Overwatch 2 beta gets a release date, but console players won't be happy

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The PC date was confirmed during an Overwatch 2 developer livestream, but console players will need to wait

Overwatch 2
(Image credit: Blizzard)

The Overwatch 2 beta has a solid release date, as confirmed during a developer livestream on Twitch.

The highly anticipated beta will release on April 26 for PC players only, though Blizzard's commercial leader Jon Spector confirmed the team is "working to include console players in the future." According to the livestream, which also included game director Aaron Keller and lead hero designer Geoff Goodman, the goal of this April beta is to bring in players with a broad range of abilities from a variety of regions. 

An Overwatch 2 alpha is currently live, though it includes only Blizzard employees, Overwatch League pro players, and a select few others. The dev team has already gotten heaps of feedback on the new game from the alpha, which crashed the servers almost immediately according to Spector. 

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Overwatch 2 is set to seriously shake up the original formula, decreasing the team count from five players to six, reworking heroes (Doomfist is now a tank, guys), and adding new maps - all of which Goodman claims has caused "mass chaos." According to Keller, Overwatch 2 is even faster than the original game, with more space to allow players to move around maps and avoid choke points. 

The livestream featured a few funny tidbits about how the alpha is going, like how new hero Sojourn's voile lines were all accidentally left out and how tank hero Winston was too big to fit through a doorway on one of the new maps. Both of those issues have since been fixed, and the dev team has made it clear that the "spectrum of feedback" offered by the select pool of alpha payers is crucial to how they make changes to Overwatch 2. All of this comes after a long period of silence from Blizzard regarding Overwatch 2, which the team broke just last week to confirm the beta would begin next month. 

PC players can sign up for the Overwatch 2 beta right here, console players can, well they can wait. I'm sorry. 

Check out our Overwatch 2 guide for everything we know about Blizzard's new shooter.

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante
Former Features Writer

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.