Overwatch is well-liked by players all over the world. Whether it's an event, ranked matches, or simply watching the Overwatch League, there's always something to do. If that isn't enough, Blizzard also offers Overwatch PTR, a lesser known way to play the game. The company has created a slew of games over the years, and many of them rely on user feedback to improve the gameplay.
The majority of these games are multiplayer-focused. To ensure that the games are always balanced, the various game teams employ a Public Test Realm (PTR) to test patches before Blizzard releases them to the wider public.
What is Overwatch PTR?
Overwatch's public test region (PTR) is where Blizzard Entertainment tests upgrades before they are implemented in the live game. Fresh hero damage stats, substantial reworks, and totally new characters are all fair game on the Overwatch PTR.
Levels, achievements, stats, skill ratings, loot boxes (including loot box goodies), currency (including Competitive Points), and cosmetic items obtained with currency, on the other hand, will not carry over to the live game. Furthermore, on the PTR, all real-money purchases are disabled.
How To Get Overwatch PTR
To take part in the public test, you must have an Overwatch game license for Windows PC tied to a Battle.net account that is not suspended or banned.
Step 1: Restart the Battle.net desktop app.
Step 2: Navigate to the Overwatch tab on the left-hand menu.
Step 3: Select "PTR: Overwatch" from the REGION/ACCOUNT drop-down menu.
Step 4: Click "Install" to begin the installation process.
Step 5: Once the PTR client is installed and updated, click "Play" to begin!
The Overwatch PTR is constantly updated, so you'll want to update it frequently to acquire the latest modifications. There are more bugs on the test server than in the live game, but that is the nature of a test server.
On which platform is the PTR available?
The PTR mode (Public Test Region) only gives PC players the opportunity to try out the proposed changes and it is only available for Windows PC.
However, console players, and PC players, can give Overwatch’s Experimental Card a try which is similar to the game’s PTR mode although they don’t go by the same rules. The Experimental Card can emerge and vanish in an instant, and can also be used in the live version of the game which means players can level up while playing it. Furthermore, although alterations in the PTR mode are intended to be fine-tuned and eventually integrated in the general game, changes made in the Experimental Cards are unlikely to see the light of day again.
What regions are eligible to participate in the PTR?
Accounts from all regions, with the exception of China, are able to participate, albeit the PTR will be hosted in the Americas region. As a result, if a gamer intends to play the PTR from a location other than the United States, they should expect reduced performance and greater latency.
FAQs
Q. Is there a cap on how many players can participate in the PTR?
A. The PTR may support up to 10,000 concurrent players signed in at the same time, and any new gamers attempting to log in after this will be queued.
Q. Is Overwatch’s Experimental Card the same as PTR?
A. While there are similarities between the two, the Experimental Card and Overwatch’s PTR are not the same thing with the main difference being that the Experimental Card is available in the live version of the game while the PTR isn’t.
