Why does Overwatch 2 have a queue? Exploring how you can get into the game's servers

Overwatch 2 players appear to be stuck in a queue that won't let them play.

The game's servers at launch are causing prospective players plenty of frustration. Several errors have been brought to light, including friends not appearing and the queue increasing for no reason.

So, why does Overwatch 2 have a queue? This is to make sure the servers aren't overloaded and that their capacity, in terms of total players, is manageable. Right now, the servers are struggling to keep up.

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Did the Overwatch 2 queue work as intended?

The original Overwatch did not have a queue, leaving many players to wonder why a queue was implemented for the sequel. However, this decision was made to prevent the servers from crashing.

The move doesn't seem to work, though. A large number of players are trying to get in, making for massive queue times. Moreover, DDoS attacks have nearly ground the servers to a halt.

The queue is a great idea to ensure server longevity at launch, but unforeseen circumstances have extended the waiting period for most players.

Once things are settled, the queue will probably disappear.

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Problems with the queue

Anyone who has tried to play Overwatch 2 knows the problems that the servers are facing. The DDoS attacks, the insanely high number of players attempting to join, and the queue bugs are making it impossible to play the game.

A lot of players are loading into OW2 and finding that there are no people ahead of them in the queue. After a short wait, however, those numbers jump up by hundreds or sometimes even thousands without warning.

The players either have to wait even longer or receive a connection error and start the process all over. It hasn't been a fun time in the first couple of days since OW2 went live.

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How to get through the queue and play

There is no guaranteed way to play Overwatch 2 as long as the servers are having problems. However, there are a few things players can try to better their chances of getting through when server overload and DDoS attacks aren't occurring:

• Play outside of peak times to see a decrease in players trying to get into Overwatch 2.
• Change the server by opening the Battle.net client, clicking the globe icon next to the game, and selecting a new region to see if queue times are lower elsewhere (beware of latency issues).
• Make sure every update and patch is sent through during the launch period to ensure server stability and bug fixes have been downloaded.
• Don't close the game, stay patient, and keep trying.

Overwatch 2 will be a popular title for years to come. So it makes sense for the developers to put all of their resources into ensuring the game works properly for every single player.

It shouldn't be long before the queues, server issues, and errors preventing players from enjoying OW2 are no more. Patience for these problems to be fixed is all it will take.