Game modes and how to win

In Competitive a Control match goes to the team that wins two of three rounds; it used to be three of five.

When a team takes the point over, the team that just lost it counts as contesting for overtime, even with nobody standing on it.

The payload moves while players of the escorting team stand next to it or on it.

If the result is otherwise level, the team that got the payload further wins.

An anti-stall system switches on shortly before the payload reaches the end of its track.

Hybrid maps start with a point the attackers must take; after that they escort a payload.

Ties are broken the same way as on Escort, by how far the attackers got.

Push arrived with Overwatch 2. Its robot, TS-1, pushes a barricade while a team escorts it.

In Quick Play a Push match lasts 8 minutes instead of 10. The robot now pushes the barricade 10% faster, in Competitive too.

While a team’s forward spawn is active, its players wait 12 instead of 10 seconds to respawn.

Flashpoint has five points on a large map that open one after another; both teams race to the open one.

Capturing works like Control but quicker. A point is taken at 100%; if an opponent is on it at 99%, overtime starts.

The first team to capture three points wins.

The attacking team has to capture the points. In Overwatch 1 it had 4 minutes for the first point, down from 5.

If neither side finishes a point, the team with more capture progress wins, as long as it passed 33%.

With Overwatch 2 these maps left all playlists and stayed in Custom Games. They came back for one Quick Play: Hacked weekend.

Clash has five points in a row on a mirrored map. One point is open at a time, starting with the middle one, C.

Each capture scores 1 point; the last points A and E are worth 3, split into segments. You win with 5 points or by fully taking the enemy’s last point.

Clash maps were taken out of the Competitive pool.

A Stadium mode: each team pushes its own payload on a mirrored track. Standing at the other team’s payload stops it, a payload nobody escorts rolls back slowly, and checkpoints keep progress.

The round goes to the team that reaches the end first, or got furthest when time is up.

Elimination was first played as 3v3 and 1v1 on Arena maps.

Deathmatch: eight players, each on their own, until someone has 20 points. A final blow scores 1, dying to the map or to yourself costs 1.

Team Deathmatch: four against four; a team needs 30 points to win.

Capture the Flag became a lasting Arcade mode after a Lunar New Year brawl.

A team can only score while its own flag is back home.