Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now on PC

By Wes Fenlon, Phil Savage

Update: Rockstar's cowboy epic is here.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now on PC, available through the Rockstar Games launcher and the Epic Games store. While we're not ready to publish our review just yet—we didn't get early access to the PC build beyond a hands-on event last week—we'll have some first impressions on the PC port up later today. In the meantime, here's everything you need to get started with Red Dead Redemption 2's PC version.

What do I need to play Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC?

You can get RDR2 on either the Rockstar Games launcher or the Epic Games Store. It's available for preload already, which is a good thing because Red Dead 2 weighs in at a 109 gigabyte download, and wants you to have 150GB of free drive space to install. Set aside some extra drive space for future Red Dead Online downloads, too.

As for whether your PC can handle it: Check out our system requirements post, which recommends at least a GTX 1060 graphics card to run the game well. But as with GTA 5, the PC version of RDR2 has some advanced graphics settings not available on consoles that should push modern hardware to the limits. In fact, if you want to play at 60fps, Nvidia recommends an RTX 2060.

When is Red Dead Redemption 2 available on Steam?

If you plan to play on Steam, though, you have to wait: RDR2 comes to Steam in December. We don't know which day it'll hit Steam, but Rockstar confirmed the release month when it announced Red Dead was coming to PC.

Author's Website: https://www.pcgamer.com/

Best Nintendo Switch Deals November 2019: Games, Consoles, And Accessories

Nintendo discounts are hard to come by, but we've found some of the best you can get before Black Friday.

By Jenae Sitzes | @jenaesitzes on November 5, 2019 at 7:10AM PST

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

The Nintendo Switch continues to have a strong year going into November, and it's not done yet. 2019 has brought us some exciting first-party titles, including Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Super Mario Maker 2, and Luigi's Mansion 3, as well as a growing roster of third-party ports for incredible games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dark Souls, Overwatch, Return of the Obra Dinn, and Divinity: Original Sin 2, giving die-hard Nintendo fans and well-rounded players alike reasons to keep playing on Switch. And we still have Pokemon Sword and Shield to look forward to.

That's a lot of games to keep up with, and Nintendo is notorious for being stingy when it comes to discounts. Though you can now get a Switch for $300 or a Switch Lite for $200, Nintendo's major releases tend to stick to their original prices, as do accessories and like the $70 Switch Pro controller, the colorful array of Joy-Cons that retail for $80, and the online membership that goes for a more modest $20 per year, all of which add up to quite a hefty sum, especially over the coming holiday season.

Thankfully, the holiday season also brings its share of deals, including the annual tidal wave of Black Friday sales, and we've already got some discounts early in the month of November. We've rounded up the best Nintendo Switch deals from a variety of online outlets to make sure you get the best deals on Nintendo Switch games, accessories, and more. We will likely have to wait on deals on the console itself and its smaller, handheld-only Switch Lite, but we still have some solid deals worth considering going into Black Friday.

We'll update this story with any new Switch deals we see come up in November (especially during Black Friday), but here are the best discounts we've seen so far.

Quick look: Best Nintendo Switch deals

Nintendo Switch Pro controller -- $63 at Amazon

Samsung 256GB memory card -- $37.99 at Amazon

Hori D-Pad Switch Controller -- $17.77 at Amazon 

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition -- $49.94 at Amazon

Super Mario Party -- $43.94 at Amazon

Mario Tennis Aces -- $38.94 at Amazon

Collection of Mana -- $35 at Walmart

Bayonetta 2 (physical) + Bayonetta (digital download) -- $49.94 at Amazon

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild -- $43.94 at Amazon

Super Mario Odyssey: Starter Pack -- $44.99 at Amazon

Super Mario Maker 2 -- $43.94 at Amazon

Civilization VI -- $29.78 at Amazon

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch -- $41.48 at Amazon

Mortal Kombat 11 -- $36 at Amazon

Author's Website: https://www.gamespot.com/

Horizon: Zero Dawn 2 Seems Even More Likely

Guerrilla may be working on a Horizon sequel.

By Eddie Makuch on November 4, 2019 at 9:05PM PST

Horizon: Zero Dawn was a critical and commercial success, so it's been somewhat surprising that Sony has yet to announce a sequel. That remains the case, but now yet another piece of evidence has emerged that Horizon: Zero Dawn 2 is in development.

