Overwatch 2 has released its latest update, and players already seem to be having issues with its matchmaking system as the game struggles to start even in single-player modes such as the Practice Range. Though Overwatch 2 is no stranger to queue issues, the launch of Season 4 and the debut of Lifeweaver came bundled with some matchmaking woes, with players only able to play the new season after successfully getting past a series of connection errors.
Fans eager to try out Lifeweaver in Overwatch 2 are struggling to connect to a game created through the matchmaking system, and the queue times themselves are not only longer than what the community is used to, but it seems to extend into infinity for a significant part of the playerbase. One plausible reason for the issues likely concerns the new Competitive Rank overhaul in Season 4 of Overwatch 2, as well as the changes made to the matchmaking system to prioritize grouping up players closer in skill level.
In addition to voicing their frustration over their rank placement (and final rewards) as a result of the changes made for Competitive Mode, Overwatch 2 players such as skiiiwalker_ have also flocked to social media to vent about the matchmaking issues they've been experiencing ever since Season 4 launched. Even if they manage to get past a long queue, Overwatch 2 seems to enter a loop of struggling to commence a match due to connection issues, before retrying the process all over again.
There has been a constant source of controversy regarding matchmaking in Overwatch 2 despite Season 3's efforts to address the key issues, and it remains a hotly-debated topic in the game's community. While it's likely that the queue issues will be fixed by Blizzard sooner rather than later, many players feel annoyed at the current state of such a crucial system of a multiplayer game. Blizzard has been very open about the continued development of Overwatch 2, and to their credit, the developers seem to want to fix the game's shortcomings as much as the players do.
A direct result of Blizzard listening to feedback is the removal of map pools in Overwatch 2 Season 4, a system that never quite found any footing in either of the two Overwatch titles. Moreover, the adjustments made to the spawning system have been widely praised in the community ever since the patch notes for Season 4 were released. While the launch has been met with some unexpected hurdles, there are plenty of positive gameplay changes in store for Overwatch 2 players once servers become more stable.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
