Highlights

  • Overwatch 2's switch from 6v6 to 5v5 shook up the game, but offers advantages like faster queue times and more strategic gameplay.
  • The 5v5 format discourages turtling and rewards good tank play, making the role more important than ever in team composition.
  • Overwatch 2's tank pick influences team comp, with options like dive, poke, or brawl, emphasizing the tank's role in leading the team to victory.

What truly sets Overwatch 2 apart from its predecessor is its switch from 6v6 to 5v5 in its main game modes. This is one of the most polarizing changes in the franchise so far, with some lamenting the death of 6v6, as they believe it set the game apart from its competitors and gave teams better defensive options than the new format. Despite being a big shakeup to the Competitive and Quickplay experience of veteran players, there are a few advantages that Overwatch 2's 5v5 brings to the game.

Overwatch 2 was released in August 2023 and has already put out 10 seasons worth of content at the time of writing. While the game initially looked like just a 5v5 version of OW1, it quickly evolved into its own game with big changes to select heroes, the release of new heroes every season, and fresh game modes. The game also saw big changes to mechanics compared to its predecessor, like role passives for Overwatch heroes and larger bullets and projectiles.

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Why Overwatch 2’s 5v5 Format is Good for the Game

Overwatch 2’s 5v5 format was questionable at first, since Overwatch’s 6v6 did make the game feel more sophisticated than other competitive FPS games. Teams often centered their hero picks around what their tank combo was. Now, that there’s only one frontline player, the game has changed drastically, mostly for the better.

Overwatch 2’s 5v5 Format Offers Tighter Queue Times and Matches

Perhaps the biggest boon of Overwatch 2’s 5v5 format is that it significantly lowered queue times, as the system has two fewer players to worry about. This is especially relevant for the main Role Queue modes, where it’s harder to match up with people because of pre-determined roles.

Another advantage of 5v5 is tighter and more exciting matches. There are fewer crowd-control options with one less tank, so everyone can show off their movement and positioning skills better. Plus, having fewer players generally makes the match less chaotic. While having only one tank does open up some games to stomps and snowballs, evenly-matched games feel like a strategic battle of attrition to see which team can break through their enemy tanks while keeping theirs alive.

Overwatch 2’s 5v5 Discourages Turtling

Perhaps one of the biggest gripes that players had with the first Overwatch game was the amount of turtling options the game had. This was especially relevant during Overwatch’s GOATS Comp era in competitive and pro matches, where teams mostly picked three supports and three tanks, completely forgoing damage heroes. It was a strategic spectacle, but ultimately a boring and frustrating meta to watch and play.

“Turtling” refers to a strategy that involves playing a highly defensive composition with little to no offense.

When GOATS was eliminated by the implementation of Role Queue, the Overwatch double shield meta replaced it. Sigma and Orisa were must-picks and games became a stall-fest once more. Overwatch 2’s 5v5 minimizes these frustratingly slow strategies by simply getting rid of the other tank. While this format does have some defensive tradeoffs, these are well worth the upside of faster and more exciting matches.

Overwatch 2’s 5v5 Rewards Good Tanks Better Than 6v6 Did

Now that teams each have only one frontline hero, the pressure is on them to press forward and make space for their teammates. They’re the de facto playmakers because the composition of each team will truly vary according to the tank’s pick. Here are some Overwatch 2 team comp examples:

  • Dive: If the tank plays Winston or D.Va, other players may be predisposed to pick Overwatch dive heroes like Genji, Tracer, Zenyatta, and Lucio.
  • Poke: If the tank plays a poke-heavy hero like Sigma or Ramattra, other players can capitalize on this by using Hanzo, Bastion, Baptiste, and Zenyatta.
  • Brawl: Those who like using brawl tanks like Reinhardt or Junker Queen may see their teammates adjust to more consistent damage and sustain with Sojourn, Reaper, Brigitte, and Ana.

Overwatch 2’s 5v5 format made the tank role more important than ever. They can make or break a team, as they’re the only reliable line of defense. Plus, they also have the crucial task of being in charge of calling moves to the objective when attacking.