A job listing at Guerrilla Games for a "Technical Vegetation Artist" (via GamesRadar) specifically mentions that the candidate would be working on creating "the stunning environments of Horizon."

Given that Horizon is more than two years old now, it seems likely that this job ad is for a new Horizon game, potentially a sequel. The job ad states that Guerrilla has a total of four teams dedicated to making the environments of Horizon.

Guerrilla has numerous open positions on its website, but this is seemingly the only one that directly mentions Horizon. Other job ads mention that Guerrilla is working on a new open-world game, and that could be yet another reference to Horizon: Zero Dawn 2.

2017's Horizon: Zero Dawn was a big change for Guerrilla, as the studio previously made the first-person shooter franchise Killzone. Guerrilla reportedly has multiple internal development teams, and one of these is said to be working on a multiplayer game that some people believe could be a new Killzone.

Guerrilla hired Rainbow Six Siege's director, Simon Larouche, to work on a new project at the studio. Larouche's history, people believe this may be a multiplayer game.

Guerrilla, which is based in the Netherlands, recently announced plans to grow in size to 400 or more developers with the aiming of releasing new games every two or three years, according to wccftech.

The studio also created the Decima engine, which Hideo Kojima used for his new game, Death Stranding.

Janina Gavankar, who played Tatai in Horizon: Zero Dawn's Frozen Wilds expansion, said at an event earlier this year that a sequel to Horizon is on the way. "It's incredible; wait 'til you see the sequel," she said. "You're gonna die--I know some secrets!"

Whatever projects Guerrilla (which is owned by Sony) is indeed working on, it seems likely they'll be released on the upcoming PlayStation 5. That console launches in Holiday 2020.

Author's Website: https://www.gamespot.com/

Merging Overwatch 1 And 2 Was A Hard Sell, But The Right Move, Says Director

"I always try to come at things from a player-first standpoint."

By James O'Connor on November 4, 2019 at 3:39PM PST

Overwatch 2 is an unusual sequel in that a lot of the new content it introduces--including new characters, maps, and PvP modes--will also be added to the original Overwatch on all platforms. Overwatch 2 will feature an exclusive campaign mode with PvE combat and a story that will delve deeper into the series' lore, but if you're just playing Overwatch for the PvP experience, you won't miss out on anything if you don't upgrade. It goes the other way as well--all cosmetics you've unlocked in the original game will carry over into Overwatch 2.

This is not a standard model for a sequel, but game director Jeff Kaplan has told Kotaku Australia that, while it was a difficult decision to make, he believes that this is the model that best benefits Overwatch's player base. "It's very challenging because the industry has done things the same way for so long," he said. "And so it's hard to get people, push them out of their comfort zone and say, hey, I think we could do it a better way."

Kaplan said that convincing people at Blizzard to do this meant explaining how it would ultimately benefit their players. "I try to tell them if we do what's right by the players, they will be happy, we will have a better game, and we will end up in a better place in the long run." He believes that cutting off players from the first Overwatch to "make that game just sort of die on the vine" is the wrong approach. "I always try to come at things from a player-first standpoint," Kaplan said. Ultimately, this model will allow Overwatch 1 and 2 to coexist, and will allow for crossplay between the two games.

Overwatch 2 is just one of several big announcements to come out of BlizzCon 2019, where Diablo IV and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands were also shown for the first time. Overwatch 2 will release on Switch as well as PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and might feature a ping system similar to Apex Legends.

Author's Website: https://www.gamespot.com/

Watch 10 minutes of Hearthstone's new Battlegrounds mode

By Wes Fenlon

Inspired by Auto Chess, this new eight-player mode is available starting early November.

As a surprise addition to the reveal of Hearthstone's next expansion, Descent of Dragons, Blizzard announced an entirely new mode, launching in beta very soon. It's called Battlegrounds, and it's an eight-player showdown inspired by the autobattler genre that started earlier this year with Dota Auto Chess. Below is a full 10-minute match of Battlegrounds from Blizzard's press site.

The player's champion is Ragnaros the Firelord, and the footage takes us through how a typical Battlegrounds match will play out. Matches alternate between the tavern, where players recruit minions, and 1v1 battlefields against the other seven players in the match. Everyone starts with 40 health, and the last one standing wins.

