Overwatch 2 chat is so toxic, players are disabling it

Earlier this month, the sequel to Overwatch finally landed, and yup, it sure is Overwatch again. But no, really, the new-and-improved title can be a lot of fun - assuming you’re not stuck in the role queue forever, begging and praying for someone else to play a support hero.

Unfortunately, Overwatch 2, like its predecessor, can also be home to a lot of toxicity. As reported by TheGamer, some players have now revealed that unpleasant behaviour in the game’s communication channels has led to them opting not to participate in them at all. Some argue that the ping option is far more useful than chatting to fellow players, anyway, making the voice and text chats almost totally unnecessary.

Take a look at the trailer for Overwatch 2 right here.

“My experience in Overwatch 2 has been far more enjoyable just because I don't have to communicate with anyone,” wrote Reddit user BubblineKiss1000. “I've been told to kill myself, I'm dogs**t, a sl*t. All the insults you can imagine and for what? We're human beings playing a video game.”

“Went [voice chat-less] in OW2. Climbed to masters 4 so far. Don’t feel like I am at a disadvantage at all thanks to the ping system. I don’t plan to turn it back on again anytime soon. SoloQ never has been so peaceful,” commented AprO_. “I can absolutely vouch for that for low elo. Chat and VC is totally useless. Ping is much more useful during game, peppered with some stuff from the comms wheel,” wrote Jordan_RR. “In my experience, only about 10% of comms in gold and below are productive call outs. The other 90% is either toxicity, or someone telling people to switch characters. So no, it's not really necessary until you get into plat at least. Mechanical skill alone can get you into plat just fine,” added TallAfternoon2.

If you’re totally new to Overwatch, do keep in mind that Overwatch 2 is the only one that actually works now - some retailers have apparently continued selling copies of the original game despite the fact that its servers are now shut down. So, be aware of what you’re grabbing from the bargain bin.