Entertainment

Overwatch 2 beta starts in April with new 5v5 gameplay

March 11, 2022

Overwatch 2 Sojourn new playable character hero — The beta will include Sojourn, the newest hero to join the roster (pic: Blizzard Entertainment)

Bits and pieces of Overwatch 2 information have been shared ever since its 2019 announcement, but Blizzard has generally said very little about it in the last few years.

At long last, however, it has confirmed plans for an Overwatch 2 beta, one that you can sign up for via the official website. Signing up doesn’t guarantee participation and it is exclusive to the PC version of the game (sorry console players), but you’ll also be considered for any future betas as well.

The beta is scheduled for late April and will feature the new 5v5 PvP gameplay, new playable hero Sojourn, four new maps, and the new Push gameplay mode. A specific date and other details will be shared in the run up to its release.

The purpose of the beta is obviously to test its various features and systems, and receive feedback from players. After this, Blizzard will move on to stress testing the servers with a wider player base. So, if you miss out this time around, you’ll have a better chance of being included in future beta tests.

In a blog post from the development team and an update video from game director Aaron Keller, they explain that they’re changing their release plans for Overwatch 2. The team wants to get the PvP content out sooner while it continues to work on the new player-versus-enemy experiences, which includes the single-player story content.

Keller has also apologised for the lack of communication and promises that this will be improved in the future, suggesting more frequent updates on the game’s progress.

Fans have certainly had plenty of reasons to be concerned about Overwatch 2’s development. Both the game’s previous director, Jeff Kaplan, and executive producer Sonny Chacko left the company entirely last year and Overwatch 2 likely won’t release until 2023 at the earliest.

This isn’t even getting into the constant disasters to befall Activision Blizzard as a whole, following the sexual harassment lawsuit. Numerous key employees have either been fired or left the company and demands continue for CEO Bobby Kotick to step down or be removed from his position.

There have been concerns of Overwatch 2 becoming an Xbox exclusive as well, following Microsoft’s buyout of Activision Blizzard. However, contracts for it to release on multiple platforms were likely already in place long before the acquisition.

Overwatch 2 will release for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.