strength is stripped out, so a high rating means the matchup itself is lopsided, not that the hero is simply strong. Match win rate is excluded on purpose: it punishes counter picks made from behind. Counters that work by blocking damage rather than dealing it, like D.Va's Defense Matrix, are understated by kill data.

Tank13 heroes

  1. Roadhog
    Roadhog

    Takes 80% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 59% of the deaths when both are up

    +4.2High
  2. Mauga
    Mauga

    Takes 70% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 49% of the deaths when both are up

    +3.9High
  3. Wrecking Ball
    Wrecking Ball

    Takes 69% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 56% of the deaths when both are up

    +2.1Good
  4. Ramattra
    Ramattra

    Takes 61% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 52% of the deaths when both are up

    +2.1High
  5. Junker Queen
    Junker Queen

    Takes 64% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 53% of the deaths when both are up

    +2.0High
  6. Doomfist
    Doomfist

    Takes 63% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 49% of the deaths when both are up

    +2.0High
  7. Orisa
    Orisa

    Takes 60% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 50% of the deaths when both are up

    +1.4High
  8. Domina
    Domina

    Takes 57% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 54% of the deaths when both are up

    +1.4High
  9. Hazard
    Hazard

    Takes 62% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 51% of the deaths when both are up

    +1.3Good
  10. D.Va
    D.Va

    Takes 51% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 42% of the deaths when both are up

    +1.1High
  11. Reinhardt
    Reinhardt

    Takes 57% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 50% of the deaths when both are up

    +1.1High
  12. Zarya
    Zarya

    Takes 53% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 54% of the deaths when both are up

    +0.5High
  13. Sigma
    Sigma

    Takes 54% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 55% of the deaths when both are up

    +0.4High

Damage24 heroes

  1. Bastion
    Bastion

    Takes 61% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 48% of the deaths when both are up

    +2.2High
  2. Torbjörn
    Torbjörn

    Takes 34% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 29% of the deaths when both are up

    +1.9High
  3. Reaper
    Reaper

    Takes 61% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 45% of the deaths when both are up

    +1.2High
  4. Tracer
    Tracer

    Takes 54% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 45% of the deaths when both are up

    +0.8High
  5. Symmetra
    Symmetra

    Takes 44% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 46% of the deaths when both are up

    +0.6Good
  6. Mei
    Mei

    Takes 43% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 48% of the deaths when both are up

    +0.0High
  7. Cassidy
    Cassidy

    Takes 47% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 44% of the deaths when both are up

    +0.0Very high
  8. Echo
    Echo

    Takes 44% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 40% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.1High
  9. Junkrat
    Junkrat

    Takes 45% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 45% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.1High
  10. Pharah
    Pharah

    Takes 52% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 45% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.1High
  11. Freja
    Freja

    Takes 44% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 46% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.4Good
  12. Shion
    Shion

    Takes 43% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 45% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.4Very high
  13. Emre
    Emre

    Takes 44% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 46% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.6High
  14. Hanzo
    Hanzo

    Takes 45% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 47% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.7High
  15. Soldier: 76
    Soldier: 76

    Takes 42% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 44% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.9High
  16. Sojourn
    Sojourn

    Takes 40% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 43% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.9High
  17. Sombra
    Sombra

    Takes 40% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 43% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.1Good
  18. Sierra
    Sierra

    Takes 44% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 45% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.1High
  19. Ashe
    Ashe

    Takes 39% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 45% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.3High
  20. Vendetta
    Vendetta

    Takes 34% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 38% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.5Good
  21. Venture
    Venture

    Takes 38% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 43% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.5Good
  22. Anran
    Anran

    Takes 30% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 40% of the deaths when both are up

    -2.0High
  23. Genji
    Genji

    Takes 33% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 42% of the deaths when both are up

    -2.4High
  24. Widowmaker
    Widowmaker

    Takes 30% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 44% of the deaths when both are up

    -3.3High

Support14 heroes

  1. Zenyatta
    Zenyatta

    Takes 39% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 51% of the deaths when both are up

    +0.5High
  2. Baptiste
    Baptiste

    Takes 20% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 33% of the deaths when both are up

    +0.4High
  3. Mizuki
    Mizuki

    Takes 29% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 49% of the deaths when both are up

    +0.1Very high
  4. Mercy
    Mercy

    Takes 4% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 51% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.1Very high
  5. Lifeweaver
    Lifeweaver

    Takes 24% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 51% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.4High
  6. Jetpack Cat
    Jetpack Cat

    Takes 39% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 50% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.4High
  7. Illari
    Illari

    Takes 17% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 32% of the deaths when both are up

    -0.5High
  8. Lúcio
    Lúcio

    Takes 23% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 44% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.0High
  9. Ana
    Ana

    Takes 21% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 49% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.2Very high
  10. Juno
    Juno

    Takes 27% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 51% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.2High
  11. Moira
    Moira

    Takes 32% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 49% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.3Very high
  12. Kiriko
    Kiriko

    Takes 24% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 49% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.3Very high
  13. Brigitte
    Brigitte

    Takes 25% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 44% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.4High
  14. Wuyang
    Wuyang

    Takes 22% of the kills traded with Winston · Winston suffers 50% of the deaths when both are up

    -1.9High

Flip side: Winston punishes Widowmaker, Genji, and Anran hardest. Playing Winston yourself? See Winston's full stats, win rate & synergies →

Counter picking guides: Counter picking in Overwatch: a stats-backed guide · How Counterwatch calculates hero counters and synergies

Beating Winston FAQ

What is the best counter to Winston in Overwatch?
Roadhog is the strongest pick against Winston right now, with a counter rating of +4.2, followed by Mauga and Bastion. The full list below ranks every eligible hero against Winston.
How are Winston's counters calculated?
From the kill feeds of community matches: who wins the one-on-one kill trades against Winston, and whose side dies more while both heroes are on the field. Each hero's general strength is stripped out so the rating reflects the matchup itself, and match win rate is excluded entirely because counter-swappers are usually already losing when they swap. Matchups need 50 or more contributing players to appear.
Who is Winston good against?
Winston punishes Widowmaker, Genji, and Anran hardest right now. If the enemy runs one of them, staying on Winston is usually right.
Should I swap off my main to counter Winston?
Only when the matchup is genuinely lopsided. Playing your best hero into a slightly bad matchup usually beats swapping to an unfamiliar counter: the data shows counter-swappers lose more often partly because they are off their main. Use the ratings here to judge how lopsided the matchup really is before giving up your comfort pick.

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