Way back in May of 2016, Blizzard released Overwatch. A massive change from their normal genre of games, Overwatch was a smash hit. The selection of colorful characters with their crazy abilities, along with colorful designs and art, drew players in instantly. Cosplayers everywhere were soon dressing up as Tracer or D.Va. Twitch was filled with Overwatch streams.

As the years went on, the game's popularity started to dip a bit, partly because many similar games were released, such as Valorant or Apex Legends. And the big draw to these games was that they were free-to-play.

But Blizzard is never one to back down from a challenge, which is why in October of this year, they released Overwatch 2. Fans had been hyped for this since its announcement, and now it is out, the game has become hugely popular. But what is new in Overwatch 2?

Free-To-Play

The biggest, and most surprising change, is the fact that Overwatch 2 is completely free-to-play. Surprising because Blizzard is not known for giving anything away for free. But they needed to compete with Apex and Valorant.

To compensate for the game being free, Blizzard has added a lot more cosmetics to the game. And it has added a battle pass. The battle pass comes with a range of cosmetics and XP boosts, as well as providing access to the latest character.

The Team Size

One of the most notable changes Blizzard has made to Overwatch is that teams are now made up of 5 players instead of six. This might not seem like a huge shake-up. But in reality, it changes a lot. When you have 12 characters all spamming their abilities and fighting, it can be challenging to keep track of everything. So the reduction in team size makes the battle much more tense and tactical.

New Characters

With the release of Overwatch 2, players were treated to the release of three new characters. Junker Queen, who is associated with the popular characters Roadhog and Junkrat. Sojourn is a damage-dealing badass armed with a powerful railgun. Kiriko is a healer who uses her kitsune spirit to help her team.

Unlocking Characters

A big change from the original Overwatch is that you don’t start with every character unlocked. Instead, you need to play a specific number of matches to unlock characters. You do start with some unlocked, such as Tracer and Winston. And you get Sojourn and Junker Queen for free if you log in before the end of season 1.

Veterans of the series don’t have to worry about this, though. Overwatch 2 has progress carried over from the first game. If you played Overwatch 1, you instantly unlock all the original characters and keep all your cosmetics and profile level.

Ranked System Changes

For those that enjoy the more competitive aspects of Overwatch, the sequel has made some changes to how the ranked system works. Firstly the rewards you get are based on your highest rank among all the various ranked play modes.

One huge change is that your final reward is based on the rank you are WHEN the season ends. Not the highest you achieved. So keep that in mind as the end of the season approaches.

The change in team sizes has been a huge shakeup for the ranked scene. Banning is now more powerful as your opposing team has fewer players anyway. Overwatch 2 does support private matches, meaning you and your team can get practice before heading into ranked matches.

Overwatch 2 comes with a lot of technical improvements as well. Better graphics, quicker load times, and improved frame rate. And the game is better designed to handle the use of safe Overwatch 2 cheats. You will have to use these cheats in private matches, though, as using them in ranked games is strictly forbidden.

The New Maps

Overwatch wasn’t just popular because of its captivating gameplay and colorful characters. It also featured an impressive selection of beautifully designed maps, from the Australian outback to the murky streets of London. And Overwatch 2 is continuing this trend.

Overwatch 2 has a lot of returning maps. But these maps have received some quality-of-life improvements and have been rebalanced. But there is also a selection of news maps. And, as is Overwatch tradition, they are spread out all over the globe.

Players will get the chance to explore the colorful streets of Rio De Janeiro or battle it out in a luxury casino in Monte Carlo. For lovers of ancient history, battling outside the Colosseum of Rome will be particularly thrilling, while city lovers will enjoy duking it in Midtown New York.