Overwatch 2
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Overwatch 2 Media
Overwatch 2 | Game Overview (Reveal Event Clip)
Overwatch Animated Short | “The Wastelander” [4K]
Overwatch 2: Reveal Event | June 16
Critic Reviews for Overwatch 2
An aimless-feeling revamp of 2016's best multiplayer game, slightly coarsened by free-to-play grinding.
Overwatch 2 revitalizes the stagnant hero shooter, but misunderstands what made it great.
Overwatch 2's core gameplay is an absolute blast, but it mostly consists of content that already existed with annoying progression added to the mix.
Overwatch 2’s switch to a 5v5 format breathes new life into what was once the sharpest shooter around. It just hasn’t quite recaptured all of that glory – yet.
Overwatch 2 doesn’t flip the formula the way you might expect a long-awaited, numbered sequel would. But through various clever tweaks, it’s a well-rounded evolution of the experience into which I’ve poured more than a thousand hours since 2016. I may never recreate the magic of those first few years in Overwatch, but Overwatch 2 is a big step towards restoring the faith in the franchise and has me thinking it’s time to pour a few more hundred hours into my favorite team-based shooter.
Overwatch 2 improves upon the core gameplay and characters fans love, but loses some of its predecessor's spirit in the process.
Overwatch 2 still has the same enjoyable gameplay loop and incredible character design from Blizzard’s original hero shooter. But this free-to-play update is iterative, rather than groundbreaking.
Overwatch 2 is a lot of things, but a proper sequel to the original Overwatch is not one of them. Although a few new maps and heroes are welcome, and the gameplay itself remains just as enjoyably intense as it always was, there is nothing here that feels innovative or notable enough to justify that '2' in the title. At this stage, Overwatch 2 feels more like a few updates Blizzard could have pushed to the original release. Couple this with the heightened focus on monetization and the absence at launch of the promised co-op story content, and you're left with an experience that feels like it falls short of the potential it had. As a live service free-to-play game, perhaps time will eventually see this new release grow in fresh and unexpected ways to eventually prove itself a worthy sequel, but the game we have at launch feels just 'fine'. At any rate, it costs you nothing but time to try, and it is just about as fun in a match as it always has been. As long as you're not too bothered by what it could have been, we'd recommend giving Overwatch 2 a shot.
Industry Coverage
Overwatch 2 Director Responds to Stadium Mode's Biggest Issue
Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller responds to complaints surrounding Stadium mode's biggest problem following its release.
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'What I Want To Protect Most Here Is the People’ Overwatch 2 Devs Have Unionized
Team 4, the developers responsible for creating and maintaining Overwatch 2, form the second wall-to-wall union at Blizzard Entertainment.
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Overwatch 2 Reveals Patch Notes for May 8 Update
A new Overwatch 2 update is live for all players, and Blizzard shares the patch notes detailing what changes have been made to the game.
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Overwatch 2 Confirms New Flashpoint Map For Season 17
Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller confirms the third map for the Flashpoint game mode will be arriving as a part of the Season 17 update.
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