When does Overwatch competitive season 23 begin?

Even though time feels like a fake concept thanks to COVID-19 and the extensive quarantine, it’s actually been nearly two months since the last Overwatch competitive season started. Season 22 began in the first week of May, kicking off with a double-shield meta firmly in place and a lack of definitive answers about the future of Hero Pools. 

Season 23 begins on Thursday, July 2. Overwatch fans can look forward to a much more stable system and a new meta emerging thanks to recent balance changes. 

After dealing with a wild and tumultuous season 21, which included seemingly random Hero Pools selections, season 22 felt like a calm, if boring, return to normalcy. Double shield, which revolves around Orisa and Sigma, felt like the go-to composition for most of the season. Over the past few weeks, numerous balance changes have given life to a new dive-based composition that focuses on Genji, Tracer, and other speedy heroes. 

Most importantly, season 23 will begin with no Hero Pools in place and no return of them on the horizon. There was an attempt to restrict Hero Pools to only high-rated players, but the developers decided that the feature was more of a hindrance to competitive mode than previously thought. Hero Pools had a good run, but players will be free to select anything they want in season 23.    

DPS players might want to dust off their Dragonblades for season 23, though. After receiving big buffs in the latest live patch, Genji is now one of the most-played heroes in the competitive circuit. He’s often joined by Tracer or Ashe as fellow DPS and backed up by Ana for her Nano-Boost. Double shield tanks still reign, but quicker DPS heroes are having their day. 

Additionally, the priority requeue system was added in the last live patch. If a player is disconnected from a game due to someone leaving as the game begins, they’ll be given the option to hop into a “priority” queue. This should give inconvenienced players a much quicker queue time. 

Season 23 will begin immediately after season 22 ends on July 2 at 12pm CT. Since the start time is relatively early for most gamers, make sure to rank up the night before to ensure you get the max amount of competitive points for participating in season 22. As usual, participants in every competitive season will receive a spray, a player icon, and competitive points.