Overwatch 2's Reviews Shift from Worst to Mixed on Steam

Overwatch 2 Season 15 has been a breath of fresh air, lifting spirits around a game that once held the dubious title of the worst user-reviewed game on Steam. It's been nearly nine years since the original Overwatch debuted in 2016, and two-and-a-half years since Overwatch 2 launched. In August 2023, Overwatch 2 became the worst user-reviewed game on Steam, largely due to criticism over its monetization. Blizzard faced backlash for turning the premium Overwatch into a free-to-play sequel, making the original game unplayable as of 2022.

Overwatch 2 faced further scrutiny with the cancellation of its much-anticipated PvE Hero mode, a feature many believed justified the sequel. Despite maintaining a 'mostly negative' overall user review rating on Steam, recent reviews have shifted to 'mixed,' with 43% of the 5,325 reviews in the last 30 days being positive. This improvement, while modest, is a notable achievement for Overwatch 2, which has been battling intense negativity since its Steam launch.

The positive shift can be attributed to the launch of Season 15, which introduced significant changes to the game. Alongside new content on the roadmap, core gameplay has seen major updates, including hero perks and the reintroduction of loot boxes.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots

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Recent positive reviews reflect the sentiment that "The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another review praised the game, stating, "For once, I must come to Overwatch's defense and say they really have stepped up their game. Going back to what worked in Overwatch 1 while introducing new and fun mechanics. A certain game made them LOCK IN and I couldn't be happier. Now we just gotta wait for next season with an actual cooler battlepass."

This positive feedback references the impact of Marvel Rivals, a competitive multiplayer hero shooter from NetEase, which has garnered 40 million downloads since its December launch. In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller discussed the competitive landscape, noting, "We're obviously in a new competitive landscape that I think, for Overwatch, we've never really been in before, to this extent where there's another game that's so similar to the one that we've created."

Despite the competition, Keller viewed the situation as "exciting," appreciating how Marvel Rivals took Overwatch's established ideas in "a different direction." He acknowledged that Marvel Rivals' success spurred Blizzard to adopt a less cautious approach with Overwatch 2, stating, "this is no longer about playing it safe."

While it's premature to declare Overwatch 2 fully "back," the fluctuating Steam reviews suggest that reaching beyond 'mixed' ratings will be challenging. However, Season 15 has boosted player numbers on Steam, with peak concurrent users nearly doubling to 60,000. It's important to note that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, though player numbers from these platforms are not publicly disclosed.

For comparison, Marvel Rivals recently updated mid-season and achieved a peak of 305,816 concurrent players on Steam over the last 24 hours.