Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

How competitive mode works in Overwatch 2

By

Not all shooters need, or are intended, to be taken seriously. Some games are just meant to be pure fun with no need to be concerned with how well you’re doing, how many kills you get, or which team comes out on top. Overwatch 2 certainly can be played that way, but it also has developed a highly passionate and dedicated audience that wants to master the game and play at the highest levels. While you don’t need to be planning on going to any tournaments, it can be a lot of fun to get your group together and see how you do against another team of serious players.

Unlike your standard Quick Play matches, you can’t just jump straight into competitive matches when first booting up Overwatch 2 (unless you are upgrading from the first game and have already unlocked it there). This is to allow players a chance to learn the game a bit before diving into an environment where players are taking the game much more seriously. Ranks and divisions are on the line here, after all. If you’re curious about how the entire competitive mode works in Overwatch 2, here’s a full breakdown.

Recommended Videos

See more

What is competitive mode?

The competitive mode screen.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As described, competitive mode is Overwatch 2‘s playlist, where you are ranked and sorted based on your performance. The ultimate goal is to reach the highest rank possible by winning as many games as possible. Of course, the higher ranks you reach, the tougher the competition will become.

Related

Starting competitive mode will put you in your placement matches to determine your starting rank. These placement matches will last until you win seven matches, meaning it could very well take far more than seven matches to get placed. Once given your first rank, your rank will change after every subsequent seven wins or 20 losses and will go up and down based on these matches.

Keep in mind that each role (Tank, Support, and Damage) are all ranked separately. That means you could be at a high rank with one role but still need to complete your placement matches if you decide to switch to another.

How do skill tiers and divisions work?

A breakdown of skill tiers.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Overwatch 2 breaks down the competitive mode into skill tiers and divisions in an attempt to match you with opponents who are as close to your skill level as possible.

Skill tiers are based on earning Competitive Points, while divisions are subsets within these tiers. The skill tier and division you are in will not only impact who you will be matched up against but also who you can team up with. You must be within two skill tiers of a friend in order to party up with them, up until the top tier, in which you need to be within one, and the absolute top-level players must be within the same three divisions.

Another stipulation that will only apply to the best of the best is that if you reach Grandmaster, you will also be limited to playing solo or with just one partner when searching for matches.

What are competitive mode ranks?

Here are all the skill tiers you can be placed in and progress through in Overwatch 2. Within each of these skill tiers, there are five divisions ranked from five to one. Division five is the lowest rung on the ladder, with one being the highest. Being in division one means you’re about to go up to the next skill tier, while dropping down to five means you may fall to the next lower skill tier.

  • Bronze
  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Platinum
  • Diamond
  • Master
  • Grandmaster
  • Top 500

How to rank up

Sombra's new look in Overwatch 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ranking up in competitive mode is everyone’s goal, but it isn’t a simple process. As mentioned, your rank will only update upon your seventh win or 20th loss or tie. But that isn’t exactly as clear as the reality. What that truly means is that your progression, or regression, in rank all comes down to a single game, either your seventh win or 20th loss or tie. To make it even more complex, the bigger the gap between wins and losses will dictate how far up or down you move.

For example, winning seven straight matches with no losses or ties will move you the maximum distance up in rank. If you win seven and lose 10, you won’t go up as far, and so on for more losses. Likewise, if you lose 20 with no wins, you will drop as much as possible, but each win you get will slow your descent some.

What are Competitive Points, and how do I get them?

A list of objectives in overwatch 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We mentioned Competitive Points in passing, but they have no bearing on your actual rank or placement. These points are earned by either winning or drawing matches while playing in competitive mode and are also paid out for finishing a season while at least placed in the Bronze tier. You earn 15 points for a win and just five if you draw. Here are how many bonus points you get depending on which rank you end a season at:

  • Bronze: 65 points
  • Silver: 125 points
  • Gold: 250 points
  • Platinum: 500 points
  • Diamond: 750 points
  • Master: 1,200 points
  • Grandmaster: 1,750 points
  • Top 500: 1,750 points

Competitive Points only have one use right now, which is to unlock golden weapons for your characters. You can unlock them for every character in the game, but each one will cost you a massive 3,000 points, so you might be saving up for quite a while.

Editors’ Recommendations

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
Best characters in Concord
The Concord cast eating in a diner.

