Can You Play Overwatch 1 After Overwatch 2?

With Overwatch 2 launching today, players are wondering what is happening with Overwatch 1. What does the launch of the sequel version mean for the original game?

Overwatch was originally launched in 2016 and the game has gone through a lot of changes since it was first released. Some players spent thousands of hours on their Overwatch accounts. Will Overwatch 1 continue once the new version is released?

Is This The End Of The Original Overwatch?

If you were playing Overwatch 1 on October 3rd, you might have noticed that the servers went offline. The game was always available to play for those who wanted to enjoy it.

But at noon on October 3rd, all of the Overwatch 1 servers shut down. This is because Blizzard is preparing for the launch of Overwatch 2.

Why is the reason for this? The answer was actually provided to us by devs who were hosting a Reddit AMA session about Overwatch 2.

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In this session, someone asked the devs if Overwatch 1 is getting replaced by the new version. The dev responded by saying when Overwatch 2 launches, that game will be a full replacement for the current live service.

To put it simply, Overwatch 2 will completely replace the original and you will no longer be able to play Overwatch 1 upon the release of the sequel.

This means that players no longer have any way to play the original Overwatch. The game's live services will now be used to host Overwatch 2 instead.

When it comes to most sequels, most game companies will leave the servers for the prequels alone to allow people to play the original game. Older Call of Duty games still have their servers up despite sequels being released.

So for Overwatch 1 players, this might come as a shame that they can no longer access the original game. But Overwatch 2 will be free to play, so they should have no problems accessing the game.

For more on the game, check our section dedicated to Overwatch 2 news, guides, and features.

Featured image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.