Overwatch 2 Has Now Moved on From Early Access, Blizzard Says

With the release of Season 6, Overwatch 2 has now moved on from its early access period, Blizzard has said.

Overwatch 2 Invasion launches today alongside a big update that adds a raft of new modes, new story missions, a new hero, and new maps. Overwatch 2 also launches on Steam today in a move that is sure to boost the game’s player count.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the launch, executive producer Jared Neuss declared Invasion the point at which Overwatch 2 graduates from being an early access game to a “full” live service game.

“Invasion is the point at which we move on from early access,” Neuss said. “For me it’s less about content threshold and more about, are we operating the game we want to operate? Is this the structure, the cadence, the amount of things we are able to make in release that we think moves us away from this learning period and into this, really operating a game at a full feature level? For me, Overwatch 2 Invasion is that moment.

“We have a bunch of these features we found to be gaps in the game, like finding better ways to recognise player time and investment, learning things about competitive and making adjustments to that, with future adjustments planned… these are all things we got out of that initial period, and now we’re able to move forward and settle into a rhythm. For me, this is the moment where we move out of that early access phase and into full live game operations phase.”

Overwatch 2 launched October 2022 as a free download and got off to a strong start, with over 35 million people playing in the first month. IGN’s Overwatch 2 review returned an 8/10: “Overwatch 2 breathes new life into what was once the sharpest multiplayer shooter around, before it had its edges severely dulled by Blizzard’s attention shifting away.”

But Overwatch 2 has endured a number of controversies since, including the cancellation of its long-awaited PvE Hero mode – the one feature, players said, that justified the sequel’s existence.

There’s a lot riding on this Invasion update, although Blizzard has downplayed its importance for boosting player engagement. If you’re considering jumping in, here’s everything you need to know about Overwatch 2 Invasion.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].