- POPSUGAR Australia
- Gaming
- Capture Objective A: Here’s When Overwatch 2 Launches In Australia and When Season 1 Starts
Capture Objective A: Here’s When Overwatch 2 Launches In Australia and When Season 1 Starts
by
Alana Young
Blizzard
Overwatch 2 is almost here! The sequel to Blizzard’s team shooter comes out in the first week of October and kicks off with Season 1 of a new Battle Pass rewards system.
With the confusion around Overwatch and Overwatch 2 servers and a different launch checklist for new and existing players, there’s a lot to wrap your head around before you start playing. That’s why we’ve broken it all down here. Whether you’re new to the game or you’re jumping back into an old favourite, whether you’re playing on PC or console — here’s everything you need to know about the Overwatch 2 launch.
What Is the Overwatch 2 Launch Time In Australia?
The game will release at the same time worldwide. In Australia, the Overwatch 2 launch is October 5 at the following times:
- AEDT (ACT, NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS): Wednesday, October 5 at 6am
- ACDT (NT, SA): Wednesday, October 5 at 5.30am
- AWST (WA): Wednesday, October 5 at 3am
Can You Pre-Load Overwatch 2?
Yes! Sort of… Existing players and new players who purchase the Watchpoint Pack ahead of launch can pre-load the game, but it starts at different times for PC and console players. On PC, the Overwatch 2 pre-load begins on October 1 at the following times.
- AEDT (ACT, NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS): Saturday, October 1 at 6.30am
- ACDT (NT, SA): Saturday, October 1 at 6am
- AWST (WA): Saturday, October 1 at 4.30am
Console players can start the pre-load on October 5 at the following times:
- AEDT (ACT, NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS): Wednesday, October 5 at 3am
- ACDT (NT, SA): Wednesday, October 5 at 2.30am
- AWST (WA): Wednesday, October 5 at 12am
The Overwatch 2 pre-load is approximately 50GB on PC and 30GB on console.
When Does Overwatch 2 Season 1 Start?
Overwatch 2 will be free-to-play and adopt a seasonal Battle Pass model to unlock new heroes, skins and other cosmetics. Season 1 will be live as soon as Overwatch 2 launches, so you can start earning rewards straight away.
Players who purchase the Premium Battle Pass will be able to unlock 80 tiers of skins — including five Legendary skins and the all-new Mythic skin for Genji — weapon charms, highlight intros, victory poses, XP boosts and more. They’ll also get instant access to the newest character Kiriko. The Premium Battle Pass will cost 1000 Overwatch Coins, which will be about $15 in Australia.
Everyone else will have access to the regular Battle Pass which contains 20 free unlockable rewards.
An exciting addition to Overwatch 2 is the “Just for You” section, which will contain “personalized offers based on what you prefer to play and equip in-game”.
Just to keep it confusing, there are a few additional freebies in Season 1. All players who log in at any point during Season 1 will get the new heroes Junker Queen and Sojourn for free. Existing players will also unlock the newest character Kiriko for free through the Founder’s Pack, which can be claimed by logging in before the end of Season 2. This means existing players don’t need to buy the Premium Battle Pass to unlock Kiriko.
Blizzard says that every Battle Pass will have a unique theme (season 1’s theme is “cyberpunk“) and that seasons will alternate between releasing one new hero and map.
When Will Overwatch Servers Go Offline?
Overwatch 2 is effectively replacing the first game, which means you won’t be able to play the original for much longer. The current version of Overwatch will shut down on Tuesday, October 4 at the following times:
- AEDT (ACT, NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS): Tuesday, October 4 at 3am
- ACDT (NT, SA): Tuesday, October 4 at 2.30am
- AWST (WA): Tuesday, October 4 at 12am
Overwatch 2 will be free to play on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The Watchpoint Pack is available now on PC ($59.95), PlayStation ($59.95), Xbox ($59.95) and Switch ($39.99).
Read more POPSUGAR gaming content below:
- Is ‘Tears of the Kingdom’ a Prequel to the First Ever Zelda Game? Lore Experts Think So
- “She’s a Top”: Anna Torv Answers All Our Questions About Tess In HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’
- 5 Games to Play Before Declaring ‘The Last of Us’ the GOAT
- Elden Ring Detectives Have Some Wild Theories About the DLC — Here Are the Best Ones
- Joel Finally Called Ellie “Baby Girl” In ‘The Last of Us’ and Fans Are Not Okay
