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

Overwatch 2 Season 15 has been warmly received, signaling a positive shift in sentiment for what was once labeled as the most poorly user-reviewed game on Steam. Since its debut in 2016, Overwatch has been a staple in the gaming community, with Overwatch 2 launching two-and-a-half years ago. The sequel faced significant backlash in August 2023 when it became the worst user-reviewed game on Steam, primarily due to controversial monetization practices. Blizzard's decision to update the original Overwatch into a free-to-play sequel in 2022, making the original unplayable, was met with heavy criticism.

Further controversies arose with the cancellation of the much-anticipated PvE Hero mode, which many players believed was the key feature justifying Overwatch 2's existence. Despite maintaining a 'mostly negative' overall user review rating on Steam, recent reviews have improved to 'mixed,' with 43% of the 5,325 user reviews in the last 30 days being positive. This change is a notable milestone for Overwatch 2, which has struggled with overwhelming negativity since its launch on Valve's platform.

The turnaround is largely attributed to the launch of Season 15, which introduced significant changes to the game. Alongside expected new content, the core gameplay experienced a seismic shift with the addition of hero perks and the return of loot boxes. These updates have revitalized the player experience, prompting more favorable reviews.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots

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Positive reviews highlight the impact of Season 15: "They just released Overwatch 2," reads one. "The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another user commented, "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 refers to the success of Marvel Rivals, a similar competitive multiplayer hero shooter from NetEase, which has seen 40 million downloads since its launch in December.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller discussed the new competitive landscape brought on 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 found the situation "exciting" and praised Marvel Rivals for taking ideas established by Overwatch in a "different direction." However, Keller acknowledged that Marvel Rivals' success has necessitated a more aggressive approach to Overwatch 2's development, stating, "this is no longer about playing it safe."

While it's premature to declare Overwatch 2 "back," the fluctuating nature of Steam user reviews suggests that achieving a rating better than 'mixed' will be challenging. Nonetheless, Season 15 has led to an increase in player numbers on Steam, with peak concurrent players nearly doubling to 60,000. It's important to note that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, and player numbers are not publicly disclosed by Blizzard, Sony, or Microsoft. In comparison, Marvel Rivals recently peaked at 305,816 concurrent players on Steam over the last 24 hours.