Some new releases don’t disappoint. One game that was eagerly awaited was Overwatch 2. And boy, it didn’t disappoint! Millions of people log on every day to have a piece of the action, including us!
Overwatch 1 had a big following, and lots of fans were worried the updated game would pale in comparison. They needn’t have worried. Blizzard smashed it. Overwatch 2 is free for all players and is on most platforms. But one thing that lots of gamers ask (and you probably are too), is Overwatch 2 cross platform? Don’t worry, we have got you covered.
What is Overwatch 2?
There are lots of popular games out there today, and the market is forever growing. It sometimes feels like you get to grips with one game and the next big game is being released. One game that players keep on playing is Overwatch 2. If you don’t believe us, it is predicted that almost 24 million players log on a month! That’s more than the population of most European countries.
It is essentially an online game where the aim is to form teams of ‘heroes’ and then complete shooting challenges. You can explore the maps and venture to different areas of the game with your squad.
How Do You Play?
If you have never played Overwatch 2, the aim of the game is to shoot things, complete challenges and battles against other squads. To start playing, you have to pick your characters to make a team, picking 5 ‘heroes’ from the ones available. One of the best things about the game is the heroes, and there are currently over 30 to pick from in Overwatch 2, and this keeps growing with every update. You can also buy extra heroes from the massive selection on their website. For players focused on the competitive ladder, climbing through the ranks takes a serious time investment, which is why some turn to options like Overwatch boosting to skip the solo queue grind.
There is such a range of interesting and unique characters that we find it hard to choose just 5! Heroes are put into three categories: Damage, Support, and Tanks. Tank heroes are your main fighters. Support heroes then heal your team after any damage from fighting. Damage heroes use their unique skins to destroy the opponent but are more fragile than Tank heroes so need backing up. One character you can choose is Zenyetta, a Support hero monk who is on a journey seeking spiritual enlightenment. Or Mei, a damage hero, is a Chinese climate-damage-fighting scientist who can fire an ice wall out in front of her. Tank heroes are usually more brawny and natural leaders, like Doomfist, the leader of a terrorist group who can decimate his opponents by punching the ground with his incredible fists.
Once you have picked your team, you can begin taking part in fights. You can fight other teams, or save the world from invasions from the Null Sector (only if you have bought the ‘Invasions Storyline’ package).
Is Overwatch 2 Cross Platform?
Yes, we already all know how great Overwatch is, but is it cross platform?! For once, this isn’t a confusing answer like it is with lots of games. Yes, Overwatch 2 is cross platform and it always has been! This means you can battle a team on Xbox even if they are playing on PC. This is because the game has relatively simple controls, so it is easier to make them sync with each other. Not only is it possible to engage in combat against other platforms, you can even be on the same team, something not always possible when playing online games.
What about Overwatch 1 and 2?
As you can probably tell by the name, Overwatch 2 isn’t the first game in the series. Overwatch (now known as Overwatch 1) was released in 2016 on most platforms except Nintendo Switch. This wasn’t added until 3 years later. Then, in 2022 Blizzard released their updated version as Overwatch 2. Before it was released, the developers were hoping to allow players from both games to play against and with each other. However, ultimately this wasn’t to be. The server for Overwatch 1 was shut down to make way for the new game, and all players were moved across.
One of the biggest differences was that teams can now only have one Tank hero. This was because tank heroes slow down the gameplay, so by limiting them the game speed doesn’t suffer. Some of the Tank heroes from Overwatch 1 were recategorized in the new game, so most of the old favourite characters were still around for the new game. Blizzard also reduced the size of the team you could have. Instead of 6 players, you could now only have 5. Again, this was also to help keep the game speed quick.
Another big difference was that the game was now free for all players, with the option to buy extra heroes, maps, and battle passes if you are bored with the free options.
There is a reason Overwatch 2 is as popular as it is, especially when you think about how many games it’s competing against. The excellent graphics and ever-evolving maps make it popular with the fans. One of the best things about the game is it cross platform. Everyone loves playing a game with all their friends, even if they aren’t on the same devices. Some pretty intimidating player statistics prove that this game is going to be one to talk about for a while.