Head over to our BlizzCon 2019 hub for more news from this year's convention, and check out our gallery of all the Hearthstone: Descent of Dragons cards so far.

Author's Website: https://www.pcgamer.com/

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Update Released, See The Patch Notes Here

Changed up.

By Eddie Makuch on November 3, 2019 at 4:00PM PST

A new update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is now available. The newest title update includes a number of fixes and tweaks, beginning with additional fixes that help improve stability and minimize the likelihood of game crashes.

Additionally, developer Infinity Ward has removed all battle chatter--that is, the brief lines of dialogue that characters say during matches--from Modern Warfare's one-life modes. This sounds like a welcome change, as the more tactical, one-life modes require strategy and stealth, and hearing the loud callouts can lead to a negative experience. Connected to this, Infinity Ward has changed the sound of footsteps--the footstep sounds will now "filter out" based on occlusion effects.

Another change in the update includes how stun grenades can now disable claymores for 3 seconds. This is another big change, as players have been reporting that claymores can trend toward the over-powered side.

Joe Cecot@JoeCecot

Excited to get the footstep tuning in live along with these other changes. More updates in the works:

- more restricted player call out logic
- prevent enemies from hearing call outs in all modes
- challenge system fixes
- weapon tuning
- spawn updates

https://twitter.com/infinityward/status/1190646015604346885 …

Infinity Ward

✔@InfinityWard

 Patch notes for our latest update are now live! Check out our Reddit post for more details! #ModernWarfare https://www.reddit.com/r/modernwarfare/comments/dn1szu/updates_and_patch_notes_from_infinity_ward/ …

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You can see the full rundown of changes to the gameplay and what's new in the multiplayer playlists below, as posted by Infinity Ward on Reddit.

Modern Warfare multiplayer design director Joe Cecot added that Infinity Ward is working on additional changes and updates to come later. In the future, Infinity Ward will release updates that further restrict the player call out logic and prevent enemies from hearing these call outs across all modes. There will also be further changes to weapon tuning and spawn locations.

Title Update/Playlist Update

Title Update:

More fixes to prevent crashes and improve stability across all platforms
Battlechatter has been removed from tactical, one-life modes

APCs and Tanks in Ground War no longer award points towards a nuke

Fix for charms affecting weapon performance when firing from the hip

Claymores: Stun grenades can now force claymores into a disabled state for 3 seconds

Footsteps: Adjustments to tame the 3rd person footsteps. They will now filter out based on occlusion more.

Fix to an issue where Tac Inserts could cause players to spawn out of bounds

Fix for the gold camo not unlocking on the .357

Playlist Update:

NVG (TDM only)

Ground War

Gunfight

Kill Confirmed

FFA

Author's Website: https://www.gamespot.com/

Hearthstone Expansion "Descent of Dragons" Coming December, Battlegrounds Auto-Battler Even Sooner

The most dragon-filled Hearthstone expansion yet.

By Steve Watts on November 3, 2019 at 6:00AM PST

Hearthstone news has been overshadowed by an ongoing controversy of late, but Blizzard used its fan event BlizzCon to promote the next big expansion coming to its popular digital CCG. It's called Descent of Dragons, and it's coming on December 10. Pre-purchases are now open.

The new expansion boasts more dragons than any other single expansion. To that end the five EVIL classes--Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior--will be able to use the Galakrond Hero Card, with unique powers for each. Upgrading Galakrond before playing with the new Invoke keyword will double and then quadruple its Battlecry power, whether he's in your hand or deck--similar to the C'Thun card from Whispers of the Old Gods. All five versions of Galakrond will be a free login bonus when the set launches.

Blizzard also announced that each class will get its own Legendary dragon. The first of these shown off was a Druid Legendary, Ysera Unleashed. It shuffles 7 Dream Portals into your deck that summon random dragons. A new Shaman card, Lightning Breath, does 4 damage, but also hits neighbors if you're holding a dragon. The announcement also revealed "Sidequests" mechanic, similar to Quests but with smaller, early-game rewards. Sidequests won't start in your hand like regular Quests.

