The introduction of map rotations in the original Overwatch was poorly received by its players, and now Overwatch 2 seems to be making the same mistake. When Blizzard initially brought map pools to Overwatch in late 2019, it was met with such resistance that the developers removed the system in less than a year. The decision to bring it back for the sequel was confusing, and many fans were cautious that the map rotations in Overwatch 2 would suffer from the same problems that the old system had. It would seem that their fears were not unfounded.
When Overwatch 2 launched, it brought over all the heroes, cosmetics, and maps over from the old game – with one key change. The game has transitioned from its 6v6 format into a 5v5 mode. Though this change has definitely been for the better, the problems with Overwatch 2 lie more in its overarching systems rather than the moment-to-moment gameplay, with players demanding more weekly challenge variety in Overwatch 2 and fairer prices on its cosmetics. Now, players once again find themselves arguing in favor of removing map rotation from the game.
The discussion was sparked by Bamfcah, who expressed their frustration on the official Overwatch subreddit. Their main criticism centered less on the map rotation feature itself, and more about its implementation by Blizzard. As it stands, the map pool in Overwatch 2 only rotates once every Season – with the stated reason being that it lets each Season establish its own identity. The problem with this concept became apparent when players started to report that the maps in the current rotation had already become stale, with many feeling like their favorite map got left out.
The solution that Bamfcah proposes isn't a new one in the Overwatch community by any means, but it's the moderate solution compared to just removing map rotation outright. Namely, instead of waiting for the next Overwatch 2 season to arrive, Blizzard Entertainment could implement map rotations on a much shorter cycle – with two weeks as the ideal middle ground. After all, there's little use for a Season having its own identity if significantly fewer people are invested in the game because of it.
As it stands, an Overwatch 2 season lasts nine weeks. Season 2 will arrive on December 2, and will bring the 36th hero Ramattra to the game, with the expectation that it will last until February 7, 2023. Though Blizzard Entertainment might prefer to gather more feedback for Overwatch 2's current map rotation system, all signs suggest that it could be changed some time next year.
Overwatch 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.