Live: Overwatch 2 PvP beta updates

The beta for Overwatch 2 kicks off today and we'll be keeping you posted on all of the action as it goes live.

Activision Blizzard is giving fans the chance to dive into the PvP portion of Overwatch 2 ahead of its launch. The devs get to stress test their servers while players get a taste of the new 5v5 multiplayer format.

The Overwatch 2 beta kicks off today, April 26, from 11am PT/ 2pm ET / 7pm BST for PC players only. There are a couple of ways to get beta access over the next couple days. People who signed up will find out if they made the cut via an email when the beta goes live. Not a minute before.

If your inbox is woefully bereft of invites, guaranteed access is being granted tomorrow, April 27. There's a caveat though, which involves watching select Twitch streamers for a total of four hours.

You also need to own Overwatch so make sure you have the game downloaded and installed so you're ready to go if you're one of the chosen.  

The Overwatch 2 PvP beta is live and it looks like the game's official website is already struggling. TRG's guides editor, Patrick Dane, reports that Battle.net is also feeling the strain, although I managed to log in without incident. 

Overwatch has skyrocketed up the ranks on Twitch. It's currently sitting at 325k views, above GTA 5, Minecraft, League of Legends, and Valorant. xQc is responsible for a bug chunk of that. He's streaming the Overwatch 2 PvP beta right now, with over 157k people watching.    

Activision Blizzard has released a list of patch notes that detail changes between the original game and the PvP beta. The highlights here include the new Ping system, and Scoreboard. 

The Scoreboard screen now displays key stats for all players in real time, including eliminations and deaths. The layout echoes that of "other competitive games and sports" and should give you a better and more accurate overview as you play.  

The knock on effect is that the Fire and Medal systems are being scrapped. The new Scoreboard makes it unnecessary for now, but the devs say that they'll revisit the system at some point down the line. More so for the "excitement and positive feedback" it provides.  

Activision Blizzard has shared the full Overwatch 2 patch notes and they're extensive! Lots of Hero changes, new features, and general tweaks here and there. 

TechRadar Gaming's guides editor, Patrick Dane, is streaming the Overwatch 2 PvP beta now over on his Twitch channel pixellogicttv. Competitive shooters are his bread and butter so if you want to get an idea of how the beta handles, head over there and ask him for his expert opinion!