Before you hop into the PvP beta for Blizzard’s long-awaited sequel, you’ll first need to know if your gaming PC meets the Overwatch 2 system requirements. The good news is that you probably won’t need to upgrade your gaming CPU, but you unfortunately won’t be able to get away with Intel integrated graphics like you can with the first game.
The Overwatch 2 system requirements are generally more demanding than its predecessor. It’s got a larger storage footprint, demanding 50GB of space on your gaming SSD rather than 30GB, as well as increasing the amount of gaming RAM you’ll need to meet the minimum or recommended specs. Now, the previously recommended graphics card requirements are the minimum, and Blizzard suggests you use an Intel Core i7 rather than the cheaper Core i5.
That said, the Overwatch 2 system requirements make for a modest barrier to entry. It carries the same minimum processor requirements as the original and doesn’t ask for more than 8GB of RAM in a world that now gravitates towards 16GB. You also won’t need a graphics card that’s capable of ray tracing in order to get in on the action, nor need to install the game on an SSD, although it’ll likely perform better with one.
Here are the Overwatch 2 system requirements:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
| OS | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Phenom X3 8650 Intel Core i3 |
AMD Ryzen 5 Intel Core i7 |
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB |
| GPU | AMD Radeon HD 7000 series Nvidia GeForce GTX 600 series |
AMD Radeon R9 380 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 |
| Storage | 50GB | 50GB |
The Overwatch 2 beta will focus on the trimmed 5v5 competitive element, so don’t expect to see the decoupled PvE side until the Overwatch 2 release date swings around, hopefully sometime this year.
In July 2021, the state of California filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard alleging years of workplace discrimination and harassment. The story has since embroiled CEO Bobby Kotick and prompted the US federal government to open an investigation. It continues to unfold and to be of immense importance to the game industry. You can catch up on all the developments so far in this regularly updated explainer article.
Only PC gamers will get access to the beta, and Blizzard’s being selective with its choice of participants, so don’t despair too much if you don’t get in on the first try. It’ll eventually follow up with an open beta, which should be available to all platforms.
Take the Overwatch 2 system requirements test over on PCGameBenchmark to answer the question… Can I run Overwatch 2?
