Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard is officially bringing 6v6 back to Overwatch 2, but only in early testing for now.
Blizzard Entertainment has announced an unexpected new feature for Overwatch 2’s next season: the return of 6v6 matches. The first-person hero shooter is hosting several “format tests” in Season 14 to test out a variety of team compositions that might better suit players, including the 6v6 matchups of the original game. The company will be “watching the reception and results of these tests closely” to gauge whether players actually want a permanent 6v6 mode.
Overwatch 2 is bringing back 6v6 matches in Season 14
6v6 matches are finally coming back to Overwatch 2, but there’s a catch. In Season 14, the first-person shooter will run “a series of tests to try out different core team composition formats,” according to a new blog post by Blizzard Entertainment. These tests are intended to “make the core game even stronger,” which suggests that Blizzard might actually make some tweaks to the main 5v5 modes depending on player feedback.
Two 6v6 tests will be held in Season 14. The first will launch one week into the season, and will feature a slightly different version of traditional 2-2-2 role queue modes from the original game. During this test, players will get to try a version of 6v6 Open Queue with a “Min 1, Max 2” rule. That means each team of six players must have at least one of each role (Damage, Tank and Support), but no more than three total. This allows players to switch between roles more seamlessly during a match, as long as they don’t break the “Min 1, Max 3” rule.
A second 6v6 test will be introduced in the middle of Season 14, with a more classic 2-2-2 ruleset - meaning teams are locked into playing two heroes per role. This is pretty much the same as Overwatch’s original Role Queue, but with new gameplay changes from the sequel, including less CC and hero reworks. These 6v6 modes will be introduced as separate game modes for players to try, with their own unique series of balance changes.
Overwatch 2 is getting a few 5v5 match tests too
Similarly, Overwatch is also hosting two 5v5 format tests in Season 13. This includes a version of Quick Play: Hacked called “Limit 2,” which limits 5v5 teams to two heroes per role. That means players will be able to play as two Tanks, even in 5v5, but with less health. Players will also be able to freely switch between different roles, unless there are already two players in a role.
In the middle of Season 13, Overwatch 2 will introduce a new game mode called “Kingmaker.” Much like Limit 2, Kingmaker will limit the maximum number of players per role to two - but any player who stays alone in their role will get a special bonus. According to Blizzard, both modes are meant to explore how players can be given more freedom within the game’s flagship 5v5 modes. In addition to these tests, Blizzard has hinted that there may be “another special surprise just around the corner.”
Depending on player feedback, Blizzard might even allow both 5v5 and 6v6 modes to exist permanently in Overwatch 2. While it’s too early to tell right now, the company acknowledges that “we know our players can want more than one experience, and it would be something we'd need to consider moving forward.”
More information on these modes will be available closer to their launch period.
