Overwatch 2 Competitive explained, including how to unlock Competitive, rank up, and get Competitive Points
How the Competitive system works in Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2 has a few modes to take part in, and the best of these to test your skill in is Competitive, which pits you against other players and ranks you based on your performance, netting you more Competitive Points the better you do.
Whether you're curious about how to unlock Competitive Play, how to rank up, or are getting the 'complete Competitive Play challenge' message, we've explained everything you need to know about Competitive in Overwatch 2 below.
For more help in Overwatch 2, be sure to check out our tier list, battle pass, and how to unlock all heroes pages!
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Overwatch 2 'complete Competitive Play challenge' explained
While trying to join a friend's party, or maybe even from your own menu, you might get a message telling you to 'complete the Competitive Play challenge' first. If you were an original Overwatch player and have successfully merged your account, this shouldn't be happening, and is most likely one of the many bugs and glitches still ongoing from the game's launch woes.
Unfortunately, if you are an original Overwatch player, you'll either have to wait for a fix to play Competitively, or follow the same steps as a new player would to complete this challenge.
So, what is the Competitive Play challenge? If you're a new Overwatch 2 player, it's a task you need to complete to unlock Competitive Play and its ranking system, which we've detailed how to do below...
How to unlock Competitive Play in Overwatch 2
You should have access to Overwatch 2's Competitive Play mode as an original Overwatch player who has merged their account successfully, but as we mentioned above, as well as long queue times due to multiple DDoS attacks, the sequel is suffering from many bugs and glitches at launch.
If this is happening to you, or you're a new Overwatch 2 player, then you need to win 50 matches in Quick Play in order to unlock Competitive Play. You can check your progress from the Challenges menu, under the 'Competitive' tab.
Because there's been so many issues at launch, we highly recommend only playing Unranked Quick Play matches if you're working towards unlocking Competitive, as there has been some reports from players that launching a Skirmish, Practice, or Deathmatch while matchmaking has been resetting challenges.
Getting 50 wins is a tough challenge, but we've got a tier list to help you decide what Hero is best for you while working your way towards ranked gameplay.
Overwatch 2 Competitive rank and Skill Tiers explained
There are eight ranked Skill Tiers in Overwatch 2:
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Master
- Grandmaster
- Top 500 (of your region)
Each Skill Tier has five Divisions within it, with Division 5 being the lowest, and Division 1 being the highest. This doesn't apply to the Top 500, as it has its own ranking system.
From Bronze to Diamond Tier, you can play with friends who are two Skill Tiers away from you in Competitive. So, a Gold ranked player may play with a friend in diamond, or a Bronze ranked player may play with a friend in Gold - although we don't really recommend this unless you're confident in your team's ability.
As for Master Tier players, they can only play with those one Tier out from them, and even then, only with the first three Divisions of Grandmaster.
Those in the Grandmaster Tier can only queue with people within 3 divisions, which is why they can play with friends in the higher end of Master Tier. Also keep in mind that those in Grandmaster can only queue solo or with a maximum party of two.
According to Blizzard Top 500 does not have any Divisions, and remains largely the same as it was in the first Overwatch, separated by input pool. You still need to complete 25 games for each role in Role Queue, or 50 games in Open Queue. The combined role queue leaderboard requires you to complete at least 25 matches. Top 500 Leaderboards unlock two weeks into the start of each new season, and cross platform players can view the separate leaderboards by input pool.
Which brings us to another important thing to keep in mind: where you rank in Competitive is different for each role. So your Tank could be Platinum, Damage Gold, and support Silver, all at the same time.
So, how is your rank for each role calculated in Overwatch 2? We've got a full explainer below!
How to rank up in Overwatch 2
The biggest difference from the original Overwatch ranking system is how long it takes to adjust your Tier or Division. Previously, it was every match, but in Overwatch 2's Competitive Play, your rank is recalculated every seven wins or every 20 losses or ties with each role - whatever milestone you reach first.
For example, if you won six matches, but then lost the next 19, your next match would determine whether you rank up or down. Remember that each role has a separate calculation, so getting six wins as a Tank doesn't mean you go up a division if you were to get your next win as a Support. That win would count towards your Support wins instead. The same applies to losses.
These win and loss milestones are then reset when you gain or lose a Tier or Division rank.
It's also worth keeping in mind that the number of losses or wins you get before reaching the seven wins or twenty losses milestone WILL affect the calculation of your ranking. Seven wins and no losses, for example, might shoot you up a few Divisions, whereas 20 losses with no wins might drop you a couple of Divisions instead. So while it might not seem like it at first, every match you play in Competitive does affect how long it takes to climb the ranks.
How to get Competitive Points in Overwatch 2
There are two ways to get Competitive Points in Overwatch 2:
- Winning or drawing matches in Competitive Play
- Finish a Ranked Season at at least Bronze Tier
Where you finish in a season determines how many Competitive Points you are rewarded at the end of it. So finishing in Platinum Tier, for example, would net you 500 Competitive Points.
Previously, these points could be used to get Golden Weapons for your choice of Hero, and this carries over into Overwatch 2, taking 3,000 Competitive Points to unlock each Golden Weapon.
You also get Competitive Points for winning or drawing a match in Competitive Play. It's 15 points per win, and five per tie.
Here's exactly how many Competitive Points you get for finishing in each ranked Skill Tier at the end of each season:
| Skill Tier rank | Competitive Points earned | Other rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 65 points | None |
| Silver | 125 points | None |
| Gold | 250 points | None |
| Platinum | 500 points | None |
| Diamond | 750 points | A Title |
| Master | 1,200 points | A Title |
| Grandmaster | 1,750 points | A Title |
| Top 500 | 1,750 points | A Title |
All the best climbing up those Competitive ranks in Overwatch 2!