This will be the third and final expansion of this annual season of Hearthstone, which has told a continuous, ongoing story. In the first part, Rise of Shadows, the arch-thief Rafaam gathered a "League of EVIL" composed of other Hearthstone villains and stole the entire magical city of Dalaran. In the second part, Saviors of Uldum, the heroic League of Explorers rose to take on a set of plagues unleashed by Rafaam's goons. This final piece will complete the story. Check out our gallery of all the cards revealed so far.

As usual, the new expansion is available for pre-purchase now. A 60-pack bundle for $50 includees a Golden Legendary and Shattering card back. The 100-pack Mega Bundle includes those plus a Deathwing Warrior Hero alternate. They cost $50 and $80, respectively.

Blizzard also announced a completely new mode for Hearthstone called Battlegrounds. The new 8-player mode is inspired by the popular auto-battler genre, and has you team up to send minions against AI opponents. An open beta will begin on November 12, but BlizzCon and Virtual Ticket holders can start playing on Tuesday.

Author's Website: https://www.gamespot.com/

Blizzcon 2019: Overwatch 2's New Campaign Looks To Be The Story Mode Fans Have Always Wanted

The new PvE experience shows off some fun moments with the returning cast of Overwatch heroes.

By Alessandro Fillari | @afillari on November 2, 2019 at 4:24PM PDT

Since its debut in 2016, Overwatch has become one of Blizzard's most recognizable and prolific games. Focusing on PvP engagements with a cast of charismatic heroes and villains, Overwatch's team-based first-person shooter gameplay has become a fun and accessible favorite among Blizzard's litany of dense role-playing games and real-time strategy experiences. In the lead up to Blizzcon 2019, there were rumblings that a sequel to the live-service shooter was in the works, and it all turned out to be true, with game director Jeff Kaplan taking to the Blizzcon stage to reveal Overwatch 2. Moving forward in the series' timeline, the familiar crew of globe-trotting heroes will battle the forces of Null Sector in the sequel, while also preparing for their confrontation with the anti-heroes of Black Talon.

What makes Overwatch 2 a proper sequel to the original is that it will expand the franchise's scope with a fleshed-out PvE experience and dedicated story missions. These co-op focused engagements pit you and a squad of other players against AI enemies. Shifting towards a more Destiny-style experience, you'll also be able to level up and customize aspects of your favorite heroes as they contend with the twists and turns of the evolving story. The biggest, and likely most welcome change that this new experience will bring, is that this new pillar of Overwatch will allow for the characters to show off more of their backstories and growing relationships with the other heroes.

Overwatch has been the hero shooter for many years, so seeing its shift towards more PvE gameplay might be something of an adjustment for longtime fans. But according to Overwatch 2's lead producer Matthew Hawley and lead combat designer Geoff Goodman, it was a long time coming, and it's all about taking steps to move the franchise forward.

"It needed a change. Obviously, we've been really seeing new heroes and new maps and arcade, all these great features throughout time, but we've always had this big idea and we wanted to do this big, much larger game that couldn't quite be contained in the normal little patch cycle," said Goodman. "It was great initially when we had some of the cooperative stuff we released as live releases with special events, and seeing the response there was just like, 'Okay good people are on board. This is really cool because this is what we really wanted to do,' and just seeing the response here today has been amazing, so we're really, really excited."

Overwatch 2 is about reframing its larger story in ways that the original's PvP focus could not. The prospect of PvE engagements isn't entirely a new thing in Overwatch. The limited-time events known Archives were essentially Overwatch's story missions and brought a squad of players together to fight off waves of enemies in narrative-driven adventures. As it turns out, these limited-timed events in the original game were just a sampling of what was to come with Overwatch 2. In the sequel, these have been evolved into new narrative-driven missions and stand-alone co-op engagements, which have a squad of players fight through levels full of enemies and mini-bosses. Overwatch 2's PvE also features a more in-depth character customization system, allowing you to select different perks and modifiers for the roster--it seems like Overwatch 2 is becoming a more fleshed out and varied game.

At Blizzcon, we got to play a story mission set in Rio De Janeiro. While this map is a well-known place for PvP engagements, on this occasion, it's also hosting a fleshed-out story mission involving Tracer, Reinhardt, Mei, and Lucio, as they face off against minions from Null Sector, a growing extremist group bent on causing chaos in the world. As you're fighting through the stage, bashing, slashing, and shooting different AI robots, you'll hear banter from the various characters.

