Few people could have predicted Overwatch's cultural impact when it was released in 2016. The self-proclaimed "hero shooter" drew massive fans due to its colorful cast of characters and their unique abilities, as well as its fast-paced, multiplayer gameplay that pits two teams of six against one another. Overwatch took home numerous awards and accolades and became one of the most popular esports games in the process (it even spawned the Overwatch League in 2017). Some people consider it one of the best multiplayer games ever released.
Blizzard, the game's creator, has been battered by controversy since Overwatch 2’s initial 2019 reveal. Now Blizzard hopes it can win back public opinion by changing just enough about Overwatch to make the six-year-old PC game (also available on PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox) feel fresh. The upside? The core Overwatch goodness remains intact, with some balance adjustments to keep the game fresh and competitive. The downside? Battle pass drudgery and the cancellation of the promised PvE game mode. The Overwatch gameplay that fans love is still here, but it's made more tedious due to the free-to-play monetization shift.
Overwatch 2's New Looks and Sounds
On the surface, Overwatch 2 doesn’t look much different than its predecessor. Graphically, the game has improved lighting and shaders, as well as other new effects for fog and cloth. The heroes have new looks, too (though some changes are more significant than others). In addition, Blizzard introduced enhanced audio using its Convolution Reverb System that changes the weapon and footstep sounds depending on the environment. Still, despite these improvements, Overwatch 2 looks and feels very similar to Overwatch 1, from its UI to hero quips.
On the topic of heroes, several new characters have joined the fray. They include Sojourn (a DPS character that’s a good all-around pick for newcomers), Junker Queen (a tank with an interesting health-regain mechanic), and Kiriko (a support healer with ninja capabilities). Even more characters have been introduced since the game's launch. All of the original game's characters return in Overwatch 2, but with minor and major tweaks to make them more versatile. These changes tie into the next notable departure from the original game: the smaller team sizes.
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Overwatch 2 switches from 12-player matches to 10-player matches. This changes the player composition to one tank, two DPS, and two support heroes per team. In practice, the difference is noticeable. For example, tanks are optimized for aggressive play, so Overwatch 2 has a more nimble flow than its predecessor. In addition, roles feel less restrictive overall, which makes it easy to hop in and play, or swap heroes to your liking. Once it all clicks, matches feel even faster than they did in the original game.
Overwatch 2 Is Free to Play
The second major change is also the most controversial: Overwatch 2 is now free-to-play, taking a seasonal update approach like Fortnite and Rocket League. The first season launched alongside the game on October 4, as well as the three new heroes, six new maps, a new game mode, and a few dozen cosmetics. In addition, Blizzard killed the original Overwatch with Overwatch 2's debut, so you can no longer play the first game. Although you'll be able to carry over cosmetics and unspent coins, shutting down a paid game and shifting to a free-to-play model is sure to leave a sour taste in many gamers’ mouths.
In truth, Overwatch 2 doesn't really feel like a sequel, despite tweaks to the game’s meta. In fact, Overwatch 2's most appealing addition—the promised, ambitious player versus environment (PvE) Hero mode—has been canceled. This Hero mode was originally set to deliver expansive cooperative Story Missions and Hero Missions. With it, you would have leveled-up heroes using skill trees, and unlocked customization options that changed their abilities to create unique builds. Blizzard states that Overwatch 2 will receive some degree of PvE content in the future, but nothing quite as vast as what was promised prior to launch.
Overwatch 2 features many of the same maps from the original title, albeit with slightly enhanced graphics. We still argued with our teams over party composition, still got called slurs over voice chat, and still typed out "gg" even when it wasn't a "gg." Even the new tug-of-war game type, Push, didn't add anything too exciting. Hardcore fans may appreciate the minor changes, but the average Overwatch player might not notice much difference between the two shooters.
A Mobile Game Mindset
With the introduction of a free-to-play structure, one might argue that Overwatch 2 is an overly ambitious attempt to expand the original game. Or, a cynical mind could argue it's a clever way to restructure a beloved franchise to capitalize on the free-to-play monetization model that has been all the rave with this generation's multiplayer games.
What Overwatch 2 ultimately delivered at launch is a rebalanced expansion of the original game, with a new battle pass system that's less rewarding and more expensive than the original game. This isn’t referring only to cosmetics, mind you, though these, too, are pricey. In addition, Blizzard has completely removed the loot box system, replacing it with the battle pass and an in-game shop with rotating items and cosmetics.
