‘Overwatch’ Competitive Play available now on PC, ‘coming soon’ to consoles

By Gabe Gurwin June 29, 2016

overwatch new support hero overwatchhanzo — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Overwatch has become nothing short of a phenomenon in the last month, with its simple, addictive structure leading to astronomical player counts and glowing reviews. But if you’ve been looking for a bit more of a challenge– and don’t just throw down a turret as Torbjörn and walk away — you’ll want to check out the new Competitive Play option. If you’re on a PC, you can do it right now.

Competitive Play, which Blizzard says is “coming soon” to consoles, as well, is automatically unlocked once you reach level 25; for new players, this should only take a few days, giving you a chance to practice your best Genji moves before jumping into the “big show.” Similar to Hearthstone, you’ll be given a skill rating based on your performance, though it’s unclear whether you will be matched with players of similar skill level in Competitive Play.

Related: How to win with Tracer in Overwatch

But the risk-reward draw of a skill system isn’t the only change coming with Competitive Play. Game modes are being adjusted, as well. “Control” maps, which are typically “best of three” will be “best of five.”

“Escort” and “Assault” maps have seen more radical changes — instead of just winning or losing a match while on the attacking or defending team, these matches will see you playing one round of each, with points awarded for reaching checkpoints and capturing objectives, regardless of whether or not you win the round. After two rounds, the team with the most points is the winner.

Naturally, plenty of cosmetic goodies are coming with Competitive Play. Finish 10 matches in Competitive Play during a season to receive a new spray and player icon, and spend the new “competitive points” currency to unlock gold versions of weapons.

To get you ready for the Competitive Play season, be sure to check out our guides on characters like Soldier: 76 and Hanzo.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Overwatch 2 is coming to Steam, and more Blizzard games may soon be on the way

Kiriko in Overwatch 2

Blizzard Entertainment confirmed that Overwatch 2 will make its way to Steam on August 10, the same day its next season, titled Invasion, begins.

Overwatch 2 has been available on PC since its October 4, 2022, early access launch, but until now players had to download Blizzard's proprietary launcher, Battle.net, in order to play it. Although players will still need a Battle.net account that they can connect to Steam to play the game online, Overwatch 2 will be fully integrated into Valve's popular launcher, with support for things like achievements, compatibility with Steam friends lists, and Steam game invites. This launch is also timed to happen alongside the start of Season 6: Invasion, which will introduce the first batch of PvE story missions to the game.

Gaming

PC Game Pass will leverage GeForce Now in the coming months

During the "What's Next For Gaming" panel with team Xbox at the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase, corporate Vice President Sarah Bond said that PC Game Pass members will soon be able to play their catalog on GeForce Now devices.

"I'm thrilled to share with you that in the coming months, we're actually going to bring GeForce Now as something you can leverage with PC Game Pass," explained Bond.

Gaming

With PVE mode canceled, Overwatch 2 just isn’t the game for me

Two squads of heroes clash in an Overwatch 2 trailer.

When Overwatch 2 was first announced, I had good reason to be excited. I always enjoyed the series’ first installment, but I always wished there was more to it. As someone who’s not a skilled competitive player, I wanted more ways to interact with the shooter that didn’t just involve me going on big losing streaks. So I was elated when Blizzard announced it would bring a full PVE mode to the sequel. Finally, I’d have a way to get invested in the world and characters of Overwatch and progress through a solo campaign while doing it.

It turns out that dream was a fantasy. In a recent interview with Gamespot, game director Aaron Keller revealed that plans for the mode had been scrapped. Overwatch 2 would still get some story content bundled in with new seasons, but the grand vision for a Hero mode with its own skill trees was no more. Not only that, but plans had changed a year and a half ago -- something that was never communicated to fans when the game’s multiplayer component launched last October.