Quick Links
All my gaming friends have already waved goodbye to Overwatch 2, and really, I don’t blame them. The sequel replaced a game they loved, the shop and microtransactions are always lurking, and the promised single-player content hasn’t quite landed. Matches can feel different from what they remembered, and the online chatter ranges from frustrated to outright harsh. For them, stepping away was the right move.
For me, walking away alongside them would’ve made perfect sense. But here I am, still queuing up matches, stubbornly, like a ritual I can’t shake. Call it a habit, call it nostalgia, call it whatever you want - I call it pure, unrepentant fun.
2016 Me Would Be Proud
Part of it is history. Overwatch was one of the first games I ever truly built a shrine to in my brain. Back in 2016, I was a journalism student, and I poured hundreds of hours into it. I learned the maps and perfected that perfect mid-match hero swap. It’s one of the reasons I write about games now.
The way it demanded attention to tiny details, the way it rewarded creativity under pressure. There’s nostalgia in it, sure, but it laid the foundation for the way I approach and appreciate games now.
Expert Level Messing Around
Still, nostalgia alone doesn’t keep someone hitting ‘Play Again’. For me, the real hook is the new systems. Perks are delightfully sneaky in their brilliance. They don’t upend the game; they just bend it enough that I can feel clever without overthinking. I swap them mid-match, experiment with combinations, and sometimes accidentally discover something that weirdly works. There’s a joy in those tiny experiments that’s hard to describe unless you’ve spent a week trying to get a perfect triple elimination with a Sombra hack in a match.
Then there’s Stadium mode. Building a hero to fit exactly how I want to play has become the kind of creative, borderline ridiculous fun that I didn’t even know I wanted from a shooter. I can test silly strategies and make weird hero builds. Sometimes it works beautifully. Sometimes it looks like a cartoon explosion. Both outcomes are equally satisfying. Stadium mode turns each match into a little laboratory of gameplay, and I’ve lost count of how many hours I’ve happily poured into it.
Overwatch 2 still manages to deliver those weird, unquantifiable moments that make multiplayer gaming fun: the last-second clutch, the accidental team wipe, the unspoken coordination that happens when everyone’s actually paying attention. The Perks and Stadium systems don’t just add mechanics, they give you freedom to play in a way that’s genuinely your own.
The Internet’s Not Kind (Surprising, I Know)
Not everyone shares my enthusiasm. On Steam, Overwatch 2 carries one of the most overwhelmingly negative user ratings of any big-budget release in recent memory. Much of that frustration comes from long-term fans who felt the transition from Overwatch 1 to 2 was messy (or unnecessary), or who are still disappointed that the ambitious single-player content Blizzard once teased hasn’t materialized in the way they hoped.
Others take issue with the battle pass and monetization systems, which remain a lightning rod in conversations about modern live-service games. That baggage has shaped a lot of the public perception, even as new modes and features quietly reshape the experience for those still playing.
Fun > Everything Else
Even with that cloud hanging over the conversation, Overwatch 2 is still fundamentally fun. Close matches and those little moments of coordination, they’re all still here. Only now I’ve got even more toys to play with and the freedom to shape my hero in ways 2016-me never would’ve dreamed of.
So, my friends have moved on, and yes, Overwatch 2 has plenty of reasons to be criticized. But for me, the game still delivers that same thrill that hooked me almost a decade ago. It’s absurd. It’s infuriating. It’s messy. But it’s also fun. And right now, that’s reason enough to keep playing.
Overwatch 2
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77/100 Critics Rec: 65%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Cross Save
- yes
- Franchise
- Overwatch
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- n/a
- Early Access Release
- October 4, 2022
- PC Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- PS5 Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- August 10, 2023
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Switch, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- How Long To Beat
- 35 hours
- X|S Optimized
- n/a
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
Your comment has not been saved