Overwatch 2 will launch its free-to-play early access PvP mode in early October — and say goodbye to Overwatch.
Blizzard is splitting the Overwatch 2 release, with the highly anticipated PvE sometime in 2023. But the free-to-play PvP is coming to consoles and PC first, on Tuesday, October 4.
We’ll see a lot of new features rolled out after launch, such as a new guild system, a battle pass (which requires a lot of effort), and new characters. But we will also see some things being scrapped, and for the better. Loot boxes are out and the original Overwatch as we know it will be completely replaced by Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2 PvP is coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch. And this is where you can get stuck.
Overwatch 2 release time
Overwatch 2 free-to-play PvP continues live tuesday 4 october, and replaces the original Overwatch outright. There will be a whopping 27 hours of downtime between the Overwatch 1 servers going offline and the Overwatch 2 servers going live, so use that however you see fit.
A forum post (opens in new tab) helpfully dug up the text in the Overwatch 1 client with the estimated time Overwatch 2 will go live. So hold off anything that goes horribly wrong, here’s when you can expect to start playing in your time zone:
- 11am PST
- 2:00 p.m. EST
- 7pm BST
- 20:00 CEST
When will Overwatch 1 be shutting down?
Overwatch will go offline before Overwatch 2 goes live. So there will be an interim void that you can use a period of mourning, get some fresh air, or dabble in Destiny 2 while you wait.
Blizzard confirmed that sunday 2 october is the last full day that Overwatch 1 players can enjoy the game. The servers are going offline Monday October 3, and thanks to the same forum post with the estimated time in the Pacific time zone, we can figure out the rest from there. So this is when Overwatch 1 servers go offline in your time zone:
- 8 hours PST
- 11 a.m. EST
- 4 p.m. BST
- 17:00 CEST
Prepare for Overwatch 2
There are a few things you can do to prepare yourself for the Overwatch 2 launch before the servers go live — and before the Overwatch 1 servers go offline forever.
Pre-install Overwatch 2
The first is the most obvious: pre-load. Nowadays, the best practice is to download and install games as soon as you can so that you don’t waste time waiting while you could play. To pre-install Overwatch 2, you must already have Overwatch 1 or have purchased the Overwatch 2: Watchpoint Pack.
There are different pre-install dates and times for PC and console players. PC players can preload Overwatch 2 from Friday, September 30 at 1:30 PM PST / 4:30 PM EST / 9:30 PM BST / 10:30 PM CEST.
If you’re playing on console, you can pre-load Overwatch 2 a few hours before it goes live tuesday 4 october from 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm BST / 6pm CEST.
Everyone else will have to wait for Overwatch 2 servers to go live and then start installing.
Enable cross-progression Overwatch 1 and Overwatch 2
Overwatch players will be happy to know that they can transfer all stats, ranks and skins to Overwatch 2. To do this, you’ll need to merge your accounts and set everything up, so be sure to do this well in advance of Overwatch 2 going live.
This one is for console players, who may only have an Overwatch account. Overwatch 2 requires players to have a Battle.net account on all platforms. If you haven’t set one up yet, you should. There are a few things to keep in mind when merging accounts, the main one being that you only have one option to merge console accounts. So give the official FAQ (opens in new tab) read thoroughly before starting.
Link your battle.net account to your phone number
Blizzard’s new anti-cheat system means that all Overwatch 2 players must link their phone number to their battle.net account. Not everyone is happy about it, but it’s there to ward off cheaters and stop repeat offenders.
This also applies to players who own the box version of Overwatch. There is no escaping it. It will go into effect on October 4, so make sure to link your number to your account before Overwatch 2 servers go live or you won’t be able to play.
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