After Becoming the Worst User-Reviewed Game Ever on Steam, Overwatch 2’s Recent Reviews Jump to ‘Mixed’

Overwatch 2 Season 15 is proving to be a significant turning point, boosting the sentiment around a game that was once labeled as the worst user-reviewed title on Steam. Since its debut in 2016 and the launch of Overwatch 2 in 2022, the game has faced numerous challenges. In August 2023, Overwatch 2 became infamous for its overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam, largely due to its controversial monetization model. Blizzard's decision to update the premium original into a free-to-play sequel, effectively making the original Overwatch unplayable in 2022, drew significant backlash. Additionally, the cancellation of the much-anticipated PvE Hero mode further fueled player dissatisfaction, as many felt this feature was crucial to justifying the sequel's existence.

Despite these setbacks, Overwatch 2 has shown signs of recovery. Although the game still holds a 'mostly negative' rating for all reviews on Steam, recent reviews have shifted to 'mixed,' with 43% of the 5,325 reviews posted in the last 30 days being positive. This improvement is largely attributed to the launch of Season 15, which introduced substantial changes to the game's core mechanics, including hero perks and the reintroduction of loot boxes. The roadmap ahead promises more content, but it's the fundamental gameplay changes that have captured players' attention.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots

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Recent positive reviews reflect this sentiment, with one player stating, “They just released Overwatch 2. The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way.” Another review praised the game's direction, saying, “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 to the game. 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 comment references the impact of Marvel Rivals, a competitive multiplayer hero shooter from NetEase that has seen 40 million downloads since its December launch.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller discussed the competitive landscape shaped by Marvel Rivals. "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," Keller noted. He described the situation as “exciting” and appreciated how Marvel Rivals took Overwatch's ideas in a “different direction.” Keller also admitted that the success of Marvel Rivals has prompted a shift in Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2, emphasizing that “this is no longer about playing it safe."

While it's premature to claim Overwatch 2 is fully recovered, the fluctuating Steam user reviews suggest that achieving a rating better than 'mixed' will be challenging. Nonetheless, Season 15 has led to a notable increase in player numbers on Steam, with peak concurrent players nearly doubling to 60,000. It's important to consider that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, where player numbers are not publicly disclosed. For comparison, Marvel Rivals, which recently updated mid-season, reached a peak of 305,816 concurrent players on Steam in the last 24 hours.