


You can acquire the season one premium battle pass for 1,000 credits (a $10 purchase), and buy cosmetics in the shop with that same currency. Overwatch 2 is free to download and play. Enter the code and your account will be verified. Click Continue and you'll receive a verification code via text. You can enable SMS Protect by logging into your account, going to Account Details > Phone Number and entering your phone number. The blog post says this measure help protect the community against cheating. However, any Overwatch accounts that are not linked to a Blizzard account will still need to link their account to a phone number, as will new players. Any Overwatch player with a connected account, which includes all players who have played since June 9, 2021, will not have to provide a phone number to play." The day after Overwatch 2 launched, a community manager posted a status update blog saying, "We have made the decision to remove phone number requirements for a majority of existing Overwatch players. Blizzard originally stated that "certain types of phone numbers, including prepaid and VOIP, cannot be used for SMS Protect." The decision, which was intended to combat cheating and other disruptive behavior was criticized for leaving new and existing players behind: Of US adults ages 18-29, 38% have a prepaid plan, according to YouGov data. New players can download the game by searching for Overwatch 2 on or the Nintendo, PlayStation or Xbox online stores.īlizzard has shifted from its original stance that all accounts would need a verified phone number in order to launch the game. Just go to the game, check for updates, and the Overwatch 2 update should begin to download immediately. If you own the original Overwatch, the sequel is available to you as an update (admittedly a very large update - about 50GB on PC and 30GB on console), which means you don't need to download a separate game. The heroes are expected to be available again once the bugs are fixed. Torbjorn is also removed from competitive play while the developers fix a bug that allowed him two uses of a single-use ability. Bastion removed from Overwatch 2īefore you jump in, note that the hero Bastion has been temporarily taken out of the game due to a game-breaking bug that gave him an overpowered ultimate ability. This model is an attempt by Blizzard to fulfill the original promise of Overwatch. The sequel fully commits to a live-service, free-to-play model where the game continually receives new content, in the form of seasonal content with new heroes, new maps and major balance patches each season. Eventually, the game will also feature new story missions, though those won't be coming until next year.įirst announced at BlizzCon 2019, Overwatch 2 represents a big shift for the series. The game removes one tank from PVP gameplay and adds a new battle pass system to the game. Overwatch 2, the sequel to Blizzard's class-based hero shooter, is finally here.
