Blizzard reveals date Overwatch servers will shut down ahead of OW2 transition

Blizzard has revealed the date that Overwatch 1 will permanently shut down to make way for Overwatch 2’s official launch.

Overwatch 2 is nearly here and Blizzard has given out a ton of relevant information as its October 4 launch date approaches.

As many fans know, the hero shooter sequel will fully replace the original game by October 4, meaning fans won’t be able to go back and play Overwatch 1.

Now, Blizzard has officially revealed the date on which Overwatch 1’s servers will permanently shut down, giving the team time to prep for the sequel’s launch.

Blizzard reveals Overwatch 1 end date

The news comes from Overwatch 2’s Commercial Lead Jon Spector, who spoke with publication Eurogamer to confirm the news.

According to Spector the last day that Overwatch 1 will be playable is on October 2, 2022. It’s important to note that Spector’s comments were in the context of Pacific Time.

Spector said that “roughly a day before Overwatch 2 launches, we’re going to be taking down the Overwatch 1 servers.”

To clarify further Spector added that “So that means, as a practical point, that October 2nd really is the last day to go in and play Overwatch 1. And then it’s a 27-hour downtime that we’re planning in order to get the Overwatch 2 server stood up and running.”

However, Spector notes that players will also need to do a bit of prep work to get ready for the sequel’s launch on October 4.

Spector said the team will provide players with these details as they get closer to launch, but fans should expect to see “a kind of launch checklist” from Blizzard in the near future in order to “have a smooth experience getting in…”

Additionally, Spector confirmed those waiting for the sequel will be able to pre-download the game ahead of launch if they choose to.

“…If they already have Overwatch 1, they’ll get Overwatch 2 as basically an update from a systems perspective. You’ll see, ‘Update the game to Overwatch 2’ as an option on your PC or console. If you’re a new player, you’ll see on 4th October, the ability to come in and download and play Overwatch 2 for free.”

All in all, it seems as though players have a little more than two weeks — at the time of writing — to play Overwatch 1 before the servers officially shut down for good.