Is Overwatch 2 worth playing?

Blizzard Entertainment has been generating a lot of buzz this week with the release of the Overwatch 2 beta on Tuesday. New and old players are flocking toward the beta to get a taste of what the revamped FPS game has to offer.

But how are players finding the game once they get their hands on it. Is Overwatch 2 even worth playing? The answer depends on who you are and what you’re looking for.

Is Overwatch 2 worth playing for newcomers?

Blizzard announced Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon 2019. With the beta opening on Tuesday, many expect the full release can’t be far behind — though the company has not shared an official release date yet. But when the time arrives, many will be considering whether they want to jump into the game for the first time.

For new players, if you’ve ever been intrigued by the prospect of Blizzard’s team shooter then there’s really no better time to jump in than with Overwatch 2. If you hate FPS games or you only enjoy tactical shooters like Counter-Strike or VALORANT, then the game probably still won’t be for you.

Overwatch 2 PvP will be free to those who already own Overwatch, but new players will have to pay, at present, $25 to buy it PC. But even as someone who hadn’t touched Overwatch in months — prior to the release of the Overwatch 2 beta — I would still highly recommend the game. There’s a reason it grew to be one of the most popular FPS games of all times before falling into disrepair. At it’s core, it’s a fun and fluid game. And from having toyed with the Overwatch 2 beta, there are enough upgrades and quality of life improvements to the game that it feels like the 6-year-old franchise has caught up with the year 2022.

Is it worth it for returning players?

As a returning player myself, I was personally interested in seeing how Overwatch 2 had changed the game. Unlike many, I did not leave Overwatch out of contempt for the competitive state of the game. It wasn’t the plethora of shields or the meta that drove me away — I eventually just lost interest. If you’re like me, the allure of content is probably enough to at least dip your toes back into Overwatch 2. New maps, a new hero in Sojourn and the promise of more regular content updates are all intriguing enough to have piqued my interest.

Overwatch 2 also offers gameplay solutions for the players who may have left out of frustration with the game state. The days of the GOATS comp are long gone. Shields and crowd control abilities have been largely culled to a manageable amount. The new 5v5 gameplay gives the game a more natural FPS feeling.

This is not to say Overwatch 2 doesn’t feel like Overwatch anymore. To put it bluntly, if you never had fun playing Overwatch, then you probably won’t have fun playing Overwatch 2. At its core, it’s still the same game. It has just been refined, balanced and flat out improved. It’s newer and sleeker, but it’s still Overwatch.

If you fall into either of these buckets, then Overwatch 2 is probably worth returning to — if only to test the waters. It’s free, after all. If the improvements and new content are enough to keep you engaged, then great. If they’re not? No harm done.