Game Modes

Game modes are various rulesets that can be used to alter the way Overwatch 2 is played. Besides the five standard modes available in Competitive and Quick Play, there are various other game modes available in the Arcade and Custom Games. During limited-time events, special game modes may also be available.

Standard play

Overwatch 2 standard play is played as 5v5 on a randomly selected map from one of the six standard game modes: Control, Escort, Flashpoint, Hybrid, Push, and Clash. Standard play is available in both Quick Play and Competitive Play menus for Role Queue and Open Queue.

Control

Main article: Control

Control is a game mode in which two teams fight over a capture point in a best-of-three format. While a team has control over a capture point, that team will gain capture percentage until they reach 100%, and the team that reaches 100% first wins the round. Overtime will be triggered if one team has reached 99% and the point is currently being contested. This game mode does not have a time limit, unlike others.

All three rounds are played on the same parent map, with each round located in a different area of the map and featuring a new capture point. More teammates capturing the point at the same time will increase the capture speed with a limit of three; a fourth teammate will have no effect on capture speed.

Escort

Main article: Escort

Escort is a game mode in which the attacking team must escort a payload to a delivery point, while the defending team attempts to prevent them until the timer runs out. Each map has three checkpoints between the starting position and delivery point which, when reached, will increase the timer and move both teams' spawn locations. Overtime will be triggered if time runs out while the payload is being contested by the attacking team.

Flashpoint

Main article: Flashpoint

Flashpoint is a game mode released in Season 6, and bears some similarities to Control. Each Flashpoint map has five capture points, called "flashpoints," and a team must capture three to win the game. Flashpoints' capture speed is much faster than a Control capture point. Once a team captures a point, the next point will unlock after 40 seconds.

The first point to unlock is always in the center of the map, but the subsequent points may be any of the other four, as long as it has not already been used during that match. Team spawns will change locations as flashpoints are captured and the objective moves around the map.

Hybrid

Main article: Hybrid

Hybrid is a game mode which starts with an Assault capture point and continues with an Escort objective. Once the attacking team captures the initial point, both teams' spawn locations are moved. The payload is then unlocked, and players must escort the payload through two checkpoints to win. Overtime will be triggered if time runs out while the payload or capture point is being contested by the attacking team.

Push

Main article: Push

Push is a game mode released alongside Overwatch 2. Two teams fight to escort a robot who pushes an objective onto the opposite (enemy) side of the map. Each map has two checkpoints along the objective path. When a team escorts the robot past the first enemy checkpoint, their spawn is moved up to "forward spawn." If neither team reaches both checkpoints, the team that pushed their objective the furthest wins. Overtime will trigger if the team with less progress has possession of the robot when time expires.

Clash

Main article: Clash

Clash is the newest addition in Overwatch 2, released in Season 12. Clash has five total capture objectives, placed in a linear pattern on a mirrored map, lettered A through E. Objective C, the center objective, is always activated first. Points are scored by fully capturing any of the objectives, and objectives can be captured multiple times. When a team captures the current objective, they are awarded one point to their total score and a new objective closer to the enemy team's spawn is activated.

Teams may win in one of two ways: by reaching five points before the enemy team, or by capturing the objective closest to the enemy spawn (A or E). If a team captures the final objective, they win regardless of their current points.

Arcade game modes

Main article: Arcade

Arcade features several game modes on rotation, as well as special game modes during seasonal and limited-time events.

Deathmatch

Main article: Deathmatch

Deathmatch is a game mode in which eight players compete in a free-for-all while attempting to obtain 20 eliminations (points) first. The player who reaches 20 points first or has the highest score when the 10-minute timer runs out will be awarded first place. Win credit is awarded to the top four players of each match. Some Hybrid and Escort maps are modified for play in Deathmatch.

The Team Deathmatch variation uses the same rules as Deathmatch, but divides players into two teams of four each. Any kills by any team member are attributed to that team's overall score. The team that reaches 30 points first or has the most points when the 10-minute timer runs out wins the match.

Assault

Main article: Assault

Assault is a game mode in which the attacking team must take two capture points, while the defending team attempts to prevent them until time runs out. When the first point is captured, the timer will increase, and the attacking team's spawn location will move. The defending team's spawn is always located on point B. Overtime will be triggered if the attacking team is still contesting the active point when the timer runs out.

The Push game mode replaced Assault with the release of Overwatch 2.

Capture the Flag

Capture the Flag is a game mode in which there is one flag on each side the of the map. Players must capture the enemy team's flag and bring it back to their team's flag position, while also preventing the enemy team from capturing their team's flag. The team that reaches three points first, or has the most points when the five-minute timer runs out, wins the match.

The game mode will not end if either teams' flag is outside of their base. If either team does not have their flag secure when the timer runs out, Overtime will begin. Overtime will not start running out until both teams have secured their flags. If the score is tied at the end of regular play or overtime, a Sudden Death round will begin with flags moved significantly closer to one another and only one point needed to score.

Elimination

Elimination is a game mode in which players attempt to eliminate all members of the enemy team. Elimination can be played as a 1v1, a 3v3, or a 5v5. The team that eliminates all enemy players wins the round, and the first team to win three rounds wins the match (except in the 1v1 variation, which is first-to-five). Once killed, a player is "eliminated," and cannot re-spawn during that round.

In the Lockout Elimination variation, heroes played by the team that wins the round cannot be played again for the duration of the match.

Seasonal game modes

Seasonal game modes are available only during each specific season's event. These game modes differ from each other in maps and style to match the theme of the event.

Modes

• Lúcioball
• Junkenstein's Revenge
• Mei's Snowball Offensive
• Yeti Hunt
• Overwatch Uprising
• Overwatch Retribution
• Overwatch Storm Rising

Limited-time game modes

Limited time event game modes are game modes only available during specific limited-time events. Some are played on altered versions of standard play maps.

Modes

• Starwatch: Galactic Rescue
• Roadhog's Catch-A-Mari
• Battle for Olympus Deathmatch
• Loverwatch: Love Never Dies (web client only)
• Mischief and Magic
• Cosmic Crisis

PvE Missions

This section is a stub section. You can help by adding any available information to this section.

Story Missions

Main article: Story Missions

Story Missions is a game mode released in Season 6.

Event Missions

Main article: Event Missions

Event Missions originally appeared in Overwatch Uprising. Event Missions are only available during their respective events and are played on unique versions of standard play maps. These missions take players through a standard play map, typically a Payload or Hybrid map, as they face waves of enemies and complete objectives.

Canceled game modes

This section is a stub section. You can help by adding any available information to this section.

Overwatch 2 was expected to release with several new PvE modes including Story Experience and Hero Missions, but these plans were deprioritized and later canceled due to lack of resources.

Hero Missions

Hero Missions were a new game mode to be introduced in Overwatch 2. They would make use of the game's talents system.

Future Story Missions

While there are Story Missions currently available in the game, there were future plans to add more and expand on the game's lore. However, these were confirmed to be scrapped in March 2024.