Queuing or Crying? I can’t tell anymore.
As Overwatch 2 continues to evolve from its beginnings, not only does Blizzard continue to add innovative heroes to the mix, but also new maps and game modes. While this is ultimately something avid players can look forward to, there is an underlying issue for some that has continued to make the game almost inaccessible.
Overwatch has evolved, now hosting 36 maps altogether in Overwatch 2 (not including all holiday variations of maps). Overwatch 2 also hosts 6 arcade modes at any given time. All year round, these modes swap in and out each week with other non-seasonal arcade modes. Seasonal events like ‘Winter Wonderland’ often introduce four additional arcade modes to the mix. Others, like the Halloween event, can even include nested difficulty levels, further adding to our options.
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The introduction of Overwatch 2’s seasonal and now event-specific battlepasses has made completing challenges within the given timeframe increasingly challenging. The challenges themselves can be relatively easy and achievable by participating in games and sometimes specific gamemodes. However, the issue lies in the efficiency of queues.
Despite consistent queuing for various Winter modes, I played only three games in an entire 12 hours, struggling to identify the quickest queue and facing uncertainty about whether or not to re-queue. The prolonged waiting times, sometimes exceeding 2-3 hours before I gave up, made the experience frustrating.
I am an avid Overwatch 2 player, and not being able to really participate in this year’s Winter Wonderland event is extremely disappointing.
This isn’t even an event-specific issue, it’s also something I experience for the standard arcade modes. If this doesn’t highlight the need for a more streamlined queue system, I don’t know what will. Learning from successful implementations in other titles, such as Team Fortress 2 (TF2), the addition of a multi-queue option for Arcade mode stands out as a potential game-changer. Reduce waiting times, and keep the community actively engaged.
Excessive queue times have plagued Overwatch for years and are, unfortunately, becoming somewhat normalised and expected. The initial relief with the release of Overwatch 2, marked by a surge in players, did solve this temporarily. However, in my personal experience, attempting to find matches for regular arcade modes during peak hours has become a near-impossible task (and let’s not even talk about off-peak). This prompted me to abandon the modes entirely. Now, I only queue up for event arcade modes to fulfil seasonal challenges. This frustration resonates with several others who have voiced their concerns about prolonged arcade wait times on various platforms, including X, Reddit, and the Blizzard forums.
The Halloween event introduced a mixed bag of queue times, with variability based on the time of day and a diverse selection of modes. However, The Winter Wonderland event in 2023, marked an unprecedented high in seasonal mode waiting times that cannot be ignored any longer. And I really just don’t think it’s about no one liking Meis Snowball Offensive (it’s actually my favourite holiday mode).
Team Fortress 2, a game that Overwatch has always been compared to, stands out as a timeless classic in the world of team-based shooters. It offers an abundance of game modes and maps to satisfy the diverse tastes of its player base. TF2 provides an expansive array of gameplay experiences. The sheer variety of maps, ranging from iconic classics like 2Fort and Dustbowl to more recent additions, ensures that every match feels fresh and exciting. Its rich selection caters to players seeking different challenges and fosters a sense of longevity and replayability. Even in a game that originally launched in 2007.
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In 2017, ten years after the original launch, Valve added the ability for players to queue up for multiple game modes, and even the specific maps they wanted to play those modes on. Simply being added to the first available match. This streamlined the gameplay experience and ensured that players who had a preference could prioritise those preferences. This became evident as players opted for community servers using specific maps or rotations over traditional matchmaking. I always joined custom servers that prioritised the classic maps like Dustbowl and 2Fort. And even now in 2024, I can jump into TF2 at almost any time, choose my preferences (and be pretty specific about it), and see myself in a game within minutes. Let’s also note that Team Fortress 2 has roughly HALF the active player base as Overwatch 2.
But the truth is, I get the itch, I play TF2, and I’m usually back off within the hour. It’s an old game, and even graphically has been dialled down since its peak.
In comes Overwatch, and subsequently Overwatch 2, a shiny and relatively new game that has been heavily inspired by classics just like Team Fortress. All of a sudden I went from 1000+ hours in TF2 to 1000+ hours in Overwatch. It’s easy to say it’s my new personal favourite as it ticks almost all of the same boxes.
But how can I stay as excited about Overwatch when I feel like I’m queue-locked out of half of the game? This is only going to worsen as they add more arcade modes as well as PvE missions.
Please, Blizzard, let’s do something about this, it’s unbearable!
