6v6 Is Coming Back to Overwatch 2 in Next Season

Overwatch 2 brought many changes when it launched, the biggest of them being the shift to 5v5. I still don't know who thought it was a grand idea, but I guess most players didn't appreciate it, as Blizzard started discussing going back to 6v6 earlier this year.

Surprisingly, the original setup will be returning sooner than you might expect: Season 14, starting on December 10, will feature 2 different 6v6 tests.

The first, launching a week into the season, is called Min 1, Max 3 internally. In this Open Queue-style mode, each team of 6 must have at least 1 character of each role but no more than 3. "You will be able to switch roles on the fly during a match as long as that switch doesn’t break the 'Min 1, Max 3' limit."

The second 6v6 test, which will be released in the middle of the season, will be the classic 2-2-2 comp with OW2's new principles, like less CC and hero reworks.

These tests will have their own card in Unranked. Blizzard wants to not only bring the 6v6 back but also avoid the same mistakes it did in the first game.

"We’ll also be implementing a series of balance changes that will apply to these two test modes only. The power and survivability of tanks will go down in these 6v6 formats, and we’ll be taking a look at whether we need many of the passives that we’ve added in Overwatch 2."

The reintroduction of 6v6 doesn't mean Blizzard will be dropping 5v5. Season 14 will bring 2 new experiments "aimed at testing flexibility within this format." There will be Quick Play: Hacked, which the team calls Limit 2, and it will limit the maximum number of each role to 2, including tanks, who will have less health for balance. "You can freely switch heroes and roles as long as the new role doesn’t already have two players."

The other game mode, Kingmaker, also has a 2-hero limit in each role, but the player who is alone in their role will get a bonus. Unfortunately, Blizzard didn't provide any other details about it.

So what does it all mean for comps and the whole idea of Overwatch 2? Blizzard says it will be watching players' reaction and act accordingly.

"In the world where a surge of players join this mode and continuously play it, then we have the signal we need to do more with it. I think what that “more” is depends on the level of excitement. Is there a world where both 5v5 and 6v6 exist permanently in Overwatch 2? If you had asked me a few months ago, I would have said no. As we’ve discussed Overwatch 2’s future in light of making the game that our players want to play, we know our players can want more than one experience, and it would be something we'd need to consider moving forward," concluded the developers.

Are you excited for the return of 6v6? Or do you prefer the new composition? Read Blizzard's post here and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.