Overwatch 2 servers are live with long queues and suffering from “bulk DDoS” attacks

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Overwatch 2 servers are live with long queues and suffering from "bulk DDoS" attacks

Overwatch 2 servers are now live but are suffering from a few issues that may be due to a series of DDoS attacks. Since the servers went live yesterday afternoon, there have been long queues to get in – in some cases players are told there are more than 30,000 people in front of them.

Perhaps even more notably, Blizzard CEO Mike Ybarra announced that Overwatch 2 suffered from a “mass DDoS” attack shortly after launch, which he says is causing “a lot of drop/connection issues”. It’s unclear who is doing this or why, although Blizzard has faced great anger regarding some of the game’s design decisions.

Currently running: Overwatch 2 – Everything you need to know

In a subsequent nightly update from game director Aaron Keller, it was revealed that a second DDoS was underway, but that Blizzard was making “steady progress on server issues and stability.” He added: “We are all on deck and will continue to work throughout the night. Thank you for your patience – we will share more information as it becomes available.”

Blizzard had previously accepted an “unexpected server error” some players are getting. Additionally, the studio has confirmed issues with player unlocks, including skins, not showing up, as well as Watchpoint pack buyers not having access to them. There’s no word on when these issues will be resolved, but the BlizzardCS The Twitter account will provide updates as they arrive, and a list of known issues has been compiled on the Overwatch forums.

In the meantime, be sure to check out our Overwatch 2 review-in-progress. The original story follows.

Overwatch 2 is finally out today, October 4th. After several false starts and delays, the servers are going live today at 3pm ET / 12pm PT and you can now preload it on any platform.

Arguably one of the most anticipated games of the year, the Overwatch sequel was first announced at BlizzCon 2019. Despite its lengthy development cycle – longer than many thought – the game releasing today isn’t quite the full experience, as it only features the revamped 5v5 PvP modes.

However, it’s free to play and doesn’t include the (infamous) loot box model of its predecessor. You’ll also need to have a phone number associated with your Battle.net account in order to play it, so get that done sooner than later.

While this is certainly the core of the Overwatch experience, many fans have been looking forward to the sequel’s promised PvE game modes. This Early Access version doesn’t include them yet, so keep an eye out for them at a later date.

Of course, the upcoming release of Overwatch 2 comes at a high cost, as Overwatch 1’s servers were shut down on October 2nd to prepare for the launch of the sequel. Regardless of how you personally feel about the original Overwatch, there’s no denying that it’s one of the most important multiplayer games of the 2010s, and it’s quite sad that you can’t play it in its original 6v6 form anymore.

In our Overwatch 2 review-in-progress, critic Jessica Howard enjoyed her early hours with the game the most, although she questioned whether it’s a true successor to the legendary original. “Where it counts, Overwatch 2 feels like a fantastic update to a multiplayer game with mechanics that allow for exciting skirmishes between teams of heroes,” she wrote. “As a separate entity and sequel, however, it stumbles.”

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