Is Overwatch going back to 6v6?

Those who played Overwatch back when it was in its 2016 glory days will be familiar with the former 6v6 format. Instead of the 5v5 game it is today, the game used to pit teams of six players against each other to duke it out while letting them play whatever role and hero they wanted. However, they changed that around the time Overwatch 2 came out.

Many fans have been asking Activision Blizzard to bring back the old 6v6 format and it seems that might actually be happening. In a recent blog post, the game director went into detail about the future of the game and whether players will see the 6v6 format make a return.

So, without any more delay, here’s whether Overwatch 2 is going back to the 6v6 format.

Will Overwatch have 6v6 as its default mode again?

In a recent blog post, Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller shares that 6v6 might return to the game on a later day. Keller laid out plans to bring back 6v6 to the game alongside other format changes and says that Overwatch will get experimental modes later this year to test it out.

The director shares that while they try out different methods to bring back 6v6, the team will stay focused on 5v5 since it is currently the only mode in Overwatch 2. Keller writes: “The community has, juuuust once or twice, suggested a test. 'Why not put various forms of 6v6 in the game to gauge the results?' We agree, and based on your feedback, we’re exploring how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to gauge the results”.

Why did Overwatch get rid of 6v6 in the first place?

Keller shares a lengthy note about the historical context of 6v6 and why they removed it from the game when the title transitioned from Overwatch to Overwatch 2. According to the director, matches were very stale in the 6v6 format where two teams would fight for long times without anyone winning since both sides had to burn through two tanks alongside two healers, and the only thing to break the tie was the use of ultimates. By shifting from 6v6 to 5v5, the director believes that it could make the game more fast-paced.

Another big reason the game transitioned to a 5v5 format was to reduce the usefulness of crowd-controlling abilities. “Crowd Control could take players out of the game for extended periods, especially when they were chained back-to-back.” Keller shares.

One of the biggest reasons behind the switch to 5v5 was that it reduced queue times for every game mode. Previously, players had to wait upwards of 7 minutes as a damaged player, which decreased to 3 minutes post-transition. Keller shares that the biggest factor behind the difference between queue times is the ratio of players queuing for each role, like how most people don't queue for the tank role, so it is easier to find games in that role, unlike the damage role.

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What are the Challenges of going back to 6v6?

Going back to 6v6 isn’t as easy as it seems because of various factors. One of the biggest reasons behind the hesitance of switching back to 6v6 is that it will cause numerous balancing issues in the game, especially for tanks.

Another reason that Keller reveals is that 6v6 settings can cause big impacts for PC players with weaker systems as a high number of players and objects on the screen can cause slowdowns for them due to the game underperforming, so they want to maintain a title that runs smoothly across every system and console for the player’s experience.

Finally, queue times will play a major role in whether the 6v6 format will return as it was a big issue in Overwatch.