Overwatch 2 launch time: When you can play, preload, download size, and more

Overwatch 2, a modern relaunch of Blizzard’s hero shooter that launched in 2016, is just a few days away from releasing. It promises to shake up the Overwatch experience in several significant ways, and ultimately represents the dawn of a new era for the award-winning title. While it’s less of a sequel and more of a massive update to the game’s foundations, Overwatch 2 nevertheless offers fans plenty of reasons to get excited.

In the days leading up to Overwatch 2’s full launch, many fans have wondered when the game is going live, as well as how big it’s going to be and when it will be available for preload. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know so you can be ready to play at release.

What is Overwatch 2?

While the title “Overwatch 2” implies that the game is a sequel, it’s more accurate to think of it as a huge update for the original game that overhauls its core systems and  transitions it over to a new business model. The biggest change it brings is the move from a 6v6 format to a 5v5 one, removing one tank hero from each team. This has been done to promote more active gameplay, as matches would often come to a standstill in the original game due to how powerful strategies like “double shield” were with two tank heroes.

To compensate for this, tank heroes have been buffed so that they can solo tank effectively, and both damage and support characters have gotten big adjustments as well. Overwatch 2 has also significantly reduced or removed most stun and crowd control abilities from the game in an effort to make the moment-to-moment gameplay less frustrating. For a full breakdown of how each character has been tweaked, refer to our guide on Overwatch 2’s hero changes and reworks.

Overwatch 2 also makes Blizzard’s hero shooter free-to-play, and replaces its aging loot box system with seasonal 80-tier Battle Passes that are similar to the ones found in games like Apex Legends and Valorant. There’s a free and $10 Premium version of the Battle Passes, and both of them offer cosmetic rewards, with the latter offering instant access to new heroes, a 20% XP boost, and a new type of unlock called Mythic skins that are highly customizable. Free-to-play users, meanwhile, can unlock new heroes by reaching Tier 55 on the Battle Pass they’re available from.