How to join the Overwatch 2 beta

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Blizzard’s sequel to the 2016 team-based shooter, Overwatch, has made its way to an early beta on PC. Aptly named Overwatch 2, the game features a shift of form away from the 6 v 6 gameplay to a more traditional 5 v 5 setting.

The sequel also includes several reworks of existing characters to help shift the game’s overall balance. There’s also a brand new character, Sojourn, who plays the damage role and wields an automatic rifle alongside some quick movement skills.

Blizzard is going to be running a promotion for Overwatch 2 on Twitch later today to give early access to gamers who watch four hours of Overwatch 2 gameplay on a designated streamer’s live stream. You can find a list of streamers with beta key drops available here.

The promotion will be running today, April 27, from 1 PM ET to 9 PM ET. So, as long as you watch up to four hours of gameplay during that stretch, you should get a Twitch drop giving you access to the beta. The beta will run until May 17.

Just be sure that you link your Blizzard account to your Twitch account. You can make sure the two are connected by clicking your profile picture and selecting Settings. Then, choose the Connections tab and find the Blizzard/Battle.net option.

Overwatch 2 or Overwatch 1.5?

I spent a little time last night watching some streamers with early access playing Overwatch 2. And to be honest, the beta looks a lot more like Overwatch 1.5 than a full-fledged sequel.

There’s only one new character, one new game mode, and a handful of new maps. But there will still be additional content to come before the game officially releases.

And the 5 v 5 gameplay does look a lot more inviting than the long, drawn-out team battles in 6 v 6. And it was interesting to see some old-school Overwatch players, like TimTheTatman, enjoying the game again.

I’ll definitely be trying out Overwatch 2, though my hopes aren’t very high. If you’re interested in getting in on this beta, be sure to head to Twitch this afternoon.

You can also head to the Overwatch 2 website and sign up for beta access there, but that will be more of a luck-of-the-draw method that doesn’t necessarily guarantee you access. Your best option for getting into this beta will be by watching Twitch this afternoon.

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