After Becoming the Worst User-Reviewed Game Ever on Steam, Overwatch 2’s Recent Reviews Jump to ‘Mixed’

Overwatch 2 Season 15: A Resurgence?

Overwatch 2, once holding the dubious title of Steam's worst-reviewed game, is experiencing a surprising resurgence thanks to Season 15. Nine years after the original Overwatch's debut and two and a half years after Overwatch 2's launch, the game's overwhelmingly negative reception, largely fueled by monetization controversies and the cancellation of the anticipated PvE Hero mode, is showing signs of improvement.

While still holding a "mostly negative" overall rating on Steam, recent reviews have shifted to "mixed," with a significant 43% of the 5,325 reviews from the last 30 days being positive. This shift is largely attributed to the sweeping changes introduced in Season 15, including the addition of hero perks and the return of loot boxes. These changes have resonated with players, with many praising the return to core gameplay elements reminiscent of the original Overwatch.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots

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Positive player feedback highlights the positive impact of these changes, with comments such as: "They just released Overwatch 2," and "Going back to what worked in Overwatch 1 while introducing new and fun mechanics."

The rise of the competitive hero shooter Marvel Rivals, boasting 40 million downloads since its December launch, has also impacted Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2. Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the intensified competition, stating that the success of Marvel Rivals has pushed Blizzard to adopt a more proactive and less risk-averse strategy.

Despite the positive shift, it remains too early to declare a full-fledged comeback for Overwatch 2. The game's Steam reviews still exhibit volatility, and maintaining the "mixed" rating will be a challenge. However, Season 15 has demonstrably boosted player numbers on Steam, nearly doubling peak concurrent players to 60,000. It's important to note that these figures only reflect Steam data; total player counts across all platforms (Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox) remain undisclosed. For comparison, Marvel Rivals recently reached 305,816 peak concurrent players on Steam.