After Becoming the Worst User-Reviewed Game Ever on Steam, Overwatch 2’s Recent Reviews Jump to ‘Mixed’

Overwatch 2 Season 15 has breathed new life into the game, significantly improving player sentiment and marking a remarkable turnaround from its previous status as Steam's worst-reviewed game. Nearly nine years after the original Overwatch's debut and two and a half years after Overwatch 2's launch, the game faced immense criticism, particularly concerning its monetization practices and the controversial transition from a premium title to a free-to-play model. The cancellation of the highly anticipated PvE Hero mode further fueled negative player reactions.

While Overwatch 2 still holds a "mostly negative" overall Steam rating, recent reviews reveal a positive shift towards "mixed," with 43% of the 5,325 reviews submitted in the last 30 days being positive. This is a substantial improvement considering the overwhelmingly negative reception since its release on the platform.

This resurgence is largely attributed to Season 15's impactful changes. Beyond the expected new content additions outlined in the roadmap, the core gameplay has undergone a significant overhaul, including the introduction of hero perks and the return of loot boxes.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots

9 Images

Player reviews reflect this positive shift: "They just released Overwatch 2," one recent positive review states. "The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another player commented, "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. Now we just gotta wait for next season with an actual cooler battlepass.” This last comment references the popular competitor, Marvel Rivals, a similar hero shooter that has garnered 40 million downloads since its December launch.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the competitive landscape created by Marvel Rivals' success, stating, "We're obviously in a new competitive landscape...where there's another game that's so similar to the one that we've created." While acknowledging the challenge, Keller expressed excitement about the situation, highlighting Marvel Rivals' innovative approach to established Overwatch concepts. He also admitted that Marvel Rivals’ success has prompted Blizzard to adopt a more risk-taking approach to Overwatch 2, emphasizing that "this is no longer about playing it safe."

While it's premature to declare Overwatch's complete resurgence, the fluctuating Steam user reviews and the near doubling of peak concurrent players on the platform to 60,000 (with numbers from other platforms unavailable) indicate a significant positive trend. It's important to note that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox. For comparison, Marvel Rivals recently boasted 305,816 peak concurrent players on Steam.