How to Fix Stuck In Bronze 5 Bug In Overwatch 2

Every time a new game launches, bugs and glitches are to be expected. However, sometimes said bugs or glitches end up being game-breaking, immersion-breaking, or one that completely ruins the fun. I mean, just look at Cyberpunk 2077's launch phase bugs.

Overwatch 2 is no different, bringing with its launch a bug that completely stops players from progressing in ranks, and for a game that calls itself a competitive shooter, that's a major problem for both players and the game's reputation.

What is the Bronze 5 Bug?

The bug is being called the bronze 5 bugs, and rightfully so. Unlike the usual bugs the first Overwatch was known for, such as currency not showing up or cosmetics disappearing from the library, this bug stops players from getting out of the lowest rank, Bronze 5.

Many players have noticed that no matter how many games they win or how many matches they carry, they just can't seem to get out of Bronze 5. What makes it worse is that players can't even see how much skill rating (Overwatch's version of ELO) they have with the game's revamped ranking system.

While the first game had a regular ranking system, now, instead of seeing your rank go up or down after each win or loss like the first game, the game hides it from you until you win seven games or lose/draw 20. Pretty much every player is calling for the old ranking system to come back, but Blizzard hasn't made any public comment on the matter yet.

But what does that mean for players who are stuck in the Bronze 5 bug? Well, they have no choice but to either continue playing or wait for Blizzard to address the situation. In the meantime, more and more players continue to get trapped in the Bronze 5 hellhole, even having won all placement matches, such as the tweet in the screenshot below.

Is there any fix to the bug?

Is there any fix to the bug? Well, that might not be the question to ask. Maybe the question is, ''is it really even a bug?'' While many players are saying complaining to the Blizzard help service is the way to go if we want them to fix this in the next patch or update, some players have flipped the entire script and claimed that this isn't even a bug in the first place.

What they claim is that the reason players aren't able to get from Bronze 5 to Bronze 4 is that they don't have enough skill ratings or MMR to do so. Apparently, accounts that were previously in a rank in Overwatch 1 but had been idle for too long were targets of what is called MMR decline, which is common in many similar games.

Because of this, those old Overwatch 1 accounts started with a skill rating of 0, and every match they play slowly but surely increases their skill rating. However, because it takes getting over 1100 SR to get to Bronze 4, this effectively means that players will have to win 21 games back to back without losses just to get out of the lowest rank and that too without being able to see their progress because of the SR being hidden from everyone.

Below is the SR system of the bronze ranks, specifically in Overwatch 2

• Bronze 5 - 0-1100 SR 
• Bronze 4 - 1101-1200 SR 
• Bronze 3 - 1201-1300 SR 
• Bronze 2 - 1301-1400 SR

Notice there's a huge SR gap between 0 (the number many players will start on) and Bronze 4? What this means is that players who are new to Overwatch 2 and have no prior experience will basically get destroyed by Overwatch 1 veterans who have been playing the game for years but are now forced to play in the lowest rank.

As many players have pointed out, this is a flawed ranking system, but what if we said we had a way around this? If what players are saying is true and you really do need 21 wins to get from bronze 5 to Bronze 4, then Eloking has you covered. 

All you have to do is hire an Eloking professional player to win 21 or more games for you, and if you really did start from 0, then you should be able to get out of the eternal Bronze 5 hell, and that too without having to go through the hassle yourself.   
While waiting, if you find yourself playing a similar team-based free-to-play first-person shooter by the name of Valorant and want to play with some real professionals as your teammates, then check out how Eloking's Valorant teammate system works.