The standout moment from the level was the climax, which had our team work together to destroy a reactor inside Null Sector's ship. While we were battling waves of monsters, we used our character's various skills to defend ourselves, and the new gadgets found in the mission allowed us to toss special grenades and activate turrets. It gave me similar vibes to Left 4 Dead, which focused on passive, in the moment storytelling to show off character moments and changes in the environment. However, a significant difference with Overwatch 2 is that these familiar heroes will evolve and grow over time.

When playing in the PvE mode, you'll be able to develop and modify your character's skills. Playing as Reinhardt, I chose an ability called Frenzy, which caused his hammer swings to increase in speed after consecutive hits. For anyone who knows a particular character intimately, these changes are immediately noticeable. During PvE, these skills were immensely helpful against the waves of AI enemies we fought, but I couldn't help but think about what these new powers and modifiers could mean for PvP gameplay. This was a discussion that the developers have had for some time as it turns out. However, the developers stressed that the new skills and hero ability customization would be for the co-op missions only.

Though it's a sequel that will offer new experiences, players who want to hold off on getting into Overwatch 2 can still play the first game, as it will receive new updates alongside the sequel. According to the developers, Overwatch 1 players will get to play with Overwatch 2 owners on the same PvP maps and see all the new multiplayer levels with free updates. New heroes in Overwatch 2 will also release for Overwatch 1 as well, which will make PvP gameplay mostly comparable between the two. However, if you want to see where Overwatch's new story and co-op missions go, you'll have to take the plunge and purchase the sequel.

"There's a lot of meat to Overwatch 2, but we thought it was really important that something like the new PvP mode Push and that all the multiple new maps that we're adding for each of the core game modes, will be available to fans who have been so loyal to us," said Hawley. "Overwatch 1 players can still play with Overwatch 2 players, even if they're not into all that other stuff. They'll still be able to get to play all of the competitive content add into Overwatch 2."

At its core, Overwatch 2 was still very much the Overwatch you're familiar with, albeit with a new look for many of its heroes and some new locales to explore. The demo at Blizzcon 2019 showed off a lot of what made me enjoy Overwatch--those fun and exciting moments that we often see dramatized in Blizzard's trailers. Though we saw brief glimpses of those character moments in the familiar PvP engagements, the characters get to shine more in the new PvE mode, which I really dug. I could see myself spending a lot of time in the new missions, which will show off more backstories and new plot threads with the various heroes.

Overwatch has always been about offering fun and active engagements with a crew of charismatic characters, and getting to see those characters in new forms of combat encounters--that still rely on team-work--was exciting. Blizzard is beginning to explore more of what makes Overwatch's world and characters so compelling, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the franchise goes from here. Now, all we need to figure out is when we'll play it.

Author's Website: https://www.gamespot.com/

Will Overwatch 2 Be On Switch?

Xbox One, PS4, and PC too.

By Jordan Ramée | @JMRamee on November 2, 2019 at 8:58AM PDT

Yes, Overwatch 2 is coming to Nintendo Switch. The sequel to Blizzard's team-focused, hero-based first-person shooter was previously announced for Xbox One, PS4, and PC (specifically Battle.net) during the BlizzCon 2019 opening presentation. No release date has been announced.

In Overwatch 2, you'll have access to both PvP and PvE content. Overwatch veterans will recognize what you're able to do in PvP, though there is a new mode, Push, which sees teams try to get a robot to move into their opponent's side of the map. Overwatch lead designer Jeff Kaplan described Push as a "core competitive game mode, so the mode will appear alongside the others in Quick Play and Competitive, and will also be played in the Overwatch League.

To ensure no one gets left behind, Overwatch players will be able to play in competitive PvP with Overwatch 2 players. "Current Overwatch players will battle side-by-side with Overwatch 2 players in PvP multiplayer; they’ll also be able to play Overwatch 2 heroes and maps," he said. The official Overwatch 2 website says "Your accomplishments and loot collections will be carried forward to Overwatch 2. That means you'll keep your skins, player icons, sprays, emotes, and more."

The major change between Overwatch and Overwatch 2 is in the PvE. Overwatch 2 will have PvE Story and Hero modes. In Story mode, you play with friends on a predetermined team of heroes in scripted missions that will continue the narrative of Overwatch. Meanwhile, Hero mode puts your team into objective-based missions--all of which are designed to be repeated with friends to level up your characters and unlock new abilities.

