After several years in development, Overwatch 2 has finally arrived and is available now across all major gaming platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Switch. As Blizzard Entertainment brings its servers online, players from all over the world are getting their first taste of Overwatch 2's new 5v5 format and are taking advantage of its new free-to-play model.
Unfortunately, players have also reported several bugs and launch issues following Overwatch 2's rollout. Blizzard is working hard to solve these problems, but we've also documented them here so that you know what to look for and can take advantage of potential fixes and workarounds if there are any. Here's a full list of every known Overwatch 2 bug and launch issue we've seen so far.
Top Overwatch 2 launch issues
Following Overwatch 2's launch, players have begun to experience a variety of problems related to server stability, connections, and owned cosmetics. A full list of these issues can be found below.
Overwatch 2 "Error starting game, trying again" message
Players may experience an error message that says "Error starting game, trying again" when attempting to load into a match. This is due to an issue that Blizzard is currently investigating, and unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to mitigate the problem. Players will simply need to be patient until a fix for the bug is deployed.
Overwatch 2 servers down
Blizzard has announced that Overwatch 2 is being taken offline on October 10 in order to perform maintenance and implement some important server fixes. Specifically, the servers are going down at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. ET for approximately one hour.
Overwatch 2 lost connection to server
Players may suddenly lose connection to the Overwatch 2 servers, causing them to get booted to the main menu. These issues will likely continue until Blizzard is able to fix ongoing issues with the game's network, which the developer claims are due to a mass DDoS attack on Overwatch 2. Players can always try to play again in the meantime by logging back in and queueing into new matches.
The developers have confirmed that a server update is being made soon that will reduce instances of server disconnects. Once it goes live, players can expect this issue to occur less frequently.
Overwatch 2 game server connection failed
Players may also fail to connect to Overwatch 2's servers after getting through the queue full of thousands of players, which is no doubt very frustrating. If this happens, the only option players have is to simply wait as the game client retries to connect. Blizzard recently announced that a patch to the game has improved login reliability, so hopefully this problem doesn't continue to persist for long.
Overwatch 2 unexpected server error
Some players that merged their PC and console Overwatch accounts have reported that they've been met with an Unexpected Server Error message while playing the game, preventing them from logging in or queueing into matchmaking. Blizzard has announced that this issue is due to the transfer of items from the original Overwatch to Overwatch 2 taking a long time, which results in the server error that players are experiencing. Relogging into the game may fix the problem, but otherwise, players will need to be patient.
Players may also experience this error if they haven't yet completed their Overwatch account merge, which the developers say players may not have known about since a now-patched UI bug was causing the merge prompt to disappear. Refer to our guide on how to merge Overwatch accounts for more information on how to complete this process.
Overwatch 2 missing skins and cosmetics
Players may find that skins and other cosmetics they own are missing when they log into Overwatch 2. Blizzard has confirmed that this is an issue with the game's launch, so players can expect to get access to their items soon as the developers continue working to resolve problems.
Overwatch 2 missing heroes
Players of the original Overwatch may log into Overwatch 2 only to find that most of the first game's cast is unavailable to play. The developers have confirmed that this is an issue caused by Overwatch 2's First Time User Experience being incorrectly applied to veteran players. Closing and relogging into the game is an effective workaround for this bug, though Blizzard is working on a more complete and permanent fix.
Overwatch 2 known bugs
In addition to the above launch-related issues, there are also several Overwatch 2 bugs that players may encounter while playing the game. These may affect your progression, and could also stop you from being able to review your game footage as well. A complete list of all reported bugs can be found below.
- Some players are reporting they have no friends list.
- Endorsement Reward Battle Pass XP amount is displaying incorrectly, but the proper amount of XP is rewarded.
- Players who purchased Kiriko’s Tanpopo Skin unlocked the Fuji Skin instead.
- Blizzard is processing refunds to impacted players.
- Numbani, Necropolis, Illios CTF, and Temple of Anubis are temporarily disabled while Blizzard works through bugs related to these maps.
- Some players to fall through the map when spawning in the Bounty Hunter Arcade mode.
- Kiriko and Sojourn’s Heroic poses are incorrectly locked and priced.
- Using Alt + Tab while in fullscreen or windowed borderless mode can result in a black screen. Close the game and relaunch it in order to get around this.
- Overwatch 2 may not start. To fix this, exit and relaunch the Battle.net client, then attempt to launch the game again.
- The camera may be misplaced on the level when viewing your Highlights. Reloading the Highlight may fix this issue.
- Hero Unlock challenges may fail to progress in Total Mayhem. If this occurs, you'll need to repeat the steps needed to make progress again.
- Workshop Green Screen and Workshop Island are loading incorrect maps and may break some existing codes.
- Workshop text HUDs are not currently visible.
- Echo is playing Kiriko, Sojourn, and Junker Queen Ultimate lines in English for non-English languages.
- Mitigating Bastion’s damage as many heroes will not grant proper credit for the System-Wide Malfunction season challenge.
- Using a number that is already in use on another account for Overwatch 2 SMS Protect can leave the client in an unusable state. To get around this, close the title, log into the affected Battle.net account with a web browser, and change the number to one that is unique.
- Match History and Replays are not appearing in Career Profile.
A few of these bugs can be fixed, avoided, or worked around, but for the most part, there's not much players can do to solve these issues. Hopefully Blizzard is able to fix bugs like these soon so that more players can have a smoother, issue-free experience.
Overwatch 2 resolved bugs and issues
The following bugs and issues have been confirmed resolved by Blizzard, meaning that they should no longer affect players.
- Fixes are being rolled out to address many of the remaining LC-208 errors.
- Prices for dynamic bundles in some Just For You shop sections are now populating.
- Players can now invite their friends or recent players using the Social UI.
- Kiriko and Sojourn’s heroic victory poses were intended to be free, so players who purchased them will receive a refund. Their heroic victory poses will be available for free to all players in our next scheduled release.
- Players that own Happi Genji can now see that they own the skin and equip it. Players who owned Happi Genji prior to launch and purchased the skin again after launch will get their tokens returned.
- Blizzard is has begun the process of returning tokens, which is expected to last until later today.
- Match History and Replays are now present in Career Profile.
Overwatch 2 is available now on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. It's arguably one of the best Xbox shooters available, and since it's free-to-play, it doesn't cost anything to check it out. Alternatively, players can purchase the Overwatch 2: Watchpoint Pack that provides access to Season 1's Premium Battle Pass, 2,000 Overwatch Coins, and a bundle of unique Legendary skins.
