Blizzard Entertainment has just started its three-week-long Overwatch 2 PvP beta, and many players that didn’t receive an invite might be wondering how to get in on it. For one day, on the 27th of April, players that are interested in the closed beta will have a chance to access it due to a partnership between Blizzard and Twitch. By watching several hours of some selected streamers, players will become eligible to receive a twitch drop that can be used to gain access to the Overwatch 2 beta. The beta is currently exclusive to PC players, but Blizzard has already announced that future testing will include consoles.

The first thing players will need to do to get access to the beta is to link their Battle.net account, Blizzard's launcher, with their Twitch account. This is a relatively simple procedure in which players must first log into their Twitch account and navigate to the Settings by clicking on the account name in the top-right corner. Then, select the Connections tab, select the proper Blizzard Battle.net region and click connect.

Related: Overwatch 2 Beta Website Reveals New Playable Hero & Maps

To be eligible for the Twitch drops, players will also need to have an Overwatch license tied to their Battle.net account. Players that already own the game can skip this, but those that don’t will need to activate the free trial that Blizzard is offering for the duration of the Overwatch 2 beta. While it is not necessary to install Overwatch to be eligible for the Twitch drops, doing so can greatly reduce download and install times for the beta build.

How To Get Overwatch 2 Twitch Drops

Sojourn is a new Overwatch 2 hero

Although the PVP Beta is likely to run between the 26th of April to at least the 17th of May, those without access will only have an 8-hour time window, between 12 PM Central and 8 PM Central on April 27, to try and get a beta key. This is done via Twitch drops, which can be obtained by watching at least four cumulative hours of selected streamers under the Overwatch category. Players can find a full list of these streamers on the official Overwatch 2 PvP Beta page. Players will only have this opportunity on the 27th of April and must claim the Twitch drop within 24 hours of getting it. The drop will give players access to the three full weeks of the beta, which may extend beyond May 17th if further testing is required by Blizzard.

Since players have a limited time window to access the beta, it is likely that many will be too busy to watch four hours of streaming on Wednesday, and may instead choose to leave it playing in the background. Because some browsers pause fully muted streams, it may be a better idea to instead greatly reduce the volume. Players that are successful in accessing the beta, will have an opportunity to try out Overwatch 2's new hero, Soujorn, as well as new game modes, maps, and reworked characters.

Next: Overwatch 2 Leaks Suggest Sojourn May Be Overpowered At Launch

Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.

  • Overwatch 2 Kimiko Poster Promo
    Overwatch 2
    Developer:
    Blizzard Entertainment
    Franchise:
    Overwatch
    Genre:
    First-Person Shooter
    Platform:
    Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
    Publisher:
    Blizzard Entertainment
    ESRB:
    T
    Released:
    2022-10-04
    Multiplayer:
    Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
    Summary:
    Overwatch 2 is the sequel to the Blizzard team-based PVP shooter released in 2016. Overwatch 2 will completely supplant the original entry, shuttering the prior title in favor of 2. This sequel reduces team sizes to five instead of six. Players will choose from one of thirty playable heroes and pick from one of three classes: damage, support, and tanks. PVP remains the core focus; however, Overwatch 2 now has a stronger emphasis on cooperative play with the addition of PvE modes - four-player cooperative excursions where players will take on different tasks against AI opponents. Overwatch 2 is a free-to-play game and will offer a battle pass option like others of its genre instead of its prior loot box system, allowing players to earn cosmetics and more each season.
    How Long To Beat:
    80-100 hours
    Prequel:
    Overwatch