While it was still in Early Access, Overwatch 2 has been accessible on a number of platforms for some time. The game ended early access with the Invasion update, and on August 10 it was officially released.
The game presently has "Overwhelmingly Negative" user reviews on Steam due to the lackluster reception. The free-to-play model's implementation and the absence of previously promised content are the primary causes of the review bombing.
The launch of Overwatch 2 hasn't gone as planned.
The fact that Overwatch 2 is significantly more focused on money than its predecessor is one of the key complaints leveled against it. For instance, a Battle Pass system is required to access certain Heroes and game modes. While paid players may easily skip everything, they can be unlocked via regular gaming. A portion of the game's content, including the intended PvE Hero Mode, has also been removed.
Blizzard's Aaron Keller explained why this was the case in a blog post, stating that while preparations were made, the decision to delete it was taken because devs were unable to get a "footing with the Hero Mission experience early on." Although PvE Hero quests are included in the Invasion update, they are inaccessible without a Battle Pass, which is much more annoying.
A pattern among the concerns is easily apparent while reading through the customer evaluations.The review by Steam user BraySC summarizes them nicely: "With a free-to-play model that mainly relies on microtransactions, expensive skins, and predatory behavior, they published Overwatch 2. The initial game was taken down, rendering it unusable for those who had paid for it. As a result, the player base was forced to switch to the free-to-play model in order to continue enjoying the game. The assessments also make extensive reference to Blizzard's past of alleged sexual harassment at work.
As of August 13, only 9% of the 92,028 reviews are favorable, ranking Overwatch 2 among the Steam titles with the worst reviews. Not only has the game received terrible reviews on Valve's shop, but gamers have also taken to Metacritic to express their displeasure; as of August 13, the game has a user score of 1.4, meaning "Overwhelming Dislike."
But not everything has gone wrong for Overwatch 2. As of August 13, the critic review score on Metacritic is a commendable 69. Additionally, on August 11, it reached a noteworthy high of 75,608 active Steam users, suggesting that there could still be hope for the vibrant first-person shooter.