Overwatch 2 — 2 hours of gameplay footage doesn’t answer biggest question

Overwatch 2 — 2 hours of gameplay footage doesn't answer biggest question

(Image credit: Blizzard)

Overwatch 2 is in the works — and sometimes, it feels similar that'due south all we know almost the game. Blizzard has been adequately chary about the multiplayer shooter sequel, revealing a handful of characters and screenshots, and not much else. However, thanks to a contempo livestream, y'all can at present watch ii-and-a-half hours of Overwatch 2 gameplay. And if that sounds like too big of a time sink, the biggest takeaway is Overwatch 2 divides players into teams of five, rather than teams of six like its predecessor.

The livestream debuted on Blizzard's official YouTube channel, and it'south still at that place, if yous desire to watch it. Overwatch personalities Matt "Mr. Ten" Morello and Mitch "Uber" Leslie hosted both Blizzard developers and popular Twitch streamers, who showed off a variety of Overwatch 2 maps, characters and gameplay features.

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It would take too long to particular every single feature that Blizzard covered over the grade of the long livestream. However, we know that multiplayer teams volition at present consist of five players apiece, equally opposed to the first game's six-player teams. Nosotros know a variety of playable characters from the first game volition be returning, including Mercy, Winston, Reaper, Tracer, Mei, Zarya, Symmetra, Genji and more. We know that players volition still accept to capture waypoints, escort vehicles and take out competitors as many times every bit possible.

In other words: If yous like Overwatch, simply feel that it needs a balmy overhaul and a scattering of new features, Overwatch ii seems like what you're waiting for.

Playable characters won't have the same abilities equally final time around, though. In terms of passive abilities, heroes who dish out damage volition movement faster; heroes who support other players volition regenerate health; heroes who soak upwardly impairment won't be knocked back as far, then forth. Other heroes will have new secondary firing options for their weapons, changes to their active abilities or complete reworkings, depending on how well they're balanced in the start game.

For all we learned nigh Overwatch 2 in the stream, however, Blizzard has yet to address ane very of import question: When is the game coming out? Overwatch 2 doesn't yet have a release engagement, a price or any platform availability. (It seems safe to assume that the game will come out on PC. The Xbox Series X, Xbox Serial S and PS5 are also good bets. Anything beyond that is anyone's gauge.)

In the meantime, the original Overwatch is still alive and well, with frequent updates and an active player base of operations. Blizzard'due south underrated MOBA, Heroes of the Tempest, besides has a fair corporeality of Overwatch heroes in information technology, so perchance that'southward worth checking out besides.

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Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom'south Guide, overseeing the site'south coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. Afterwards hours, you tin find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on archetype sci-fi.