How Many People Play Overwatch 2? Player Count Explained

Overwatch 2 is the brand new sequel to the massively popular 2016 Blizzard hero shooter. This game was released on October 4, 2022, for all major console platforms and PC with the option for crossplay, opening the doors to a massive amount of potential concurrent players. While the game’s release was plagued with DDoS issues and other concerns, this hasn’t stopped people from joining en masse for the release, sometimes resulting in massive queues in the tens of thousands. But exactly how many people play Overwatch 2, and what does this player count mean for the future of the game?

How Many Players Are on Overwatch 2?

Overwatch 2 has already reached an astonishing 25 million players in 10 days since launching on October 4, 2022, as reported by the Overwatch Twitter account. This means that, if players continue to flock to the game at this rate, the game will have a healthy period of stability and growth for the franchise, and the FTP model will have been a success. However, due to some players being initially unable to join due to the early requirement of a mobile phone number excluding post-paid phones, this figure might also be reduced. For more accurate tracking of what the month might look like, be sure to consider figures like the hourly and daily active players, as a launch is always bound to have an influx.

What Are the Daily and Hourly Active Player Counts for Overwatch 2?

While not nearly as impressive as the launch day figures, the daily average concurrent player counts for Overwatch 2 currently sit at 920,975. This will more accurately represent the drop in player counts from the massive first day, especially considering how many people probably logged out as soon as they saw the massive queues. Even then, however, the active players in the most recent hour totaled an impressive 126,700, and with Overwatch 2 being cross-platform and free-to-play, this could result in an incredible total for the monthly average by November.

One should also consider the impressive viewership of the game as an eSport and casual entertainment product, with over 18,840,000 hours viewed on Twitch streams so far. The game is as fun to watch as it is to play, so this should come as a surprise to nobody. If Blizzard and Overwatch 2 can work out the issues that have plagued the launch and retain this player base, which is especially easier since there’s no purchase commitment to the game, this could be a revitalization for the franchise. We shall continue to observe these numbers and provide updates if certain milestones are reached.

Overwatch 2 is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.