How to unlock competitive play in Overwatch 2

Unlock competitive play in Overwatch 2 and queue up against some of the best in the game.

How to unlock competitive play in Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 Competitive play (Blizzard Entertainement)

Overwatch 2 competitive gameplay offers players various ranks and engaging levels to beat. However, newer players who are looking to get into competitive mode might not be able to right away. To unlock it, players need to complete certain tasks first.

The new season of Overwatch 2 introduced various new cosmetics to the game. Blizzard Entertainment added a new battle pass that introduced new cosmetic alongside a new hero into the game. But to avail all of these and increase your XP to unlock more goodies you will need to play competitive mode.

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Related: How does the Overwatch 2 Competitive Mystery Heroes game mode work?

How to get access to Competitive play challenges in Overwatch 2

Players who are new to Overwatch 2 but have played various other shooter games may need to know a few things to unlock Competitive play. Rookies need to go through tutorials and the First Time User Experience (FUET) before even thinking about playing against real-life opponents. Blizzard’s goal seems to be that players need to know the basics first and then try their hand at other game modes.

After the completion of the tutorial, players will need to play a few placement matches. These matches fall under the ‘Competitive Play Qualification’ challenges, in which one must play 50 quick matches to complete. Players will have access to game modes Escort, Push, Control, and Hybrid during this challenge. Play 50 quick matches and competitive play will be unlocked and players can duke it out against each other.

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But returning players don’t need to go through the FUET process and can jump right in. They will have the competitive mode unlocked, but they will still need to go through a few placements matches to receive a rank. After the first game, players will get a provisional rank that may or may not change later on. Players need to either get seven wins or 20 losses to get placed in the competitive update.

How to track your progress

Overwatch 2 Competitive gameplay

Image source Blizzard Entertainment

For players to keep track of their progress in Overwatch 2, they need to head over to the ‘Competitive’ slot under the challenges menu. Next, locate the Competitive Play Qualification challenge slot, which will indicate the number of matches you have played and how many remain. Complete 50 matches and you will get to play Competitive mode in Overwatch 2.

Overwatch has various ranks, similar to CS:GO and VALORANT, that identify a player’s competitive level. Players start from Bronze, which is rock bottom, and win their way up the ladder to the Grand Master. Apart from ranks, there are also 3 categories that the heroes of the game fall under. These categories are DPS, support, and tank. Newcomers to the game should choose either DPS or support characters until they have a good grasp of the game.

Blizzard uses Competitive gameplay data to make fair matchmaking. Competitive gameplay also ensures that players will have less chance to come across toxicity. Fair matchmaking will also ensure that newer players don’t overlap with experienced players for better gameplay experience.

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