Blizzard is prepping "the biggest front-end upgrade to Battle.net in years"

Battle.net 2.0
(Image credit: Blizzard)

Blizzard will release Battle.net 2.0, a substantially updated version of its longstanding PC game client, in the weeks ahead.

The most significant updates in the new version of Battle.net will feel familiar to users who've been running the beta version of the client, and they'll be music to the ears of many standard users. The headlining feature allows users to favorite the games on their account and arrange them however they want. This type of filtering has been requested more and more ever since Activision games like Call of Duty: Warzone began bleeding into the Battle.net roster. Fittingly, there's also now a clear division between Blizzard games and Activision games, as you can see in the image above.

The social features of Battle.net are also getting upgrades. The status and activities of your friends will be highlighted by game, and if you full-screen the client, you'll find a proper layout for news and game updates rather than the stretched and largely empty arrangement we have now. All messages and other notifications are also being consolidated. On the accessibility front, Battle.net 2.0 is improving color contrast, expanding screen reader support, and adding keyboard navigation for "most of the app." 

Battle.net 2.0

(Image credit: Blizzard)

Blizzard says it's "getting ready to roll out" the update, which "will go out to parts of North America first so that we can ensure its stability." The rest of the world will get it in "the weeks ahead, including other player regions." 

Outside Battle.net, Activision Blizzard has its eyes on mobile gaming.

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.