All Overwatch 2 Competitive rework changes coming in early 2024

Blizzard is introducing a collection of huge changes with the Overwatch 2 competitive rework in 2024, following a frosty reception to previous changes when the game first launched.

From new ranks to ranked resets and more, early 2024 will present a much different competitive landscape for Overwatch 2. Here’s what you need to know about the changes coming to Competitive rank distributions, rewards, and more in 2024.

New Competitive Overview screen

Soon, players will no longer need to win five matches or lose 15 to see an update to their competitive rank. Instead, your rank will be adjusted after every single match, with changes to ranks seen in the new Competitive Overview screen. This will make it easier to track your progress.

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Here, players can see a bar that shows their progress to the next rank. The green section shows how much each match will earn them towards a promotion, with factors like ‘Advantage’, ‘Streak’, and ‘Calibration’ taken into account.

Aaron Keller notes that this new system may evolve over time, so we'll update this guide if there are any major developments.

Ranks will be reset

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In Season 9, Blizzard is planning a rank reset for the entire player base. This is because the game is set to return to its older method of placement matches, where players will need to complete 10 individual matches before they earn a rank.

It’s worth noting that this rank reset will not erase any existing MMR that’s currently associated with a player's account, so it’s likely that you’ll place similarly after your placement matches in Season 9. However, placement matches will count for a lot more than a standard match.

Gavin Winters explained at BlizzCon that the team is keen to start resetting ranks at least once a year to account for evolving hero balance and systemic game changes.

There’s a new rank and new rewards

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A new top rank called "Champion" has been added to the game.

Currently, there are more Grand Master players in Overwatch 2 than there ever were in the original game. Additionally, plenty of players already own all of the golden weapon skins they could possibly want, so a new tier of rewards is needed.

Alongside the new top tier rank, Jade weapon skins will be available for competitive reward points. The competitive points currency will be converted into a legacy currency that can still be spent on golden weapons. If you want to grab yourself some fancy green weapons though, you’ll need to earn competitive points in matches that take place after that competitive rework changes.

Another improvement coming to how you earn competitive points is in the challenges menu. This will be completely overhauled so that challenges are much more simple to view and earn. Additionally, competitive points will be rewarded much more regularly, rather than just at the end of each season.

Grouping restrictions are changing

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Blizzard has removed most of the grouping restrictions it currently has in place when trying to queue up with a group of varying skill levels. Soon, players will be able to group up with their friends, no matter whether they’re Bronze, Diamond, or any other skill level.

If a Bronze and a Diamond player do decide to queue up, their group will be classed as a ‘Wide Group’. As such, they’ll be matched up against another team that’s also classed as a ‘Wide Group’, featuring players from a wider set of skill tiers.

On the flip side, the new matchmaking system will also take into account narrower skill groups and try to pair them together. In theory, this should make solo queues less frustrating, as you should only place against other solo players or groups of a similar skill rating.

This should also reduce the amount of Smurf accounts seen in Overwatch 2, as players won't need to make additional accounts just to play with their friends.

When can we expect to see this Competitive rework?

Blizzard expects to launch these Competitive rework changes in Overwatch 2 Season 9, which will be released on February 13, 2024.

However, it’s worth noting that Winters says the changes to grouping restrictions may be arriving a little later down the line, so it may be that some changes arrive later than others.

That just about covers all the changes coming to Competitive in early 2024! Hopefully these changes will breathe new life into the Competitive mode and keep players invested in the game.

For more helpful Overwatch 2 guides, be sure to check out our homepage. We also have a rundown of Mauga, Season 8’s new Hero, as well as an explainer of just how many people play Overwatch 2 at the moment. Read more about the changes coming soon to the Overwatch 2 Battle Pass.