The new anti-loss streak system in Overwatch 2 isn’t what you think

Developer Team 4 dropped a low-key banger of a patch for Overwatch 2 on May 14, making tanks tankier but also making it more difficult to go on a loss streak. You might've heard about this and be thinking, 'Sweet! No more losing streaks!' But it's not exactly the case.

"Since most matches will have a team that has a slightly higher chance of winning, placing a player on the team with the higher chance who is currently on a losing streak is aimed at helping them have a fair chance of breaking that streak," read the patch notes.

I can certainly relate to these losing streaks. No doubt mentality, diet, sleep and other factors have played into mine at times, but even so I'd swear in the past the game is rigged to consistently put me on both winning and losing streaks. If that's leveled out now even a bit, I'm all for it.

That said, Blizzard's server engineer Morgan Maddreen explains it's not as though you'll never go on a losing streak, just less often (and when you do, it's more likely you'll deserve it).

"The vast majority of Overwatch matches look incredibly close to the matchmaker," he says. "But in some cases we make matches where one team has a slightly more noticeable advantage over the other (still very competitive though!)."

"When we would make these matches," he goes on, "The matchmaker wasn't paying attention to whether any players in the match were on a loss streak. So by random chance, we would sometimes make matches where a player on a loss streak would get put on a team that was at a disadvantage."

Now the system simply accounts for losing streaks, meaning if you're on one, you're more likely to be put on the team that's slightly favored to win. The end result: less streakiness, and more even games overall. Granted, this is a subtle change, and one Maddreen says "probably won't be super noticeable to most players." Still, if the player base is even subconsciously 1% happier and less toxic, that's a win for all.

Want more Overwatch 2 content? Check out Overwatch 2 Character Tier List (Season 10) here on Pro Game Guides.