Author's Website: https://www.gamespot.com/

Ubisoft Will Put Cross-Play Into "All The PvP Games We Have," Says CEO

This console generation alone, Ubisoft has a lot of games that support some form of PvP though.
By Jordan Ramée | @JMRamee on October 31, 2019 at 10:31AM PDT

During the company's latest earnings call, Ubisoft expressed interest in making all of its PvP games cross-platform. Currently, cross-platform play is only supported in two of Ubisoft's games: Brawlhalla and Just Dance 2019.

"Our goal is to put cross-play on all the PvP games we have, over time," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said. "That's well on the way." Ubisoft has a lot of games that support PvP play, but we're assuming Guillemot is mostly speaking to the larger games that have still maintained their playerbase and are still scheduled to receive post-launch content. With both Microsoft and Sony's next-gen consoles aiming for a Holiday 2020 release, it's likely Ubisoft plans on implementing cross-play in the PvP games that are scheduled to get next-gen ports so players can bring their accounts over and still play with their friends on Xbox One and PS4. It's a future that's been made possible since Sony eased up on allowing cross-play support in PlayStation games.

On the call, Guillemot pointed to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag as an example of Ubisoft porting a game from one console generation to the next, and the transition working out in the long run. Funnily enough, if Ubisoft keeps to tradition, the Assassin's Creed game for 2020 will also be releasing within that same Q4 window--though the studio has not confirmed a release date for the rumored Viking Assassin's Creed game, nor said anything about whether it will be a cross-platform title like Black Flag.

Of Ubisoft's existing PvP titles, the two most likely candidates for cross-play support are For Honor and Rainbow Six Siege, both of which continue to see limited-time holiday events, new maps, and new characters. The former just saw the release of Zhanhu, the first brand-new hero for the Wu Lin faction--which was added to the game in the Marching Fire expansion. The latter is in the midst of its Halloween-themed event, Doktor's Curse, which adds a bunch of spooky new skins for its many Operators.

After admitting Ghost Recon: Breakpoint could have used a bit more polish before release, Ubisoft delayed the launch of several of its games scheduled for early 2020. Rainbow Six Quarantine, Watch Dogs: Legion, and Gods & Monsters have all been pushed back to the latter half of 2020.

Author's Website: https://www.gamespot.com/

Overwatch 2: Redesigns, Modes, Maps, And More

Overwatch 2 introduces several PvE modes, a “talent” system, and Sojourn, its first Canadian hero.

By GameSpot Staff on November 2, 2019 at 9:52AM PDT

Overwatch 2 was announced during BlizzCon 2019’s opening ceremony. It’s a sequel to Blizzard’s popular team-based first-person hero shooter from 2016, but as evidenced by its announcement cinematic and gameplay reveal trailer, the upcoming Overwatch 2 will have fresh things to offer players old and new. 

After its official reveal and presentation, game director Jeff Kaplan and assistant game director Aaron Keller took the Mythic Stage at BlizzCon 2019 during the future of Overwatch panel to talk Overwatch 2 game modes, maps, and heroes.

Table of Contents [hide]

Overwatch 2 Specs
Game Modes
New Maps
Story Missions
Hero Missions
Item System
Talent System
New Heroes
Skins And Progress
What Overwatch 2 Means For Current Players
Hero Redesigns

For a specific topic, use the table of contents above, otherwise just scroll through for all the info, rumors, and other details we know about Overwatch 2 so far.

Overwatch 2 Specs

Overwatch 2 is still actively in development, so the team doesn’t have a release date or even release window in mind, but it was confirmed at BlizzCon 2019 that it will come to all platforms that currently support the first 

Overwatch, including the Nintendo Switch.

Release date: N/A 

Platforms: PC (Battle.net), Switch, PS4, Xbox One
Genre: First-person shooter

Game Modes

At BlizzCon 2019, Kaplan showed off a brand-new game mode called Push, described as a “core game mode” playable in both quick and competitive play, and which will also be featured in the Overwatch League. Early gameplay footage of Push mode on the new Toronto, Canada map showed two teams fighting to escort a robot into enemy territory. The team that pushes the robot furthest into the other team’s territory before time is up will win the match. As the robot moves down the linear path towards enemy lines, it’ll occasionally come up against barriers that must be pushed to unlock checkpoints. This momentarily slows the robot down, but the checkpoints they unlock also unlock new spawn points.