Hero shooters, fighting games, and RPGs are the best examples of game genres where picking the right character makes the biggest difference. Each game wants to be balanced, especially competitive ones like Concord, but that only gets more difficult the more characters that are included. Concord has a large roster of 16 Freegunners, and no two are exactly alike. Each one has a unique weapon, two abilities, and tweaks on their movement options at least. Unlike a lot of other games in the genre, these heroes aren't cleanly divided into roles like Tank, DPS, or Healer. Instead, you need to experiment with each one to figure out which you like and which always get you eliminated. That, or you could let us give you the inside info on which are the best characters in Concord right now.
Lennox -- the best self-sufficient DPS
Did the author of this guide have a little bias toward Lennox before playing? Perhaps, but it turned out that he is actually one of the top DPS picks in the game. He comes with two different pistols, one more powerful and slow-firing and a secondary with a shorter range and faster rate of fire. The first can essentially snipe enemies if you can line up the shots, while the second covers you if someone gets in close. His passive takes away his biggest flaw: reloading. If you swap weapons as you run out of ammo, that gun you swapped out will automatically reload when you switch back to it. His exploding knife skill is deadly and easy to integrate into combat, and his regeneration means you can keep yourself fighting even without a healer or health pack around.
Haymar -- the best zoning DPS
Haymar is a more technical character than most. Her bow only has one shot before needing a reload, so you need to be on point and not try to tank encounters head-on. The longer you aim your bow shot, the more damage it deals, so ambushing is the best approach. Blinding Flash has a ton of utility since it completely blinds anyone it hits, and Wall of Fire can be placed to cut off routes or deal direct burning damage. Since she has such great air mobility, you can find all the best angles to control the flow of a match.
Kyps -- the best support disruptor

One look at Kyps' design will tell you almost everything you need to know. She's a spy character and meant to be played as one. Her pistol deals good damage, but her low HP pool means you want to stay out of direct firefights. She's best for objective game modes since she can place traps around the map that will ping enemies if they pass through to reveal their locations. Her other tool is a grenade that shreds shields and disables enemy abilities. If things get a little too hot, she also gets temporary invisibility after a dodge to make a sneaky getaway.
Emari -- the best offensive tank
There are a few tanks to pick from in Concord, but Emari is the most balanced in our opinion. She obviously has a ton of health and a passive buff that reduces damage to her body, but her scrap cannon can shred enemies in seconds at close range. If you stick to close-quarters areas, or need to defend an objective, she's essential for your squad. In terms of abilities, Armor Generator grants any teammates in range armor to buff them up for a fight, and Projectile Shield is the standard energy shield you see in almost all hero shooters. It's just as good here for leading a push through a chokepoint.
Jebali -- the best support healer
Healers are a bit rare in Concord and tend to be restricted to pure support and are not all that fun to play. Jebali is a kind of hybrid healer who can hold his own. He's got a flashy rifle that works best in close and midrange, but it's his two orb abilities that you need to watch out for. Hunter Orb is a homing orb that deals damage to whoever it hits, while Life Pulse shoots an orb that creates a healing AoE for all allies. However, the trick is that the more damage you do with the Hunter Orb, the better the Life Pulse is. This lets you stay offensive and provide support for your team without having to completely withdraw from offense.
IT-Z -- the best hit-and-run attacker

Read more
Splitgate 2: release date window, trailers, gameplay, and more
A character in pink armor and a player character with two guns pointing towards a yellow portal in Splitgate 2.

In 2021, the original Splitgate became an overnight success when word spread about its beta. It blended the best elements of arena shooters with the mind-bending mechanics of Portal. Instead of simply running and shooting around a map, all players had the ability to create portals to flank and create new sightlines through. This opened up a ton of possibilities, and yet the game was almost immediately abandoned after reaching 1.0. Now, developer 1047 Games is back with a full sequel. Splitgate 2 isn't just a few more maps and guns, but a full-on sequel. Let's jump through this portal and get the drop on all the details about this new game.
Release date window

Splitgate 2 only has a rough release window of 2025. There's no way to tell right now when next year it will come, but it would be safer to assume in the second half.
Platforms
Splitgate 2 will be available for most platforms when it is released. This includes PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It will also be free-to-play so everyone is welcome to jump in and give it a shot.
Trailers
Splitgate 2 Cinematic Announcement Trailer

Read more
Overwatch 2 is collaborating with Transformers, and it looks radical
overwatch 2 transfomers crossover teaser transformers reinhardt

Overwatch 2 x Transformers Collaboration Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

The long-awaited Transformers and Overwatch 2 collaboration is almost here. Blizzard Entertainment released a cinematic trailer on Monday teasing the crossover and introducing new skins.

Read more