Blizzard is considering the return of 6v6 to Overwatch 2

Since its initial launch in October 2022, one of the biggest changes from Overwatch to Overwatch 2 was cutting team sizes from 6v6 to 5v5. Removing one tank from both sides completely changed the dynamic of quickplay and competitive play, with overall mixed reception from the community. Nearly two years later, Blizzard has stepped forward to address this ongoing debate, and is apparently considering bringing back 6v6 teams for the first time.

A recent Director’s Take from OW2 director Aaron Keller dove deep into this topic, discussing why Blizzard shifted from 6v6 to 5v5 and their thoughts on the original team sizes. According to the post, having two tanks, damage dealers, and supports apiece on a team tended to make the matches much slower, with damage characters feeling less impactful and supports focusing solely on healing their two tanks.

“While 6v6 can have high moments, it’s also hard to follow,” said Keller. “Tracking nine other players is easier than eleven. There are fewer visual effects on screen, especially during big team fights. Overwatch is a pretty demanding game and moving to 5v5 made it a bit more cognitively manageable.”

The post also highlights changes to queue times after shifting from 6v6 to 5v5, with the latter significantly reducing how long it takes to queue into both competitive and quickplay matches.

Following the explanation behind the original change, Keller says the team is looking to run “a series of events to try out different core team composition formats in Overwatch 2.” In short, Blizzard plans to run various tests that include the original 6v6 team sizes to see what the community prefers, and optimize technical performance for them.

“We would reflect carefully on the learnings from whatever test we run and explore how to best give players what’s being asked for,” said Keller. “Whether that’s a world of 5v5, 6v6 or even both, is for future us to figure out.”

As of now, it’s unknown when exactly these tests will take place or whether they’ll result in 6v6 returning in full. At the very least, it’s coming back in some capacity. It remains to be seen whether it becomes the regular way to play Overwatch again.