Once Overwatch 2 arrives, you'll never be able to play Overwatch 1 again

Winston thinking hard
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

In a Reddit AMA on June 22, members of the Overwatch 2 developer team provided some new details and added context for the upcoming game, including a confirmation that the original Overwatch will be fully replaced by Overwatch 2 when it launches on October 4.

As part of a response to a question about the game's "Early Access" title, director Aaron Keller stated that "When OW2 launches on October 4th it will be a replacement for the current live service."

It was previously difficult to parse what the final form of this not-quite sequel will look like, and this move does little to assuage criticism that Overwatch 2 is more of a glorified update than a wholly original sequel. A tweet from the official Overwatch account shortly after OW2's reveal claimed that "Overwatch 1 players and Overwatch 2 players will play alongside on the same maps." That framing seemed to imply that the original game would carry on in some fashion and interface with Overwatch 2, but that both would exist in some form.

In 2020, former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan stated that any sort of "Overwatch Classic" (think World of Warcraft Classic) with the game returned to an early state would be "very costly from a technical and art perspective" and that "there were a lot of art and UI changes that were not properly 'versioned' off but rather overwritten." It's unclear if Kaplan is suggesting that the various versions of the original game are lost to time and not properly archived, but even two years ago, it seemed like the developer wasn't interested in preserving what came before.

Now Overwatch 2's extensive changes to game balance and modes will permanently overwrite everything about the original game, and we at PC Gamer still aren't sold on the shift from 6v6 to 5v5. The game plays faster now, but it also prioritizes fast-twitch FPS skills over the gamesense and ability focus that let MMO and MOBA players find a home in earlier iterations of Overwatch.

You can no longer purchase Overwatch 1 on its own either—Overwatch 2's "Watchpoint Pack" with premium skins and in-game currency is now the only way to acquire the original game if you haven't already.

This move makes sense logistically, with Blizzard investing itself fully into the Overwatch 2 live service and funneling players in one direction, but there is precedent for a big live service game keeping its original form available alongside a sequel. The original Destiny's console servers are still up and running, with an end-of-life "Age of Triumph" initiated prior to the launch of Destiny 2. Players can still go back and sample a decidedly different game from the actively supported Destiny 2. 

Associate Editor

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.

Read more
overwatch 2 season 15 cosmetics
Overwatch 2 is getting radical changes that might finally help that '2' make sense, starting with a third-person mode and over 160 hero perks
Overwatch 2 hero Venture peering into the distance with a grin on their face
Overwatch 2 prepares to share 'Groundbreaking PvP gameplay changes,' and players can't decide whether this means we're getting 6v6 back or skill trees
Best Free Steam Games - Marvel Rivals - Black Widow aims down a sniper scope.
'The market is large enough to accommodate both games': NetEase is confident it can make space for Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2
overwatch loot box
Overwatch 2 is bringing loot boxes back from the dead
Winston looking shocked
'We're extending the 6v6 playtest': The game director of Overwatch 2 stokes the flames that 6v6 will make an official comeback someday
overwatch 2 stadium mode
Overwatch 2 achieves the improbable, clawing back a 'Mixed' rating in recent Steam reviews after a well-received perks update
Latest in FPS
Rainbow Six Siege year 9 season 2 key art - two Rainbow Six Siege operators facing each other
'Siege 2 was never on the table': Rainbow Six Siege X director explains why the 10-year-old FPS doesn't need a sequel
rainbow six siege sledge
After holding out for 10 years, Rainbow Six Siege is finally going free-to-play (kind of)
rainbow six siege x dual front mode
Rainbow Six Siege is getting its first permanent mode in 10 years, and it throws every Siege rule out the window
Fragpunk characters with weapon drawn
The latest big game on Steam is Fragpunk, or as I like to call it, 'kitchen-sink Counter-Strike'
spectre divide
Spectre Divide and its studio are shutting down after just six months: 'The industry is in a tough spot right now'
Masked Counter-Terrorist in helmet in forefront with sunglasses and beret-wearing CT in background touching headset
There's hope yet for Classic Offensive after its Steam rejection: The team behind the Counter-Strike 1.6 revival mod is in touch with Valve about its 'concerns'
Latest in News
Microsoft's Task Manager in Windows 11
After years of complaints about Windows Task Manager displaying CPU utilization incorrectly, a fix is finally on its way
Sony RGB LED panel tech
Sony's fixing the wrong panel problems while showing off its new 'RGB LED' backlight tech with outrageous colours and brightness
Super Mario World
Super Nintendo consoles appear to be running ever-so-slightly faster as they age and speedrunning detectives are hot on the case
A photo of an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor surrounded by DDR5 memory sticks from Corsair, Kingston, and Lexar
Fresh leak suggests Intel's on-again-off-again Arrow Lake CPU refresh is back on the menu (boys)
A Colorful RTX 5080 and its box
Three lucky folks in India can win the dubious honour of buying an RTX 5080 GPU at Nvidia MSRP
The Facebook 'Like' emoji logo is seen in this photo illustration on 22 August, 2023 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Get ready to argue with your weird Uncle on Facebook again. Meta is rolling out its new fact checking solution to it's 190 million users in the United States