Overwatch 2 Season 17 is finally giving power back to the people by introducing map voting for quick play and competitive

The last few seasons of Overwatch 2 have given an increasing amount of power to players. Perks have given us the ability to customise each hero a bit more to our liking, hero bans have let us strike problematic characters from competitive, and now we even have more of a say in what map we’ll get.

“Map voting goes live at launch in Quick Play and Competitive, letting you shape the match before it starts and control where the action unfolds,” a press release says. “After role queue locks, you’ll get three randomised map options to choose from.”

Similar to hero bans, there’s no guarantee that the map you pick will be chosen, but there’s a decent chance. “Every vote adds a one in 10 chance to that map’s odds, and the winner is selected using a roulette-style roll,” the press release explains.

While I’m excited about this change so I can steer away from Clash maps in Quick Play and some more frustrating objectives like Numbani, you don’t need to worry about getting berated for picking controversial maps, as your preferences will be kept a secret. “To keep things chill, team chat, battle tags, and individual votes are hidden, so there’s no pressure; just a better chance at playing the maps you love,” the press release says.

But not everyone is as happy as I am about the idea of map voting. “I like new maps and game modes; Overwatch’s variety is a big draw for me, and if I’m sentenced to 10,000 hours of Kings Row (a map that I like) I’m still going to lose interest,” a player says in a discussion thread.

Another valid concern is how map voting will affect leavers. The worry is that, if someone doesn’t get the map they want to play, then they’ll just abandon the game and a team will be down players from the start.

Leavers in Overwatch 2 are a frustrating problem as is but it seems like the devs have already thought this through: “Leaver penalties kick in as soon as voting starts, so stick around and make it count.” Competitive games also stop if someone leaves within the first minute, so together these two factors will hopefully minimise the problems.

Alongside map voting, Overwatch 2 Season 17 also brings a bunch of new maps to add even more variety to the mix. “We’re dropping three new maps to master,” the press release says. There’s Aatlis, a Flashpoint map set in Morocco which provides “cleaner rotations, and fast-paced momentum.”

Then for Stadium, there’s a modified version of Esperanca resembling a Push map and the volcanic Control point from Samoa where “lava meets loadouts.” From this map players can “expect open arenas, strong vertical mayhem, and an ideal space for high mobility comps,” the press release says. “If you love a good third-person brawl or creative high-ground play, this one is for you.” Meaning heroes like Pharah, D.Va, and Moira (if you know how to time your jumps right) will likely have the most fun.

Other notable features coming with Season 17 include a battle pass which includes skins for Sombra, Genji, Reinhardt, Sigma, Jukrat, Widowmaker, and Cassidy. A Powered Up Event which gives players the chance to earn four epic loot boxes, and a double mythic launch: “For the first time ever, two Mythics will be available from day one, giving you more flexibility and more ways to flex.”

It may not seem like much, but having both the mythic skin and mythic weapon available at the beginning of the season is a nice change, as it means you can weigh them up beside each other, and spend your Mythic Prisms straight away—or save them for something better in the following seasons. But I’ll be honest, it pales in comparison to the idea of never having to play another Clash map again.