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Overwatch 2: How To Unlock Competitive

Orisa character in Overwatch 2.

Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

This guide explains how to unlock Competitive mode in Overwatch 2.

Six years after the release of the original OverwatchOverwatch 2 has arrived! Fans have been chomping at the bit to jump into the sequel to the hugely popular first person shooter.

The first Overwatch was incredibly successful. And with this new instalment, Blizzard is hoping to recapture the magic and make it bigger than ever.

Overwatch 2 boasts a range of new updates and features. These include upgraded visuals, new heroes, a revised 5v5 team setup, PvE, and the new “Push” game mode.

But something might be puzzling new players – why are so many game modes locked?

A screenshot showing locked game modes in Overwatch 2.
Locked game modes in Overwatch 2.

When you first get started in Overwatch 2, you must complete a tutorial. This is part of the “first-time user experience” (FTUE).

The FTUE is meant to provide players with a paced introduction to Overwatch and its modes and characters. That means you won’t have access to everything from the moment you get started.

Thankfully, returning players from the original Overwatch don’t need to worry about the FTUE. You will already have access to Competitive.

While new players will quickly unlock the Unranked game mode, Competitive isn’t quite as straightforward.

Keep reading if you want to know how to unlock Competitive in Overwatch 2

How To Unlock Competitive in Overwatch 2

While the FTUE is intended to teach players all about Overwatch 2 before they get fully involved, it is understandably frustrating.

Let’s face it – gamers hate being babied. And many people just skip tutorials anyway, whether they’re familiar with a game or not.

So, what do you need to do to unlock Competitive?

This is how to unlock Competitive in Overwatch 2. New players can unlock Competitive mode in Overwatch 2 by winning 50 games in Quick Play.

Overwatch 2 calls this “Competitive Play Qualification”. Essentially, it’s Blizzard’s way of ensuring you’re experienced enough to hang in Competitive matches with higher skilled players.

A screenshot showing the Competitive challenges in Overwatch 2.
Track your Quick Play wins in the Competitive Challenges menu

While this may sound simple enough, achieving 50 wins in Quick Play will take a significant amount of time.

This is unfortunate as it prevents new players from experiencing the full game immediately. And by the time you finally do unlock Competitive, you might be bored of Overwatch 2 already.

Thankfully, you can at least track how many Quick Play wins you have. Go to the ‘Challenges’ menu and then go to the ‘Competitive’ tab.

The first challenge listed there is “Competitive Play Qualification” and it provides a progress total out of 50. Keep an eye on this counter to see how close you are to unlocking Competitive in Overwatch 2.

Did you find this guide explaining how to unlock Competitive in Overwatch 2 useful? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…

Joe Harby

About Author

Joe is one of the editors and founders of Downtime Bros and an accredited critic. He has more than a decade of experience in journalism and communications. He is passionate about everything in the worlds of gaming, movies, and TV, as demonstrated by the countless words he has written about them. He is overly proud of his Bloodborne platinum trophy and plays too much Call of Duty. Follow him on Twitter and check out his reviews on OpenCritic.

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