Editing Matchmaking (section)

== Factors in matchmaking ==
As a core, matchmaker is a mathematical formula that takes into account multiple factors, including but not limited to:

* '''Skill:''' The matchmaking system will try to group players with and against players of similar skill. The game represents "skill" as a hidden matchmaking rating, or "MMR." In role queues, the matchmaker will prioritize placing pairs of similar MMR players on each role on either team.<ref name="MMBlog2">{{cite web|url=https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/overwatch/23910161/overwatch-2-developer-blog-explaining-matchmaker-goals-and-plans-part-2 |title=Overwatch 2 Developer Blog: Explaining matchmaker goals and plans, part 2 |publisher=Blizzard Entertainment |date=2023-01-30 |accessdate=2023-06-23}}</ref> All game modes, including [[Competitive]], only look at matchmaking rating when creating a match; outward-facing skill tier and division have no effect on matchmaking.<ref name="MMBlog1"/> However, with the removal of seasonal soft resets in Season 4, the players' rank closely matches their MMR in the vast majority of cases.<ref>[[April 11, 2023 Patch#Seasonal Rank Decay Removed]]</ref>
* '''Queue time:''' The matchmaking system will try to find a fair match in as little time as possible.
* '''Ping:''' Players connected to servers that are geographically closer to one another are prioritized in order to minimize lag.
* '''Group size:''' The matchmaking system will attempt to find groups of equal sizes to match against each other. For example, if four players are looking for a game together, the matchmaker will try to match them against another group of four.<ref name="S5CPBlog">{{cite web|url=https://overwatch.blizzard.com/en-us/news/23973730/ |title=Competitive Play Update – Teaming up for better matches |publisher=Blizzard Entertainment |date=2023-06-22 |accessdate=2023-06-23}}</ref>
* '''Group wideness:''' In [[Competitive Play]], the matchmaking system will try to find two groups of a similar rank disparity. For example, Gold 3 player grouping with a Grandmaster 4 player will attempt to be matched with another Gold 3 player grouped with a Grandmaster 4 player.
* '''Avoid priority:''' The matchmaking system will try not to include avoided players. However, they may be released from the list if the queue times get too long.