Currently confirmed game modes new to Overwatch 2 include:

Push

New Maps

Overwatch 2 will have all-new PvP maps for Push mode, but also for every current “core” game mode. The team wants to ensure players have a “totally new experience” thanks to the new maps, which are also coming to the original Overwatch as well.

Currently confirmed maps new to Overwatch 2 include:

Gothenburg
Toronto
Monte Carlo
Rio de Janeiro

Story Missions

Story Missions are a new feature in Overwatch 2. They will be heavily curated PvE missions where players will only be able to select from a limited, contextually-relevant roster of characters. Every single story mission will have its own cinematic intro and outro video.

Hero Missions

Hero Missions are another new PvE feature, designed to be “deeply replayable” thanks to three factors outlined by Overwatch 2’s directors: varied locations, which will take players across new maps and old; constantly changing objectives, which will keep the gameplay fresh and varied; and different enemy groups, such as Null Sector, Talon, and “other threats.” Certain objectives or enemy types may demand certain types of heroes to counter, allowing more hands-on time for players stuck playing their main in PVP, Kaplan explained at BlizzCon 2019.

Item System

The newly-introduced item system is exclusive to Story Missions. Rather than a loot system like Diablo, Overwatch 2’s item system will supposedly work in much the same way items do in games like Apex Legends and PUBG, according to Kaplan: temporary item pickups that you can use for the duration of the mission. These include things like a corrosive grenade, a healing station, or a barrier fence. Items also come in tiers, like Legendary.

Talent System

Overwatch 2 will introduce a new progression system designed exclusively for Hero Missions. It will allow heroes to level up and unlock Talents that give them additional perks in combat and is meant as a strictly PvE, non-competitive mode feature. A series of Talents for Tracer were shown off at BlizzCon 2019, but Kaplan warned that the progression system is still very early in development and could change a lot.

Unlockable Talents for Tracer, part of Overwatch 2's new PvE-exclusive progression system.

The example abilities shown off for Tracer include:

• Level 1

Adaptive Reload (Pulse Pistols reload when using any ability)

Chain Reaction (Pulse Bomb causes secondary explosions on enemies that are damaged by it)

• Level 10

Flash (Blinking through enemies damages them)
Hindsight (Recall causes damage to all recently damaged enemies)

• Level 20

     Vortex (Enemies are pulled toward the point of Recall and snared)

     Speed Kills (Killing blows speed up your cooldowns)

New Heroes

Sojourn, Overwatch's first Canadian hero.

Overwatch 2 will introduce new playable heroes, including both characters that are brand new and “characters you’ve been waiting for.” It will also carry over every hero from the first Overwatch.

Currently confirmed heroes new to Overwatch 2 include:

• Sojourn

So far, Sojourn is the only new character announced for Overwatch 2. She is the first Canadian hero and has a role “right at the center of the story of Overwatch 2,” according to Kaplan. According to the BlizzCon 2019 panel, some heroes will even be introduced all at once, similar to how Mei, D.Va, and Genji all rolled out at the same time during the Overwatch beta.

Echo was also shown in the Overwatch 2 cinematic and gameplay trailers, but Kaplan did not confirm if she would be playable.

Skins And Progress

Kaplan confirmed that all progress and cosmetics earned in the first Overwatch will carry over to Overwatch 2. According to Kaplan, "We want to make sure that all Overwatch cosmetics come forward with you into Overwatch 2. So all of your progress matters. Nothing is getting left behind, no one is getting left behind."

What Overwatch 2 Means For Current Players

In an effort to keep the Overwatch community united, Overwatch and Overwatch 2 players will be able to play the traditional PvP mode together. The original Overwatch will also receive new maps, new heroes, and the new competitive mode, Push.

Hero Redesigns

Overwatch 2 is not being designed in a new engine, but it is a “greatly updated” version of the Overwatch engine. Overwatch 2 will have new HUDs for all heroes, and perhaps most importantly, brand-new redesigns for all existing heroes. The team wants Overwatch 2 to “have a new look and feel fresh and awesome,” according to its BlizzCon 2019 panel.

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