Blizzard Releases FAQ Before Overwatch 2 Beta Starts Tomorrow

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Overwatch 2 was announced in 2019, and after years of development, the updated hero shooter starts its first PvP beta testing tomorrow. Prior to the beta, Blizzard Entertainment posted a FAQ about testing, answering all sorts of questions about who can join, when the testing starts, and how to get involved in the fun. We’ve scoured our FAQs to pick out the most important information you need to know.

First, players selected to participate will receive an email at the address their Blizzard account is linked to. Those emails will be sent tomorrow morning and will continue to reach more participants throughout the day. You must own the original copy of Overwatch on PC to play in the Overwatch 2 Beta. The PVP beta does not take place at a specific time, so feel free to play whenever you have time. Beta runs from April 26th to May 17th.

What if I didn’t receive an email from Blizzard? There is another way to join the Overwatch 2 beta via Twitch Drops. If you watch certain Twitch streamers (listed in Blizzard’s FAQ) for certain hours on April 27th between 10am-6pm Pacific, you may be eligible to receive a beta invite. The same rules as above apply to entry, so make sure you have a copy of Overwatch on your PC before spending your spare time watching the stream for the drop. If it’s in beta and you want to stream it yourself, go for it! Blizzard has no video recording or streaming restrictions for this event.

Overwatch 2’s PVP beta brings some changes to the gameplay that may be familiar from Overwatch. Best of all, matches take place between two teams of five players each, a departure from the traditional 6v6 format we’ve been playing for for years. A new hero, Sojourn, joins the roster. This has already made major changes to the meta. The other two characters, Orisa and Doomfist, are undergoing a complete mechanical rework. You can read the details of this rework here, including a role swap for Doomfist to become a tanker.

If you’re lucky enough to be invited in one way or another, here are the tech specs that Blizzard says Overwatch 2 players should play on PC:

Minimum PC hardware specs (30 fps target):

• Operating system: Windows® 7 / Windows® 8 / Windows® 10 64-bit (latest service pack)

• Processor: Intel® Core™ i3 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8650

• Video: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 600 series, AMD Radeon™ HD 7000 series

• Memory: 6GB RAM

• Storage space: 50 GB of free hard drive space

Recommended PC hardware specs (targeting 60fps at medium settings):

• Operating system: Windows® 10 64-bit (latest service pack)

• Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 or AMD Ryzen™ 5

• Video: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 or AMD R9 380

• Memory: 8GB RAM

• Storage space: 50 GB of free hard drive space

Check out the full FAQ with a list of all the official Overwatch streamers that can be watched on Twitch and eligible for a beta drop. A release date for Overwatch 2 has yet to be confirmed, but the start of an early beta is a sign that developers are steadily working in the right direction for future releases.