Overwatch, the game formerly known as Overwatch 2, debuted on Steam back in 2023, and was quickly downvoted into oblivion, becoming the platform’s lowest-rated game for a time. As Blizzard has worked to improve the game (and succeeded, in my opinion), sentiment around it has gradually improved, and the shooter is arguably in the best state it’s ever been in. Now, after having been dragged to hell and back, Overwatch is sitting comfortably at…mixed reviews on Steam.
Make no mistake, the negative reviews remain as harsh as ever, whether they’re criticizing the game’s expensive microtransactions or the mental toll it takes to queue up with a bad team, but now the split between praise and pummeling is starting to even out.
“This game is pretty much the only shooter I enjoy nowadays,” one review reads. “The attention to detail is unmatched in the art, music and narrative, but also in gameplay design, mechanics and strategic and team-building possibilities. Every hero feels almost like a different game, each kit thoroughly designed to fit the ‘hero fantasy’ as they call it. Meaning every character has their aesthetic, personality and lore, which is revealed through the gameplay and dialog.
I love the universe they have created here and I’m enjoying the constant updates and new heroes.”
Some reviewers acknowledge they have an unhealthy relationship with Overwatch, one characterized by rage-inducing teams, interrupted ults, and a Sombra camping outside your spawn waiting to pounce on you. Those ebbs and flows of joy and dread are familiar to most people who have experienced a night of several bad games in a row.
“The absolute hatred I feel every day when opening this abomination from hell makes my blood boil,” a negative review reads. “That being said, I do play on an almost daily basis. Also played a ton [on] consoles and I can say it sucks just as much there. Anyways, screw this game and see you online tomorrow.”
I suppose a hooked-but-angry playerbase is better in the eyes of a developer than one that isn’t engaged at all? At the very least, the Steam reviews are slowly making their way out of the gutter.
Overwatch is in the midst of a sort of soft reboot after dropping the 2 from its title and recentering narrative development in its seasonal rollout. The game is getting 10 new heroes across 2026, each of which plays a part in the ongoing story Blizzard is telling through comics, audio dramas, and short stories. Thus far, it’s been going pretty well, and delivering the kinds of story and character moments that fans have been clamoring for since the game launched in 2016.
