Overwatch 2's Steam Reviews Shift from 'Worst' to 'Mixed'

Overwatch 2 Season 15 has been making waves, bringing a noticeable shift in player sentiment around what was once the most negatively reviewed game on Steam. Nearly nine years since the original Overwatch launched in 2016, and over two years since the release of its sequel, Overwatch 2 faced one of the toughest periods in its history.

In August 2023, Overwatch 2 became the worst user-reviewed game on Steam, largely due to backlash over monetization changes following Blizzard’s decision to transition the original Overwatch into a free-to-play model. This move not only rendered the first game unplayable for many but also sparked widespread frustration among longtime fans. Additional controversies followed, including the cancellation of the highly anticipated PvE Hero mode—a feature many players believed justified the sequel's existence.

Despite this rocky history, recent developments have brought some optimism back into the community. While the overall user review rating on Steam remains “mostly negative,” recent reviews over the past 30 days show an improvement to “mixed,” with 43% of them being positive. For a game that has struggled with overwhelming criticism since launch, this is a meaningful step forward.

What Changed With Season 15?

The arrival of Season 15 introduced sweeping changes to Overwatch 2, both in terms of content and core gameplay mechanics. The update reintroduced loot boxes—a beloved staple from the original game—and added new hero perks that brought a fresh dynamic to matches. While future plans still include standard new heroes and maps, the focus has clearly shifted toward refining the gameplay experience to better satisfy long-time fans.

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“They just released Overwatch 2,” one recent positive review reads. “The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way.”

Another player wrote: “For once, I must come to Overwatch's defense and say they really have stepped up their game. Going back to what worked in Overwatch 1 while introducing new and fun mechanics to the game. A certain game made them LOCK IN and I couldn't be happier. Now we just gotta wait for next season with an actual cooler battlepass.”

Marvel Rivals Enters the Arena

This positive shift comes as NetEase’s *Marvel Rivals*, a hero shooter inspired by Overwatch, gained over 40 million downloads shortly after its December launch. In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the new competitive landscape that Blizzard now faces.

“We're obviously in a new competitive landscape that I think, for Overwatch, we've never really been in before, to this extent where there's another game that's so similar to the one that we've created,” Keller said.

Rather than viewing Marvel Rivals as a threat, Keller described the situation as “exciting” and even praised how the game expanded upon Overwatch’s established ideas. Still, he admitted that the success of Marvel Rivals had prompted a shift within Blizzard: “this is no longer about playing it safe.”

Is Overwatch 2 Making a Comeback?

While it may be too early to declare Overwatch “back,” the uptick in player engagement on Steam is promising. Concurrent player numbers nearly doubled to 60,000 following Season 15’s launch. It's important to note that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, though none of those platforms publicly disclose player statistics.

For comparison, Marvel Rivals recently reached 305,816 peak concurrent players on Steam alone within the last 24 hours, highlighting the scale of competition Overwatch now faces.

Although improving Overwatch 2’s Steam reputation beyond a “mixed” score will be challenging, Season 15 has at least proven that Blizzard can still win back some of its audience—one thoughtful update at a time.