Not long after launching the new mode on PC, Blizzard releases ranked Competitive Play for the Xbox One version of Overwatch a week ahead of schedule.

After ranked Competitive Play came to the PC version of Overwatch earlier this week, console gamers were told that they had to wait an extra week to enjoy the new game mode. However, the wait is now over for Xbox One users. Competitive Play has gone live on the console, along with a substantial patch, just in time for the long Independence Day weekend.

Unlocked at level 25, Competitive Play gives Overwatch players a new game mode to play, and also gives them the opportunity to unlock exclusive new content. For example, golden weapons will eventually be added for every hero in the game, which can be purchased using currency that can only be obtained from Competitive Play.

Besides Competitive Play, the update also addresses some lingering issues with the console version of the game. It nerfs McCree and Widowmaker, putting those characters on par with their PC counterparts, and it also squashes a number of bugs. Players will find some other tweaks implemented in the update as well, such as the new "Weapons" section added to the Hero Gallery, and the removal of the "Avoid This Player" functionality from the game's UI.

This patch seems to make the Xbox One version of Overwatch more or less equal with the PC version of the game. There are still some discrepancies, such as Torbjorn being nerfed on consoles and not PC, but for the most part, it seems as though there's more parity between the different versions of the game now.

Of course, that is excluding the PlayStation 4 version of Overwatch, which still lacks Competitive Play at the time of this writing. There's a possibility that Blizzard will launch the mode for PS4 users early like it did on Xbox One, but otherwise PS4 Overwatch fans should expect the update to drop at some point next week as originally announced.

Once Blizzard launches Competitive Play for Overwatch across all its available platforms, the company should be ready to move forward with some substantial new content for the game. We know that there are DLC heroes in the works, along with new maps, and if Blizzard is able to keep Overwatch updated with quality content in a timely manner, there's no reason to expect its momentum to slow down anytime soon.

Overwatch is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: Blizzard