Overwatch 2’s preload dates and times have been confirmed for both console and PC gamers.Overwatch 2will launch in early access on Tuesday, October 4, but its launch is a bit different from standard game releases.Overwatch 2will completely replace the originalOverwatchwhen it launches, and because of that, some assumed that there would be no opportunity to preload the game.
There are some ways thatOverwatch 2players can ensure they are ready to go when the game launches.Overwatch 2’s release timeis 12pm PT on October 4, but before players can jump in on the action, they will want to merge their accounts as well as add a phone number to their Battle.net account. By merging accounts,Overwatch 2players can ensure that their progression is shared across all platforms, and the phone number is a new requirement meant as a security measure and as a way to make it difficult for cheaters to simply make a new account and jump back into the game.
RELATED:Overwatch 2 is Getting Rid of SR and Making Other Big Changes to Competitive Play
Overwatch 2preloading on PC will start at around 1:30pm PT on Friday, September 30, according to Blizzard president Mike Ybarra. PC preload will happen automatically as long as one has automatic updates turned on. Those on consoles, meanwhile, can preload at around 9am on launch day, October 4. It’s unclear why console gamers only have a few hours to download the game while PC gamers get a couple of days, but it may have something to do with the aforementioned fact thatOverwatch 2is completely overwriting theOverwatch 1file, though that’s just speculation at this time.
This weekend will be a last hoorah of sorts forOverwatchas it exists now. Blizzard has confirmed that thelast full day to playOverwatch 1will be on October 2, with the servers shutting down on October 3. There will be around 27 hours of downtime between the timeOverwatch 1servers shut down andOverwatch 2servers are switched on, so fans of Blizzard’s hero-shooter should keep that in mind.
Anyone that wants to experience the originalOverwatchis running out of time to do so. WhenOverwatch 2launches, the 6v6 setup that defined the original release will be done away with completely in favor of being 5v5. As anyone that played theOverwatch 2multiplayer betaswill know, this drastically changes the experience, putting much more pressure on Tanks and resulting in a significantly more aggressive playstyle.
Overwatch 2launches in early access on October 4 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
