Overwatch 2 PvP testing begins on March 10 for a closed group

Player versus player testing for Overwatch 2 begins on March 10 for a small group of “Blizzard employees, Overwatch League pros and a few other select groups,” according to a post shared by Aaron Keller, Overwatch 2’s game director. Keller also shared that the Overwatch team is “decoupling Overwatch 2’s PvP and PvE experiences from one another” in order to share PvP content with fans sooner. “Then, our first PvP Beta will begin in late April for PC in all regions,” Keller wrote. “This closed beta will include a larger group of testers who we will ask to provide gameplay feedback. Our goal for this phase is to test our new features, content and systems before we shift to stress-testing the servers with a wider player base in future Beta tests.”

Overwatch 2 is going through multiple phases of testing

The April PvP Overwatch 2 beta will be the “most significant release” the team has had since the original Overwatch launch, according to Keller. It’ll include the new damage hero Sojourn, four maps, hero reworks, 5v5 gameplay and the new Push gameplay mode. This announcement is a longtime coming as pro players and fans alike have been waiting for Overwatch 2 news since Blizzard announced the next season of the Overwatch League would be played on an early build of the sequel to the colorful team-based shooter. The news also comes at a time when Activision Blizzard is going through major changes. Microsoft is in the process of acquiring the games publisher for more than $68 billion. Employees across the company have said they are hopefully optimistic about the change in the leadership. We won’t know how the deal impacts the company, Overwatch development and the Overwatch League until sometime in 2023.