This shop is about as standard as you could expect. The battle pass costs $10 in Overwatch Coins (in-game currency), and Overwatch Coins are sold in bundles of 500, 1,000, 2,200, 5,700, and 11,600 (valued as $5, 10, 20, 50, and 100, respectively). Legendary skins cost about $19 (2,000 Overwatch Coins), which is steep, but these usually come with additional emotes, victory poses, and voice lines.
If you diligently complete Overwatch 2's daily and weekly challenges, you should amass enough Overwatch Coins to afford the next season’s battle pass—a fairly industry-standard tactic. Unfortunately, free players can't earn extra credits for new skins or cosmetics; they’ll have just enough to unlock the free costumes, and that’s it. In the original game, you earned loot boxes via progression, which was more rewarding in some respects because your grinding netted enough loot to unlock cosmetic items. Your only alternative in Overwatch 2 is to save your Overwatch Coins for months for a 2,000-coin skin instead of the battle pass, but this is a terrible use of your time.
The cosmetic system is less interesting and more predatory this time around. Even this can be forgiven to an extent, but what can't easily be dismissed is the incredible grind. Completing the battle pass rewards you with worthwhile cosmetics, but only if you complete it. Unfortunately, the battle pass and its rewards are heavily dependent on you beating the daily and weekly challenges in a timely manner. You can't step away from the game and grind every other weekend to get rewards because you will inevitably miss out on challenges. The push to spend money—or grind out of obligation and the fear of missing out—is textbook mobile game design.
More frustrating is the fact that Blizzard ties its hero releases to the battle pass. At launch, the ninja shrine maiden, Kiriko, was locked to the battle pass. You could not unlock her unless you reach the 55th battle pass level or shell out cash for the $20 version of the battle pass.
With the first season now over, Blizzard has added in-game challenges for players to complete to unlock Kiriko. This has been the case with subsequent characters introduced to the game, like tank unit Ramattra and the support unit Lifeweaver. Characters are deliberately put on the battle pass to incentivize you to either grind for them or pay outright to unlock the character right away. The alternative is playing without said character, which is tricky in a game where team composition and countering opposing heroes are vitally important. It's a predatory mess.
Can Your PC Run Overwatch 2?
Overwatch 2 runs well despite its bombastic action and large-scale multiplayer gameplay. To get the game running on PC, your rig needs at least the Windows 10 (64-bit) operating system, an AMD Phenom X3 8650 or Intel Core i3 CPU, AMD Radeon HD 7000 series or Nvidia GeForce GTX 600 series GPU, 6GB of RAM, and 50GB of HD or SSD space. For an optimal experience, Blizzard recommends an AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel i7 CPU; AMD R9 380, AMD RX 6400, or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU; and 8GB of RAM.
On a desktop PC with an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 GPU, and 16GB of RAM, Overwatch 2 performed exceptionally well at 1440p resolution. With settings on High or Max, the game moved at a smooth 60 frames per second. Overwatch 2 supports cross-platform play, as well as cross-progression. Note that you must create a BattleNet account to play.
Why You Should Game on a PC
An Unorthodox Sequel
Overwatch 2's moment-to-moment gameplay is still great. It continues the original game's energetic, synergistic team-based action and adds notable balance changes that make every character feel more exciting and versatile. That said, Overwatch 2 doesn't deliver anything that sets it apart from the original outside of these changes. New characters and maps are good, but Overwatch offered new characters and rebalanced mechanics for years beyond its original release. There's a bit more gameplay variety in Overwatch 2, but nothing feels like such a radical change that Blizzard couldn't have added it to the original.
The battle pass considerably complicates matters. In many respects, it turns what used to be a fun grind for cosmetic loot into a chore. The canceled PvE mechanics only add to the disappointment, since there isn't enough new content to make the game feel like a proper, fully realized sequel. You can take a look at Blizzard's roadmap to see what the developer has planned for the coming months and decide whether you want to dive back in or wait for more content.
For more PC game reviews and previews, check out PCMag's Steam Curator page. Want in-depth video game talk? Visit PCMag's Pop-Off YouTube channel. Eager to see the new titles on the horizon? Visit The Best Video Games Coming Out in 2023.
Overwatch 2 is as fun and fast-paced as the original game, but its free-to-play structure sullies the experience.
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