Overwatch 2 is reverting Competitive Stadium back to its original seven-round format starting October 30. This change is being done in response to negative fan feedback to changes Overwatch 2 implemented with the launch of Season 19.
Stadium is the newest permanent game mode in Overwatch 2 featuring special Powers, Items, and Gadgets that can be selected between rounds to modify the builds of select heroes in wild and exciting ways. Originally, Stadium was a best-of-seven game mode, though Overwatch 2 changed it to be best of five starting in Season 19 to prevent matches from becoming a slog.
Overwatch 2 Competitive Stadium Going Back to Best of Seven
Now, Overwatch 2 has announced its intention to revert this change. In a thread on Twitter, Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller confirmed Competitive Stadium would be going back to seven rounds starting October 30. Players can expect a brief one-hour outage for Ranked Stadium while the change is implemented, but they will otherwise be able to play the game as usual.
According to Keller, this reversion is being done because the best-of-five format “hasn’t felt quite right.” Those two extra potential rounds provide more wiggle room for adaptive strategies and big comebacks that will help make games feel less one-sided, even if they are longer because of it. Fans can expect a deeper dive into the reasoning behind this decision in the next Director’s Take blog in early November.
While some players preferred the five-round format, the majority of fans seem to be happy to see this change being made, especially with Overwatch 2 Stadium Gadgets now in the mix. Luckily, those who want to play best-of-five Stadium can still do so in Unranked Quick Play, which also includes backfill and cross-play between all platforms.
There may be some other smaller hotfixes and changes before it, but the next big update for Overwatch 2 is expected to be the mid-Season 19 patch around November 11. Not much is known about this update so far, though it will be the debut of Cyber Fuel Junkrat, the first instance of a second Mythic hero skin dropping in the same season. Additionally, the hero trial weekend for Overwatch 2 Hero 45 is coming at some point around this time, meaning players will likely finally see 2025’s final new character within the next few weeks. No heroes or maps have been revealed for Stadium yet, but Overwatch 2 may still surprise fans – and if not, Season 20 on December 9 will definitely add some more stuff to the game mode.
- Released
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August 10, 2023
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Blood, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence
