Overwatch PS5: What's happening with next-gen Overwatch?

The PlayStation 5 is finally here, which means plenty of people are asking about Overwatch PS5 support. As with all new gaming tech, the PS5 launch comes with many questions about backwards compatibility. Only a few aren't supported by PS5 backwards compatibility, although there’s always a possibility of seeing patches to change that in the near future, but in the meantime games like Overwatch present an uncertainty. Considering the massive player base that comes from the PS4, it’s normal to wonder whether or not the emblematic online hero shooter is benefited from next-gen capabilities, such as is the case with games like Sekiro and Dark Souls 3. But don’t worry, we have you covered with everything you should know about Overwatch on PS5. 

Is Overwatch PS5 backwards compatible? 

Yes, Overwatch is one of the many backward compatible games on the PS5. Either your digital or physical copy will work without any extra steps. In terms of progress and player stats, since accounts are tied with Battle.net in the PlayStation console family, you won’t have to start from scratch. 

How does Overwatch run on PS5? 

This is where things get a bit more fuzzy. At the moment there’s only one version of Overwatch that is compatible with both the previous and current gen, so you should expect the same experience in almost all regards. But of course, the new hardware (including both the GPU and the SSD drive) presents a slight but noticeable upgrade.

The PS4 version didn’t exactly run bad, but there were some minor hiccups, including delayed load times when jumping into the hero select screen, and a decrease in frame rate whenever there was an intense encounter happening in a match. Over at Forbes, the author mentions that “the PS5 fixes all of those”, and now it only takes “a couple seconds to load into a map with your hero model in place”. In Polygon’s report, they talk about how performance remained stable even during busy fights, and that seeing a low-texture model of a hero before they load in the character screen is now a thing of the past.

Navigating menus is reportedly faster, and there’s an slight advantage over PS4 users (players from both consoles can play together seamlessly) when picking a character as you’re usually inside the match first, making it the perfect opportunity to call dibs on your favourite.

Are there plans for an Overwatch PS5 upgrade or patch?

Many studios have started sharing their plans for next-gen, but what about Blizzard? Well, up until the time of publication, we still don’t know what to expect. Overwatch 2 is still far off, but it’s safe to assume the experience will arrive tailored to the PS5 from the get-go. At the moment, however, it’s unsure whether or not we’ll see a patch that takes its predecessor to similar results, either unlocking the framerate or allowing for higher resolutions, as it is the case for Rainbow Six: Siege which targets 120 FPS and 4K support.

But even if we have to wait a bit longer to truly experience Overwatch at its maximum capabilities on PS5, rest assured that you’ll be able to continue ranking and pursuing legendary skins in a slightly refined manner thanks to the PS5 power.