Overwatch 2 players accuse Blizzard of punishing win streaks

Dec 19, 2022

Reading time: 2 min

Overwatch 2 players have a new frustration with the game, reporting unbalanced competitive matches and punished win streaks in ranked.

Unbalanced matchmaking has been a complaint since Overwatch 2 launched. Games have felt very uneven, and players with low and high ELOs have continued to show up in the same matches. Players have already been complaining about the matchmaking for months.

I'm sorry but this new ranked system for Overwatch 2 is absolute trash. Having everything hidden from you and the fact that the matchmaking is horrendous to the point where I'm rank 12 in top500 and getting a Diamond 3 DPS player?

Overwatch 1 ranked system was 100x better.
— Crimzo (@Crimzo) October 19, 2022

https://twitter.com/NyanSox/status/1582491921423163392?s=20&t=j797BVndlSXdO_3QYNLu1g

Unfortunately, the uneven matches have continued. Recently, a player took to Reddit to complain that they saw a Top 500 Challenger and a Silver-ranked teammate in a Platinum lobby. This was, of course, highly frustrating to the player base. And many had similar stories.

Does Overwatch 2 punish players for win streaks in ranked?

One player responded that it actually felt as though Blizzard was punishing them for doing well in ranked. After a long win streak with good teammates, the player wrote on Reddit that they were dumped into a game with low-level players after losing one game.

“The skill differentials between everyone in one game and the next is completely wild. I’ve never seen such big differences in any multiplayer PVP game I’ve ever played,” they said.

Someone with the "Top 500 Challenger" title, and a Silver, in the same lobby (Plat level). Needless to say it was not a fun game…
by u/No_Catch_1490 in Competitiveoverwatch

As the concept continued to spread online, Twitch streamer Phyerx added that they are put with Platinum to Gold players after a “huge win streak,” making it feel like developers wanted her to remain in the same rank by putting her with low-level players as she climbed.

“This game 100% punishes you for winning. I needed 1 win after 6 games and now -5 games due to matchmaking suddenly,” she said.

Other players noted similar experiences, making the uneven matchmaking even more shocking than previously thought.

Of course, it’s currently not 100% clear how matchmaking works in Overwatch 2. Developers haven’t responded to the accusations that players are put with lower-level teammates after a long win streak, but have stated that they want to improve the ranked experience in the past. Unfortunately, this has yet to happen.