Blizzard has banned 800K Overwatch 2 cheaters since launch—and smurfs are next

Overwatch 2 has had over 800,000 accounts banned for cheating since it launched, Blizzard announced today, but the ongoing battle means that number will only climb.

Blizzard outlined its never-ending fight against hackers and cheaters in a new Defense Matrix blog post, also detailing that it’s already blocked some new hacks in 2025, and will continue to “develop tech that can effectively block hacks from working properly and making them easier to detect.”

“Cheating compromises the competitive integrity of our matches and ruins the experience and opportunity for those testing their skills,” Blizzard said. “So, our efforts to fight against these types of unapproved software and the players who would use them are always an objective for our team.”

As a free-to-play game, there’s not much for hackers to lose if they were to use cheats and get banned, only to come back again. But Blizzard says it remains committed to that fight to maintain a fair experience for players as much as possible, and players are a crucial part of it. While the Overwatch team is still finding ways to find cheaters faster than ever, it also said that individual player reports of cheaters in your game at all skill levels is vital to their fight against cheats and hacks.

Blizzard also says it’s continuing to come up with new ways to prevent hackers from intentionally queuing into famous players. The most highly dedicated Competitive players in Korea, Japan, and North America deal with cheaters who target them specifically to disrupt and troll their games. It doesn’t help that many of these players are streamers, allowing stream snipers to know exactly when these players are active to try to target them.

Speaking of disrupting games and keeping things fair, Blizzard also said it is determined to help curb the issue with smurf accounts dominating lower ranks, which Blizzard says is “unwelcoming and harmful” for new players trying to learn the game.

“We have been working on new tech that can recognize a seasoned player on a new account and quickly move up their MMR to where they belong,” Blizzard said. “In addition, to help make sure new players can have a few games learning the ropes without getting stomped, the first five opening matches for new accounts will now play against AI controlled bots just like our Play vs. AI mode.”

Finally, Blizzard also touched on the communications environment, which is crucial in a team-based hero shooter. OW2 uses machine learning to identify disruptive voice and text chat, trying to stop toxic chat before it really starts.

Blizzard says it’s taking the issue of disruptive comms seriously, noting how they give warnings to players whenever they receive manual reports about an account’s disruptive chats when it extends to multiple matches. The post signs off with a plea to players to take those warnings seriously, or else constant flaming or harassment of teammates will lead to account punishments and bans. “It’s okay to be critical and provide feedback,” Blizzard said. “But insulting and harassing your fellow players, regardless of language used, will result in your account getting actioned.”

All of these Defense Matrix initiatives serve to better the future of OW2, which will be shown off at a livestream event on Feb. 12 called Overwatch 2 Spotlight, when Blizzard will reveal PvP gameplay changes it called “groundbreaking” along with new heroes and maps set to come soon.