Overwatch 2 Season 15 has been a breath of fresh air for the game, significantly improving the sentiment around what was previously dubbed the worst user-reviewed game on Steam. Launched nearly nine years after the original Overwatch debuted in 2016 and two-and-a-half years following the launch of Overwatch 2, the game faced severe backlash in August 2023 when it became the lowest-rated game on Steam due to its controversial monetization. Blizzard's decision to transition the premium Overwatch into a free-to-play sequel, making the original game unplayable since 2022, drew heavy criticism.

Further controversies arose with the cancellation of the highly anticipated PvE Hero mode, a feature many believed justified the sequel. Despite these setbacks, Overwatch 2's user reviews on Steam have shifted from 'mostly negative' to 'mixed,' with 43% of the 5,325 reviews in the last 30 days being positive. This improvement is largely attributed to the changes introduced in Season 15, which brought substantial updates to the core gameplay, including hero perks and the reintroduction of loot boxes.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots

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Recent positive reviews highlight the game's return to its roots while introducing innovative mechanics. One user noted, "The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another praised the developers, stating, "For once, I must come to Overwatch's defense and say they really have stepped up their game. Going back to what worked in Overwatch 1 while introducing new and fun mechanics to the game. A certain game made them LOCK IN and I couldn't be happier. Now we just gotta wait for next season with an actual cooler battlepass."

This sentiment seems to be influenced by the success of Marvel Rivals, a competitive multiplayer hero shooter from NetEase that has garnered 40 million downloads since its December launch. In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the new competitive landscape, describing it as "exciting" and appreciating how Marvel Rivals has taken Overwatch's concepts in a "different direction." He admitted that Marvel Rivals' success prompted Blizzard to adopt a less cautious approach with Overwatch 2.

While it's premature to claim Overwatch 2 has fully recovered, the fluctuations in Steam user reviews indicate a challenging path ahead to surpass the 'mixed' rating. Nevertheless, Season 15 has boosted player engagement on Steam, with peak concurrent players nearly doubling to 60,000. It's important to note that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, though player numbers for these platforms are not publicly disclosed.

For comparison, Marvel Rivals recently saw a peak of 305,816 concurrent players on Steam over the last 24 hours, following its own mid-season update.