TL;DR
- Blizzard teased an intentionally broken Overwatch patch that ironically received positive community feedback
- Apex Legends introduced limited-time golden P2020 and Mozambique weapons with enhanced capabilities
- League of Legends shifted to community-generated content through unlocked meme policies
- Valorant debuted multiple pranks including a fake dating sim spinoff
- Riot Games focused their efforts on Valorant’s first April Fools celebration

The gaming world has fully embraced April Fools traditions, with major studios unleashing creative pranks that blend humor with gaming culture. This annual celebration showcases developers’ playful side while engaging communities through carefully crafted jokes.
Leading publishers including Blizzard, EA Games, and Riot Games have deployed everything from fake patch notes to complete game reimaginings. While some companies like Valve opted out this year, the active participants delivered memorable experiences that highlight the industry’s evolving approach to player engagement.
Blizzard took a different approach to April Fools in 2021, moving beyond traditional visual gags like googly eyes or dragon themes. The company presented a deliberately outrageous Overwatch update designed to appear so fundamentally broken it could potentially damage hardware systems.
Gravity? ❌
Ricochet Arrows? ✅
400 Health Tank Mei? ✅ ✅ ✅These are just a few choice highlights from today’s experimental patch.
???? Check out the rest https://t.co/kz1QDM32Ns pic.twitter.com/GNV3v5BKdl
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) April 1, 2021
While transformations like Mei becoming a tank hero generated excitement, other proposed changes bordered on chaotic. Ana’s Nano Boost becoming automatically self-cast when targeting allies would create unpredictable gameplay dynamics. Additional highlights included D.Va’s Call Mech becoming an instant elimination ability, McCree’s Peacekeeper automatically reloading on headshots, and Mercy’s Guardian Angel becoming usable on enemy targets.
The most surprising outcome emerged from community feedback, where several joke changes received genuine support. Symmetra specialists identified the extended Photon Projector range as addressing long-standing balance concerns after multiple reworks. Hanzo enthusiasts similarly advocated for the return of wall-bouncing arrow mechanics, demonstrating how even absurd proposals can reveal legitimate player desires.
While we know there’s no fooling y’all, we had to seize this golden opportunity to have some fun today. ???? pic.twitter.com/2cR6jx1Q0t
— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) April 1, 2021
While Overwatch teased players with intentionally ridiculous fake patches, EA Games implemented actual gameplay changes through golden weapon variants. The limited-time introduction of fully-kitted Mozambique and P2020 pistols created unexpected combat scenarios and highlight-reel moments.
These enhanced sidearms deliver surprising lethality when mastered. The P2020 combines rapid firing speed with substantial damage output and generous ammunition reserves. Meanwhile, the Mozambique equipped with Hammerpoint Rounds can devastate opponents in close to medium-range encounters. Players should prioritize experiencing these unique weapons before they’re removed, as they offer rare opportunities for unconventional playmaking.
This is the first and probably only time I’ll ever squad wipe with a p2020 @LOV3Esports @Lov3Ext @PlayApex @TitanfallBlog pic.twitter.com/iRrRPYrNn9
— ⓁⓄⓋ③ ⒺⓍⓉ Spike (@Spike4038) April 1, 2021
Riot Games has established a reputation for comprehensive April Fools executions, though 2021 represented a strategic shift toward community-generated content. Veteran players recall the original Ultra Rapid Fire (URF) mode debut during League’s 10th anniversary celebrations, which began as an April Fools joke but evolved into one of the most beloved rotating game modes.
This year’s approach leveraged existing community platforms rather than developing new in-game content. The League of Legends subreddit temporarily suspended its usual content restrictions, allowing typically prohibited memes to flourish. Content ranging from TSM organization jokes to classic Rammus references dominated frontpage discussions, demonstrating the community’s capacity for self-generated entertainment.
Social media platforms became additional battlegrounds for humorous content. Twitter saw numerous deceptive Twitlonger posts causing double-takes, while organizations like G2 Esports maintained their tradition of high-quality meme production, keeping fans anticipating potential major announcements throughout the day.
Despite reduced League of Legends involvement, Riot Games concentrated efforts on Valorant’s inaugural April Fools experience. The celebration commenced with subtle teasing directed at the game’s cosmetic collectors, particularly those pursuing premium knife skins.
We’ve heard your feedback, and like with all of our skins we try to carefully craft an alternate thematic fantasy for our skin sets instead of just doing what’s expected. With that, we are happy to present to you the first VALORANT butterfly knife!!@PlayVALORANT pic.twitter.com/F1kDFuZO1l
— Sean Marino (@oniram177) April 1, 2021
The crossover appeal with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ensured the joke resonated across multiple gaming communities. However, the primary entertainment emerged from Valorant’s April Fools patch notes, designated as Patch 33 ⅓, which contained numerous clever references and inside jokes.
Notable fictional changes included replacing Cypher with his surveillance camera as the playable character. According to the notes, Cypher mains would control the camera throughout matches, gaining access to a new ultimate ability. Once charged, Camera players could temporarily assume control of the actual Cypher character, finally enabling mobility.
The humor escalated with additional mock adjustments targeting common player frustrations. Backstab hitboxes were sarcastically reduced to “toothpick” dimensions, while Phoenix’s flashbang controls were completely inverted to address frequent misplacement issues.
The standout feature from Valorant’s debut April Fools was the announcement of Valorant: Agents of Romance. This Japanese-inspired dating simulator spinoff places the game’s formidable agents in romantic comedic situations. Developers demonstrated significant creativity in reimagining character dynamics, though romantic storylines weren’t necessarily what players envisioned when requesting expanded lore.
“As players experience the rough and tumble life of an Agent in Training, they’ll build meaningful relationships with each of VALORANT’s Agents: collecting items, going on dates, and maybe even saving the world in the process,” described the fictional game announcement.
Agents of Romance provides sufficient lighthearted content to temporarily shift Valorant away from its typically serious competitive atmosphere, offering both characters and community moments of levity.
Even Riot’s development practices became targets, with notes mocking claims about practice server limitations for cost-saving purposes. The April Fools content extends beyond these highlights, with complete change lists available through Valorant’s official channels.
Action Checklist
- Monitor official social media accounts for limited-time announcements and events
- Participate in community discussions and meme sharing during unlocked content periods
- Experience temporary gameplay changes before they expire
- Capture and share highlight moments from limited-time weapon availability
- Provide constructive feedback on experimental concepts that could inform future updates
No reproduction without permission:Game Guides Online » Valorant dating sim, OP pistols come to Apex on April Fools Gaming studios deliver hilarious April Fools pranks with fake patches, weapon drops, and dating sims
