Overwatch 2 ditches loot boxes

When Overwatch 2 was officially presented at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase a few days ago, many players were wondering if Blizzard would implement a monetization system as predatory as the one that sustains Diablo Immortal. Thankfully, it seems that the negative feedback received from the players has prevented that from happening. The developer has gone into detail about Overwatch 2 and its features recently, and the game will leave aside loot boxes to focus on a battle-pass model with regular seasonal updates.

You don't need to pay to play Overwatch 2

At least not in the same way as in Diablo Immortal if you want to have a chance at competitive gameplay. Blizzard has opted for a different approach for the sequel to Overwatch, where you just unlock items by playing through a Battle Pass and from an in-game shop with currency earned while playing. Purchases would be restricted to cosmetic items, driving the competitive FPS game away from the feared "pay-2-win" tag. 

"Free-to-play removes the barrier to entry, allowing anyone, anywhere to jump into the game, group up with friends, or find people to play with online."

"Along with this shift to free-to-play, we'll be adding cross-progression, enabling everyone to play, progress, and access their unlocked content seamlessly across all game platforms."

Overwatch 2 will receive new seasonal content every nine weeks, but will focus primarily on the 5v5 PvP experience in the beginning. The PVE mode won't arrive until 2023. Of course, you can expect to see new heroes, maps, and gameplay modes along the journey.

Overwatch 2 beta kicks off on June 28th on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Remember to request beta access here if you haven't already. Meanwhile, you can still enjoy Overwatch, which you can find at the best price on our comparator.