In a recent announcement made on Blizzard Entertainment’s X account on December 16, 2024, the gaming giant revealed the return of the popular 6v6 game mode to Overwatch 2. After multiple phases of inclusion and removal, the community has expressed excitement over the game’s return to its classic team structure. To improve gameplay and matchmaking, Blizzard is introducing two experimental 6v6 modes, each with a distinct release schedule.
Image via Blizzard Entertainment
The return of 6v6 modes aims to add more strategic variety to the game, giving players a more dynamic experience. The two modes are now trying out these features:
The 6v6 Role Queue mode brings back the familiar structure where players must select two heroes from each role—Tank, Support, and Damage.
Once a hero is selected in a role, it cannot be switched during the match. This classic configuration will be available from December 17, 2024, to January 7, 2025, as part of Overwatch 2’s Season 14. After this period, the mode will be temporarily removed for developers to assess community feedback and make necessary adjustments.
It’s expected that the update will go live at 2 PM Eastern Time on December 17, 2024. If you are looking for the way to convert your Valorant sensitivity to Overwatch 2 check out our guide on VALORANT to Overwatch 2 Sens: How to convert your sensitivity?
The 6v6 Min 1 – Max 3 mode offers a fresh approach to team composition. Additionally, it requires each role to have a minimum of one hero and a maximum of three heroes. In this mode, a team can have three Tanks, two Damage, and one Support hero.
You can only switch roles if each category still has at least one hero. For example, if you’re the only Support hero, you cannot switch to another role unless another Support hero is added to the team. This mode will be available from January 7, 2025, to February 4, 2025, and will end within Season 14. If players respond well, both experimental modes may be permanently added in Season 15.
It has been officially confirmed by Blizzard that the 5v5 mode will be stuck on Overwatch 2 for life. Of course, the player will now have extra gameplay options. This is because they would be able to access and make use of the 5v5 and 6V6 modes combined. The 6v6 modes will purely be play-testing modes; any changes for the future will depend upon player feedback.
Blizzard has not provided specific details regarding which maps will be included in the 6v6 mode. However, according to the announcement from the authorities, one could speculate that all maps and game modes will be opened in this experimental phase for playing.
Before the past Overwatch 2 updates, many players had concerns about the 6v6 mode being removed. Although Blizzard has not come out with an official statement, the community thinks that one of the main issues revolved around Tank heroes.
Players also stated that waiting long minutes while trying to break Tank shields made matches slower. This is probably the kind of feedback that made Blizzard rework the gameplay to make it smoother in its mechanics. If you are facing server issues in Overwatch 2, check out Overwatch 2 Server Status: Server Outage or Connection Issues?
LOL
CS2
Dota 2
Valorant
Fortnite
Call of Duty
Mobile Games
Gaming
EN Global 
JP 日本語