Overwatch has had a shaky history with content outside of its core shooter mode. The original game included missions as parts of events, but it was an entirely multiplayer game. Overwatch 2 changed a lot in development, but still launched with an eye to eventually getting a PVE side of the game. We’ve gotten our first solid bit of news on Overwatch 2 PVE, with a potential launch date of the new mode being leaked.
Overwatch 2 PVE Launch Date Leaks in Test Server
Overwatch 2’s PVE might finally be coming to the game later this year, at least according to some fans. It all comes down to a testing server being used for Overwatch. The OWL has returned for 2023 with Season 4 and new Hero Lifeweaver, but Blizzard is already looking into Season 6.
The test server is trying things out for the sixth season for the game. This is quite a bit ahead of where tests normally are. The leading theory is that this test server is for some PVE finally coming to the game with that season.
This would roughly make the Overwatch 2 PVE launch date as September 12th. This is based on speculation and a testing server, so it isn’t exactly an announcement. It’s something to keep an eye as we move towards the Autumn though.
PVE’s Difficult Journey
Overwatch 2 has gone through some different iterations before we finally got the free-to-play upgrade to the base game. The original teases for the game showed a lot of PVE content. We even saw work being done on cinematics for a proper campaign mode. At first, it seemed like Overwatch 2 might have substantial PVE.
Then, a lot happened. Blizzard had a lot of problems during the development of the series, and the game lost its original director pushing a stronger PVE experience. After the original Overwatch kind of died, the online of Overwatch 2 was brought forward. It launched as a free-to-play game launching in late 2022. PVE was still on the cards, but it has been talked about significantly less and given the rate of new heroes and other content, it’s likely not the full-scale mode originally envisioned.
Getting this news of some PVE coming soon is a promising sign if you’ve been awaiting this part of the game finally hitting the shelves.