Overwatch 2's first double XP weekend starts tomorrow but it may not help as much as you hope

Overwatch 2 hero Kiriko
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Overwatch 2 got off to a rough start when it launched on October 4, and so to make up for it Blizzard promised to hold "several" double XP weekends. Dates weren't announced at the time, but today Blizzard revealed that the first double match XP weekend starts tomorrow.

The first double match XP weekend will begin at 11 am PT/2 pm ET on October 21 and run until the same time on October 24. The second weekend will follow a week later, beginning on October 28 and running until October 31, while the third will kick off on November 24 and go until November 28—all of them beginning and ending at the same, time, 11 am PT/2 pm ET.

Does three double XP weekends count as "several?" I envisioned it as implying more, maybe four or five, but the nice thing about using the word "several" is that it really doesn't lock you down to anything: Dictionary.com defines it as meaning "more than two but fewer than many," which of course compels us to define "many," meaning "constituting or forming a large number; numerous." In other words, "several" means "more than two" and that's what we've got here, so I guess Blizzard has officially delivered.

Nonetheless, reaction to the date announcement on Reddit was not overly positive. Several users complained that it was a very low effort at recompense on Blizzard's part; others pointed out that only match XP is being doubled, while daily and weekly challenges (the stuff that gives you by far the most battle pass XP) will continue to deliver the regular amount. 

"Daily and weekly [challenge] XP levels you up literally 10x faster than match XP," g0atmeal wrote. "So unless you grind for hours in one sitting, this won't make much of a difference."

Blizzard also announced today that Halloween Terror will return to Overwatch beginning on October 25. Details on that weren't announced, but previous Halloween Terror events included new cosmetics, weekly icon, spray, and skin rewards, and the Junkenstein's Revenge co-op horde mode.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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 loot box
Overwatch 2 is bringing loot boxes back from the dead
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
Overwatch 2's Sombra looks toward camera with arms crossed
'We should be a little scared of what we're putting out there': Overwatch 2 lead designer says hero perks are about 'letting go' of perfect balance
overwatch 2 stadium mode
Overwatch 2 achieves the improbable, clawing back a 'Mixed' rating in recent Steam reviews after a well-received perks update
Overwatch 2's Kiriko
Overwatch 2's new competitive season is as chaotic as ever, thanks to the new perk system, but it's still a huge step in the right direction
Latest in FPS
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Ogryn
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide adds a psychic horde murderzone mode and makes Ogryns even smashier
Starfield's companion robot giving a thumbs-up
Former Bethesda dev who quit Starfield to go solo says it's 'much less stressful as an indie' without daily meetings or 'office politics': it's 'very refreshing to just care about the game'
A crew of prospectors in Wildgate, featuring a robot, a rabbit man, and a small aquatic creature in a combination mech/aquarium.
Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime's new company is putting Sea of Thieves-style shenanigans in space with a new crew-based shooter
Team Fortress Spy being shocked
An FPS studio pulled its game from Steam after it got caught linking to malware disguised as a demo, but the dev insists it was actually the victim of a labyrinthine conspiracy
Neighbors Suburban Warfare screenshot a child aims a slingshot at a man from across a cul-de-sac.
A beta of backyard FPS Neighbors: Suburban Warfare is out now, and the balance discussion is hysterical: nerf trash can lids and children
Fragpunk
Somebody finally figured out casual Counter-Strike
Latest in News
A mech awakens.
Mecha Break developer is considering unlocking all mechs following open beta feedback
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway