How to unlock Competitive Play in Overwatch 2

Competitive is back and better than ever in Overwatch 2, but it isn’t available to everyone by default. If you’re a returning player, you can immediately jump in and play Competitive. If you’re new to the franchise, though, there are some extra hoops you’ll need to jump through to unlock Competitive Play.

These steps better prepare players for the unique challenges of Competitive and cut down on toxicity between players, or so the Overwatch 2 development team hopes. Like in ranked modes in other competitive games, dedicated players can progress through the Overwatch 2 ranks on their way to becoming a Grand Master.

Here’s how to unlock Competitive Play in Overwatch 2.

What is the Competitive Play Challenge in Overwatch 2?

The Competitive Play challenge is a requirement new players must meet before jumping into ranked play. It requires you to complete a certain amount of Quick Play wins first, so players aren’t able to jump right into games without a basic understanding of how OW2 works or possibly be more likely to grief games since their account is new.

How many wins do you need to unlock OW2 Competitive Play?

Unfortunately, unlocking Competitive Play takes a little bit of time and effort. You must play and win 50 Quick Play matches before completing the challenge and unlocking the ranked ladder mode in OW2.

Thankfully, the good news is that anyone who played the first Overwatch and already unlocked Competitive in that game has immediate access to Competitive Play in Overwatch 2.

You’ll still need to complete a set of placement matches to gain your rank, which is based on your rank in the first game but won’t be exactly the same. You’ll be placed during your first competitive update after seven wins or 20 losses.

What’s new in OW2 Competitive Play?

The process is a little more involved if you’re new to the series or OW2 as a free-to-play game on a new account. Blizzard has removed the player level system, so you won’t have to make it to level 25 as players did in the first game. Instead, you must complete the new First Time User Experience (FTUE). The FTUE is a required quest-based experience that will help you learn about all the maps, modes, and playable characters the game offers.

To unlock Competitive as a new player, you must complete FTUE and win 50 Quick Play matches. This is to ensure Overwatch 2‘s matchmaking system can get a good read of your skill level and pair you with the most appropriate teammates when you play all modes, not just Competitive.

You can track the challenge’s progress under the Challenges section, select the Competitive tab, and find the “Competitive Play Qualification” challenge. Once you have won 50 Quick Play games, competitive play is unlocked. Besides that, most competitive play features largely work similarly to the first Overwatch, though crossplay is complicated.

Blizzard is constantly tweaking and changing Competitive Play in OW2, adding new heroes, maps, and modes, and changing existing facets of the game to balance everything and keep things fresh.

Why did Blizzard make these changes?

The Competitive Play challenge aims to reduce toxicity between players, particularly those who speak harshly to new players or haven’t had time to get acquainted with the game yet. It is Blizzard’s attempt at creating a healthier game environment for everyone.

Before Overwatch 2’s launch, Blizzard published a blog post detailing its adjustments to Competitive. The blog lists all the changes made to the mode, which are wide-ranging enough that even returning players should read through them before queuing up for a match.

All OW2 Competitive ranks and divisions

There are seven different ranks within OW2 Competitive Play:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum
• Diamond
• Master
• Grandmaster

There are five different numbered divisions within each (Bronze 5, Bronze 4, Bronze 3, etc.). Once you ascend into Grandmaster, you can become a Top 500 player, the top rank in OW2.