'We're extending the 6v6 playtest': The game director of Overwatch 2 stokes the flames that 6v6 will make an official comeback someday
The 6v6 vs 5v5 debate has been going on in Overwatch 2's community ever since the FPS changed format a couple of years ago. The loud minority of the fanbase has been calling for Overwatch 2 to return to its 6v6 roots, a cry that was ignored for over a year until the game director Aaron Keller announced that Blizzard would be trialing a limited 6v6 mode, which has now been extended.
Most of the arguments about why Overwatch 2 should return to 6v6 and abandon 5v5 are filled with nostalgia when, in reality, both versions have benefits and issues. The plus side to 6v6 was that tanks had more freedom, as one could hold down the fort while the other flanked alongside DPS for kills. But the queue times were longer, fights often felt like walking through wet cement because there were more enemies to kill, and players were held hostage by metas like double shield, which weren't fun for anyone.
Even so, Blizzard decided to introduce a series of playtests exploring how 6v6 would work in Overwatch 2, a game that has been designed around having five players on a team and only one tank for almost two years now.
I've played a bit of this 6v6 mode, and it's alright. It's each to their own when it comes to 6v6, but I didn't find it particularly fun or inspiring. Instead, I just had one more player to heal or kill—the team fights were slower, and pushes relied more on ultimates than kills or flanks. The tanks also felt less important—with lower HP and scaled-down abilities, I felt more like cannon fodder than the keystone of my team.
But for those who do enjoy it or haven't tried it out yet, there's a little more time on the clock for the 6v6 playtest. «We're extending the 6v6 playtest due to continued player interest and excitement for the mode,» Aaron Keller says. «Starting tomorrow, the 6v6 card will move to the Arcade. It will be available until midseason, then transition to a 6v6 Open Queue format — Min 1, Max 3.»
Min 1, Max 3 is the next version of 6v6 that Blizzard is testing
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