Overwatch Ranking System: Complete Guide

Quick Play is fun, but for most players, competitive mode is the main appeal of Overwatch. The competitive Overwatch ranks let you play with other skilled players and measure your progress. Each season’s grind to try and finally make it to Grandmaster or even Top 500 is central to a lot of players. The ranking system in Overwatch has a few quirks though, and it’s not always obvious how far you still have to climb.

This is what you need to know about the Overwatch ranking system. This is how the Overwatch ranks work, how many ranks there are, and what governs the SR scores that decide your ranking:

Overwatch Ranking System

The Overwatch Ranking System is based around SR, or skill rating. This score decides where in the ranking system you stand. It groups players into different tiers depending on their performance. You can rise up or down the ranks by getting more SR. These are all of the Overwatch ranks:

• Bronze – 1-1,499 SR
• Silver – 1,500 – 1,999 SR
• Gold – 2,000 – 2,499 SR
• Platinum – 2,500 – 2,999 SR
• Diamond – 3,000 – 3,499 SR
• Master – 3,500 – 3,999 SR
• Grandmaster – 4,000+ SR
• Top 500 – Top 500 players in region

Most of the Overwatch ranks system’s tiers are simple, but Top 500 is a bit more complicated. This is more of an achievement or title than a specific rank. Top 500 players regularly play matches in Grandmasters and sometimes even Masters. This has only gotten worse as the matchmaking problems and queue times in Overwatch have deteriorated. It’s better to think of it as the top end of players, not a specific rank that you enter. Most of the players you see in Overwatch tournaments are probably top 500 level though!

It’s also worth noting that the Overwatch ranks aren’t all the same size. Most players are around the Silver, Gold, and Platinum level. This makes these the quickest ranks to get matchmaking in, but also trickier to rise out of. Not many games take this approach to ranks anymore, but it works for Overwatch.

SR in Overwatch Ranking System

SR is the basic score to decide where you sit in the ranking system in Overwatch. You’ll get a separate SR rank depending on which role you play unless you’re using Open Queue. When you first jump in to get your SR score, you start with preliminary games. These games judge your performance and skill level, then assign you a starting rank and SR depending on how they go. Your initial place in the competitive Overwatch rank doesn’t always seem fair, but there’s nothing you can do about it.

After this, you can move up or down the ranks depending on how much SR you get. Wins, losses, and performance during games will affect your SR and rank in each season.

What Effects SR in the Ranking?

SR is the main factor behind the Overwatch ranks system, but how exactly is it worked out? It’s not currently known the exact calculations to determine your SR. This might be frustrating and sometimes it can seem to be moving based on nothing in particular.

Different players seem to gain or lose at different rates depending on the game they are in. There are a lot of variations to keep in mind. There are factors like the ranks of your teammates and opponents, along with the various scores you can look at for your own performance. Essentially, we can’t give exact numbers for it. It clearly changes depending on factors involving how well you play, but exact numbers aren’t going to be explained.

You get more SR awarded when you pick up wins than loses. Often, it can be fairly different amounts that you gain when you win each match rather than anything like a normal increase. However, it is clear that wins are obviously better. Draws don’t seem to affect your rank either, so this is worth keeping in mind if you can grasp one of those rare ties from the jaws of defeat.

Rewards in Overwatch Ranking System

The Overwatch ranking system isn’t just for bragging rights, you get some rewards. Playing competitive Overwatch in each season gets you CP. This is awarded after each win, with a different amount depending on where you are in the competitive Overwatch ranks. CP can be traded in to grab golden guns and other goodies like sprays and icons. These let you show your rank off through cosmetics in-game.

That’s how all of the Overwatch ranks system work. They’re pretty easy to keep track of but tricky to actually progress through! To get into the higher ranks each season you really need to prove you’re one of the top players in the game that season. Even the best Overwatch players still have to grind up to that level thanks to the fun SR system.