Overwatch 2 Stadium Ranked restored to Bo7

by

From now on, new maps in Overwatch 2 will undergo a longer internal testing process before being released to players.

Overwatch 2 has switched its competitive Stadium matches back to a best-of-seven format after players shared their feedback on the previous best-of-five system. The change was made last week, and the Overwatch 2 team recently explained the update in more detail.

Overwatch 2 Stadium Ranked format

Overwatch 2 switched its competitive Stadium matches back to a best-of-seven format on October 30th, responding to player feedback. Game Director Aaron Keller explained that the previously used best-of-five format, introduced with Season 19, didn’t feel as good in practice. The best-of-seven format offers more opportunities for strategic gameplay, exciting comebacks, and teams to adjust their tactics.

On November 7th, an official announcement further explained the reasoning behind the change. It stated that switching to a best-of-five format in Season 19 was intended to make matches faster. However, players consistently responded negatively, saying they missed the strategic depth, tactical options, and opportunities for dramatic turnarounds that longer match formats allowed.

We’ve found that when we introduce new features or make significant changes, initial reactions from the community can sometimes be negative. However, this usually improves as players become familiar with the update. We saw a different pattern with the change to Stadium Ranked using a best-of-five format – the initial negative feedback didn’t lessen over time.

The announcement also stated that future updates to Stadium will be developed and tested more thoroughly before being released, to guarantee a better experience for users.

Overwatch Stadium is a space for trying out new ideas and ways to play the game. However, we’ve realized we need to take more time developing features before releasing them. We’ve had to revert two major changes recently – Mirrored Drafts and this one – which shows us we need to test things more thoroughly internally. Going forward, we’re focusing on delivering better, more polished features for Stadium instead of rushing out updates. We’ll keep you updated on our progress!

Players who prefer shorter matches can still experience the Bo5 format in Quick Play Stadium.

Read More

2025-11-08 00:41