Overwatch 2 Patch Notes Adds Crossplay Aim-Assist For Consoles

Overwatch 2 launched a few weeks ago with a myriad of issues but managed to persevere through them all. The title’s release ended up an eventual success despite the controversies surrounding it. The community is still divided on whether the sequel was necessary, and the latest patch notes may further complicate things.

The recent patch notes for Overwatch 2 come with a pretty contentious feature, supported by few but disliked by many in the community. Blizzard Entertainment has decided to integrate crossplay aim-assist. The decision was apparently made to eliminate the disparities between the two platforms and aid the console players.

Major Takeaway

• Blizzard Entertainment has made the decision to enable the crossplay aim-assist feature for consoles in the midseason patch notes.
• The choice was made keeping console and PC players in mind, to apparently make console players stand on equal footing with the PC community.
• The decision is only made for the non-competitive modes, meaning the competitive mode is free of aim-assists.
• The patch notes also bring other features like Mei’s return, nerfs for characters including Genji, and more.

The crossplay aim-assist is enabled for the console devices, meaning the lobbies share players from both platforms. Blizzard noted in the patch notes, “We made a change to Aim Assist in Crossplay (PC+ Console) lobbies. If you play in a Crossplay game now, Aim Assist is enabled in all matches except Competitive.” 

Moreover, the aim-assist is only added for the non-competitive experience. In other words, the competitive mod is the only way to enjoy a match without the controversial feature. The feature is available only for the console platforms, as reiterated by Blizzard, and PC players will not be able to utilize the aim-assist feature.

In the recent Overwatch 2‘s midseason patch notes, Blizzard discovered that having the aim-assist disabled was causing issues on both sides. As per developers, both PC and console players could not enjoy the experience due to technical differences. The developers decided to enable the controversial feature.

In our data, we found many groups were crossplay groups between PC and console players. This meant if you were playing on console and grouping with players on PC, you were opting into a bad experience for yourself to play with your friends. Also, if you had a group that was primarily console, but one of your friends was a PC player, you had to leave the PC player out to have a good experience,” read the patch notes. 

It is entirely possible that Blizzard could decide to disable the feature in the future following enough backlash from the Overwatch 2 community. The developers clarified they are “monitoring the deployment of this change carefully and making changes quickly if needed.”

The aim-assist feature has been the center of attention due to how much difference it makes in the experience. Most of the community is against the feature, noting how it interferes with and ruins the raw experience. The PC players argue it gives console users a big advantage over them, while some console players argue the opposite.

The patch notes also bring a slew of other changes, including the addition of the removed Mei character. The update also nerfs some popular figures, including Zarya, Genji Sombra, Kiriko, and Dva. A lot of hero balances were made to ensure the best experience for all players. 

Overwatch 2 garnered a lot of infamy upon release but broke all the suspected milestones in just a week. The game passed its predecessor soon after release, breaking Overwatch’s record. Furthermore, the title crossed over 25 million players just ten days after its eventful release. 

What are your thoughts about Blizzard Entertainment seemingly integrating crossplay aim-assist for consoles in the latest patch notes? Do you think the reason provided by Blizzard justifies the controversial feature? Do let us know your opinions in the comments below.