Since the release of Overwatch 2, a highly anticipated title, Blizzard Entertainment’s servers have been full to the brim with long waiting times and congested queues. Some players are looking for ways to switch servers to avoid long queues and connect to lower-latency servers.
Overwatch 2 players will be relieved to know that they can switch servers in a few simple steps using the Battle.net application on their PC. This is something only PC players have the luxury of doing so and players using Xbox and PS4/PS5 can not change their region this way and may have to wait for updates or look for alternative experimental methods.
This was a brief overview of how you can change regions in Overwatch 2. For a detailed answer, read this article.
Can You Change Region In Overwatch 2?
PC players have the option to choose from various regions to switch their game to alternate servers. Blizzard has incorporated this feature inside the Battle.net App that players have to use to play Overwatch. This leaves console players in an unfortunate situation.
So far, Blizzard has not mentioned adding the option to switch regions on consoles. This means that console players are region locked and will have to wait for the developers to add this feature to the console versions of Overwatch 2.
Why Might Players Want To Switch Regions In Overwatch 2?
The reasons for switching can vary across the board. One of the most common reasons people prefer switching regions is to avoid long waiting queues. Since Overwatch 2 is a new release and is at the peak of its popularity, the servers are almost always at maximum capacity. Some players in North America have reported the waiting queue to sometimes be in the thousands.
Players can hence switch to servers with a shorter waiting queue to get into matches quicker. Another reason why some players may want to switch regions is to find their way around server/matchmaking issues that may be connecting them to high-latency servers, which can cause lag. By connecting to lower-latency servers, players can avoid this issue.
How Can You Change Region In Overwatch 2 On PC?
If you happen to own Overwatch 2 on a PC, you will need to make use of the Battelnet Application to change your server region. There is a globe icon next to the game version tab where players have the option to choose from 3 different server regions, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Further detailed divisions of the servers are as follows:
- The Americas region is for players in North America, Latin America, South America, New Zealand, and Australia.
- The Asia region includes Macau, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
- Lastly, the Europe region includes countries in the European Union, Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Russia.
You can follow the exact steps below to change your server region in Overwatch 2.
- Launch the Battle.net App.
- Go to the Games tab and select Overwatch 2.
- Click on the globe icon next to the game version.
- Then select your preferred server from the list.
- Restart Battle.net before launching Overwatch 2.
Choosing a server closest to you is usually ideal especially when you are experiencing latency issues on your current game servers. Once you restart the app and launch Overwatch 2, your servers will have switched to your new region, and any new matches you enter will be on the new servers that you have selected.
How Can You Change Region In Overwatch 2 On Consoles?
There is no official support for changing regions in Overwatch 2 on your consoles, however, there are certain experimental methods that have worked for a small number of players. These involve setting up a VPN client on your router, that can automatically switch your region in Overwatch 2.
For console players willing to go the extra mile, they can try setting up VPN servers on their routers that will assign them a new IP address of a different location. This can automatically switch your in-game region to the servers closest to that new location.
It is to be noted that this is not a guaranteed solution and requires finicking with the router settings that can affect all other users on the network. This may also result in higher latency than usual for some people.
Conclusion
Players on PC can switch their region in Overwatch using the Battle.net App to any preferred server of their choice. Console players, however, do not have the option to switch servers in-game but can try to do so by using VPN clients to switch to a new virtual location for different servers. It may be best to wait for a future update that adds this feature to the console versions of Overwatch 2.
