Can players play Overwatch 2 without a phone number?

Overwatch 2 has finally arrived after much anticipation. Although, the title's launch has been quite controversial. As announced previously, it will require users to connect their phone numbers to Battle.net to be able to play. However, users without a phone or pre-paid phone were unable to do so, locking them out of the game.

Along with this, the title will be recording the in-game voice chat conversation of the players. This has left many users skeptical, citing concerns about privacy after the company's recent shenanigans.

Overwatch 2 is the successor to the popular hero shooter title Overwatch from 2016. Developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, OW2 is a first-person shooter title where teams of two with five players each pick 'Heroes' with unique abilities and powers from the available roster to achieve the match's objectives.

This article takes a closer look at the phone number requirement policy in the title and upcoming policy updates regarding the same.

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Everything players need to know about Overwatch 2's 'SMS Protect' stance

Blizzard, developers of Overwatch 2, recently updated their stance on the 'SMS Protect' policy, which was previously mandatory for all users. Previously, it was added as an extra layer for security preventing cheaters and smurfs. However, after a community backlash, Blizzard decided to change their phone no. requirement policy.

An announcement posted on Blizzard's official forum titled 'Overwatch 2 Launch Status Update' reads:

"We designed Overwatch 2 to be a live service, which enables us to be responsive to a variety of player feedback. We have made the decision to remove phone number requirements for a majority of existing Overwatch players."

It continues to state:

"Any Overwatch player with a connected Battle.net account, which includes all players who have played since June 9, 2021, will not have to provide a phone number to play. We are working to make this change and expect it to go live on Friday, October 7. We will update players once it is in effect."

It then adds:

"We remain committed to combating disruptive behavior in Overwatch 2—accounts that were not connected to Battle.net as well as new accounts will still have to meet SMS Protect requirements, which helps to ensure we’re protecting our community against cheating. If a player is caught engaging in disruptive behavior, their account may be banned whether they have a new account or not."

This implies that all users who have played Overwatch 1 since June 9, 2021, will no longer be needing to link their phone numbers with Blizzard to be able to play. However, players prior to the given date will have to verify their accounts along with all the newcomers to the title.

So, to answer the question "Can players play Overwatch 2 without a phone number?"

The short is yes, provided they meet the requirements set by the developers themselves.

This update will go live on October 7.

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OW2's launch has received mixed reactions from fans. Apart from the recent controversy, it has landed itself in due to phone number requirements and voice recording, the game has also suffered from several network issues where players are stuck in long queues or simply unable to log in.

It also faced a massive DDoS attack which kept the servers down on its launch day. This resulted in the in-game store being down, friend lists not appearing, players getting disconnected during a match, owned skins & items disappearing, and more.