Overwatch is one of my favorite games of all time. The original Overwatch blew me away at the time of its release in 2016 and has become quite easily my most-played game ever. I played the original game constantly for years, met some of my best friends on it (including one that flew out to be a groomsman at my brother’s wedding), and even though I occasionally took extended breaks, Blizzard’s hero-shooter stayed a major part of my gaming rotation. In 2022, I had the privilege of playing the long-awaited Overwatch 2 before it was released to the public, but I came away with mixed emotions.
When Overwatch 2 was originally pitched to fans by former director Jeff Kaplan, it was promised to be a massive upgrade, introducing ambitious new modes, a full-blown campaign with skill trees, and so much more. Ultimately, Jeff Kaplan left Blizzard and while all of that promised content was still supposedly on the way, the scope of Overwatch 2‘s launch was reduced significantly. Instead of this massive step forward that fans waited years for, Overwatch 2 launched in a troubled early access state that made sweeping changes — many not for the better.
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After playing Overwatch religiously for years and holding it in high regard as one of my favorite games of all time, I gave Overwatch 2 a 6/10, based on its early access launch state. To say I was hugely disappointed with Overwatch 2‘s early access launch would be an understatement. But I still stuck with the game. There were some Overwatch 2 Seasons that I didn’t play, but I was regularly drawn back in, whether by habit or because Blizzard was adding something that genuinely compelled me. Over time, Overwatch 2 evolved into a significantly better product, and now that it has been relaunched and is simply “Overwatch” yet again, it’s time to see just how much better the game is in 2026.
What I Said About Overwatch 2 in My 2022 Review
“It’s still distinctly Overwatch, but it’s more action-packed and exciting than ever before.”
When Overwatch 2 launched in early access and erased the original game from existence, it dropped the 6v6 format in favor of a 5v5 set-up where each team would have one Tank, two Damage, and two Support characters. This necessitated making major changes to the Tank role, with Blizzard completely revamping characters like Orisa and Doomfist, and significantly buffing the other Tanks on the roster. The switch to 5v5 was hugely controversial, but it did make the game faster-paced. Still, there were those that missed Overwatch 2‘s 6v6 gameplay and were sad to see it go, myself included.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
It took a couple of years, but Overwatch eventually brought 6v6 back as an option, and that’s really the way it always should have been. In modern day Overwatch, players can choose between 5v5 or 6v6, with role queue and open queue options available as well. I always liked 5v5, but I much prefer being able to choose between it and 6v6 whenever I want.
“In favor of trying to convince people to buy the premium Battle Pass, Overwatch 2 abandons [the philosophy of giving new heroes away for free], making it so players have to either grind all the way to level 55 to unlock Kiriko, or buy the Battle Pass and unlock her right away.”
From the time Overwatch released in 2016 to Overwatch 2‘s early access launch in 2022, new heroes were given away completely free of charge. Whenever characters like Sombra, Ana, Sigma, Echo, or whoever else was added to the Overwatch roster, all players could count on having access to them. They would oftentimes be kept out of the ranked Competitive Play mode for a while, but that was otherwise the only real restriction when it came to playing as new heroes.
In one of its biggest missteps ever, Overwatch 2 decided to tie new heroes to its Battle Passes. Whereas Overwatch 1 was a paid release supported long-term by loot box microtransactions, Overwatch 2 is free-to-play, and decided to adopt elements of other live-service economies. This meant ditching loot boxes, introducing battle passes, and selling skins directly through an in-game store, usually at ridiculous prices. Overwatch players were used to getting skins for free through earned loot boxes, and so it was a hard pill to swallow, to say the least.
But blocking new heroes behind the battle passes was far more egregious. This decision meant that players either had to play a ridiculous amount of Overwatch 2 to get access to the new heroes or fork out the cash for the battle pass. In a highly competitive game like Overwatch where certain characters can completely dominate the meta, this was unacceptable to many in the community.
Blizzard listened to the feedback, reverting to the old hero distribution method of simply giving them away for free, no grinding or battle pass required. This means that all Overwatch players can play as the brand-new heroes added as part of the Season 1 re-launch and be on an even-playing field even if they choose not to buy the battle pass. Plus, Overwatch brought loot boxes back, meaning everyone can once again get new cosmetics without breaking the bank.
“Overwatch 2 is mostly composed of content that fans have already been playing through for years […]”
At the time of its early access launch, Overwatch 2 had six new maps, three new heroes, and the new (at the time) Push game mode, while simultaneously throwing Assault and its associated maps to the curb, so it hardly broke even. Plenty of new content has been added to the game since then, though, and now it’s a much more fully-featured and fleshed-out experience.
Assault maps are still gone, and Clash is getting the axe, but Overwatch added Stadium mode, Flashpoint, and new maps for the older game modes over the past four years. New heroes have been added on a regular basis as well, arriving with a cadence of every other season or so. The recent Overwatch Season 1 re-launch was a lot more ambitious, dropping five new heroes at once with one new Tank, two new Damage, and two new Supports.
There’s more to do in Overwatch than ever before. It’s still a free-to-play game, but it now gives away new heroes for free, regularly adds new maps and modes (there’s even some co-op story missions to play), and has loot boxes that give players the chance to earn free goodies like they could in the OG game. Overwatch has made incredible strides since Overwatch 2‘s disappointing 2022 early access launch. It’s safe to say, Overwatch is back, and it’s better than ever before.
- Released
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May 24, 2016
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Blood, Use of Tobacco, Violence (online interactions not rated)
- Engine
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Proprietary
