‘Overwatch 2’ gameplay: New game mode other than ‘Push’ is in the works

Blizzard held two and a half hours stream on Thursday to reveal the latest updates on the development of “Overwatch 2.” One of the welcome surprises was the announcement that “Push” is not the only new game mode being added to the upcoming title.

‘Overwatch 2’ is getting more than one new game mode

When “Overwatch 2” was announced in 2019, one of the new features Blizzard confirmed was the addition of the game mode called Push. But the developers have also emphasized in the latest stream how change is a constant and significant part of the franchise’s evolution. And that also means losing some familiar game modes in the standalone sequel.

Blizzard confirmed that Assault mode, also known as Two Capture Point (2CP), is no longer planned for “Overwatch 2.” On the bright side, the developer is going to replace it with new game modes other than Push.

Exactly what this new game mode is still unknown, though. But Blizzard also mentioned that Assault maps will be retained “in some capacity” for “Overwatch 2.” Those maps include Hanamura, Horizon Lunar Colony, Paris, Temple of Anubis, and Volskaya Industries.

The “Overwatch 2” stream this week also showcased the Push gameplay, where two teams fight to control a robot to have it push their barricade to the endpoint or as far as possible before the round ends. Blizzard also confirmed the new maps, Toronto and Rome, will both be in rotation for the Push game mode.

Blizzard announces new team format for ‘Overwatch 2’

The biggest announcement on Thursday, however, was the new format of “Overwatch 2” PvP teams. Blizzard is ditching the old composition where each team has two support heroes, two damage heroes, and two tanks for a total of six players per group.

In “Overwatch 2,” team composition has been reduced to 5v5 as Blizzard confirmed each there will only be one tank in every team, along with the usual two support and two damage, which is expected to affect other aspects of the gameplay. For one, tanks will have more varied abilities by being able to participate in fights instead of just primarily providing cover. Maps are also expected to be designed with more cover areas than players were familiar with to compensate for having only one tank in their teams.