New viewing tools finally come to Overwatch

gabhernandez Published 18/11/2018

A long requested tool to watch competitive Overwatch games through the eyes of pro players has finally been released to fans just in time for the World Cup finals.

“Experience the Overwatch World Cup from any perspective in real time with the Overwatch World Cup Viewer,” says the official blog post about the new observing tool. Fans have been waiting for this functionality since the very conception of competitive Overwatch, and Blizzard is finally releasing it for the last few matches of the World Cup.

Matches can be watched live as they are happening and can be reviewed for up to a month after the match has concluded. Fans can watch in a variety of ways, including through the use of a free camera that can be moved with the keyboard and mouse, a map overlay that displays a top-down view of the playing field, and through individual players’ perspectives. These perspectives can be chosen from a set of hotkeys or by choosing between them from the options at the bottom of the user interface.

Games can be sped up, slowed down, or paused. Viewers can bookmark timestamps to save specific in-game moments for later. Players can be observed using either first-person or third-person perspectives, giving different vantage points on the action.

This is a beta version of the viewer, but Blizzard’s intention seems to be a full release for Overwatch League games. Such a tool could help everyday players to improve their own gameplay by watching pros and seeing how they react to a variety of situations, instead of being reliant on each game’s static observer to show the right slice of action at just the right time.

The World Cup Viewer Beta must be downloaded as a separate client from the game itself. The viewer will be available when the first World Cup game kicks off as the United Kingdom battles the United States’ team.

Read Also

Twitch

Ludwig Shares Monthly Income, Including Sponsorship Revenue Khizar Mundia Having started out as a gaming streamer, Ludwig Ahgren has since grown massively in prominence and established himself as an all-round streamer on Twitch. He has now lifted the lid on his monthly earnings, and his viewers were surprised by how much sponsorships contribute to his monthly income. American streamer Ludwig became known for his Super Smash Bros. content, and he has since started hosting events for the game, where ...

Twitch

Streamer University 2026 Has Ended: These Were the Event’s Highlights Khizar Mundia Rumors swirled that Kai Cenat would cut Streamer University 2026 short, but the event ultimately concluded as planned and it was packed full of drama and controversies. Here's a look back at the biggest moments from the five-day creator camp. Twitch star Kai Cenat’s return to the streaming space after a months-long break was massively successful, with the streamer crossing 1 million concurrent live viewers for the second time in ...

Twitch

iShowSpeed Ends World Cup tour in style, performs at final and teases 2030 Khizar Mundia Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins. Jr.’s FIFA World Cup 2026 tour has come to an end, marking the end of five weeks of memorable streaming, and the American even performed his song at the showpiece final between Spain and Argentina. This was another World Cup livestream, where Speed’s father and brother were also present. The two engaged with viewers, as Speed was set to perform at the finals, and they even did ...

News

Identity V Championship NAEU 2026 announces official DXRACER partnership Hannan Mundia Identity V's presence in the esports scene continues to grow, and the 2026 Identity V Championship NAEU's new partnership with DXRACER reflects the direction of travel. Identity V may not seem like much of a competitive game at first glance. The asymmetrical multiplayer game has familiar elements shared with horror titles such as Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th, but its competitive depth has helped it establish a dedicated ...

Twitch

ExtraEmily hires a driver after Twitch ban over distracted driving Khizar Mundia Emily “ExtraEmily” Zhang was recently in the news for getting banned from Twitch for the third time, and the streamer has now taken the step of hiring a driver after another brush with the law. 2026 has been an intense year for ExtraEmily so far. The streamer was accused of viewbotting and took a break for mental health reasons. The creator returned again shortly after, but was once again receiving ...

News

Spain vs Argentina 2026 World Cup Final: Preview, Boosted Odds and Prediction Markets Ben Boland The 104th and last match of the 2026 World Cup takes place on Sunday, with European champions Spain taking on current holders Argentina at the New York New Jersey Stadium. It will mark the end a memorable five-week tournament that will go down as one of the most exciting in living memory. The major story has been the success of underdogs, with multiple upsets taking place in the earlier stages ...

Slots

Here are the best promos at crypto casino Roobet Ian John Promotions and offers are a key part of any casino's appeal to new and existing customers and that is very much the case for crypto casino Roobet. As well as speedy payments, the site has earned a fine reputation amongst gamers for the range and quality of its promotions — and in this post we will take a look at each Roobet promo available in more detail. Remember, you can ...