How to solve "Screen Tearing" issues in Overwatch 2

After much anticipation, Overwatch 2 has finally made its arrival. One of the most hyped releases of the year, the title, however, was met with criticism from fans. On the day of its launch, the title suffered numerous network issues, leaving players unable to access the game. Moreover, there were bugs that caused users to get stuck in an infinite queue.

While these server-related problems are slowly being ironed out, gamers have encountered another major issue that's ruining their gaming experience. Players are reporting 'screen tears' throughout their matches.

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What is screen tearing?

Screen tears occur when the monitor's refresh rate is not synchronized with the GPU's frame rate output. This will result in the frame overlapping across a horizontal line, giving the visual of the screen being split in certain areas.

Primarily, there are two situations where screen tearing might occur. First, the GPU can output much higher frame rates than the monitor can display. Second, the GPU outputs are lower than the monitor's refresh rate. This issue is mostly common on PCs as console titles are optimized for certain FPS targets and are mostly played on a TV, which processes the image. Unless it's a bad port, console titles are less likely to see screen tears.

This article takes a closer look into some possible fixes to the screen tearing issues in Overwatch 2.

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Everything players need to know about fixing screen tearing in Overwatch 2

Screen tears can ruin immersion as well as the visual experience for the players. Here's how users can fix the screen tearing problems in Overwatch 2:

1) Turn on Vsync

Turning on Vsync will immediately get rid of all the screen tearing issues, although it is not recommended. Vsync adds input latency, meaning the time it takes for the game to respond after you press a button is increased. In a fast-paced first person shooter title where every small move and timing matters, turning on Vsync isn't suggested despite it being able to completely eliminate screen tearing.

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2) Using NVIDIA G-Sync & AMD FreeSync

For these technologies to work, your monitor and GPU must be compatible with each other. In translation, your monitor should support AMD FreeSync along with your AMD and Nvidia GPU. For G-Sync support, users must own a monitor that supports it along with a Nvidia GPU.

These two technologies adjust the refresh rate of the monitor along with the GPU's FPS output, allowing them to both function in harmony. However, this will only work if your Overwatch 2 frame rate is within your monitor's maximum refresh rate. While this does add some latency, it is way better than Vsync and it is recommended to turn them on.

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3) Enabling Nvidia Fast Sync and AMD Enhanced Sync

These two technologies will show the most recently completed full frame instead of limiting your frames. This results in no screen tearing as well as less input latency compared to Vsync.

You can enable Nvidia Fast Sync for a specific game under the 'Manage 3D' settings tab in the Nvidia Control panel. Similarly, for AMD in can be found under the 'Graphics' tab in AMD Radeon Software.

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4) Lowering in-game settings

If your Overwatch 2 framerate is way below your monitor's refresh rate, it is recommended to lower your graphical settings in the game to gain more FPS. This will eliminate screen tearing issues to a great extent.

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That's all there is to know about screen tearing and how to potentially fix it on your end. While screen tears can be annoying, it is to be noted here that it doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong with your PC components.