Blizzard battles with a second Overwatch 2 DDoS, but server issues are starting to ease

Junker Queen swings a hammer towards the ground in Overwatch 2
(Image credit: Blizzard)

Blizzard has confirmed that Overwatch 2 has been hit with not one, but two DDoS attacks, which, alongside renewed interest from lapsed fans, has made for a rocky launch indeed.

“We’re steadily making progress on server issues and stability, as well as working through a second DDoS attack,” Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller says on Twitter. “We’re all hands on deck and will continue to work throughout the night. Thank you for your patience - we’ll share more info as it becomes available.”

Mere hours prior, Blizzard president Mike Ybarra confirmed that the team shooter had been hit with its first DDoS attack after acknowledging Overwatch 2’s server issues. At the time of writing, Overwatch 2 queue times have returned to normal, though that can may change as larger parts of the world wake up and try to log on. 

A DDoS – distributed denial of service – attack occurs when someone sends numerous outgoing connections to a single server, rendering it unable to handle connections from normal users. It's fairly easy for malicious individuals to make happen, and it's extremely difficult to defend against. Major games are regularly targeted by DDoS attacks, so it comes as little surprise a big launch like Overwatch 2 would attract these sorts of attempts.

DDoS attacks do not mean that hackers have actually intruded on Blizzard's servers, of course, so you don't need to worry about changing passwords or anything like that.

If you’re unsure if Blizzard’s latest is for you, our Overwatch 2 review makes for good reading. We reckon that, "while Overwatch 2 still offers fun and frenetic gameplay on beautifully vibrant maps, it's hard to ignore how much it deviates from the successes of the original."

Take aim at more of the best FPS games at that link.

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

With contributions from
Read more
Overwatch 2
As Marvel Rivals continues to dominate hero shooters, Overwatch 2 teases "groundbreaking PvP gameplay changes" on the way
After Marvel Rivals ate its lunch, Blizzard wants Overwatch 2 to continue being the "best competitive team-based hero shooter"
Overwatch 2 sombra emp animation blizzard image
Marvel Rivals' success is actually "really great" for Overwatch 2, and the FPS's director says the "pressure" that Blizzard feels is mostly "internal"
Junker Queen - Overwatch 2
2 years later, Overwatch 2 Steam reviews crawl back from 'Mostly Negative' thanks to its new perks and old loot boxes
Screenshots of Overwatch 2 showing teams battling it out along with new perks and a Stadium game mode in action
Marvel Rivals isn't going anywhere, so Overwatch 2 is stepping up with game-changing perks and a new mode that borrows from Counter-Strike and League of Legends
Screenshots of Overwatch 2 showing teams battling it out along with new perks and a Stadium game mode in action
"This is no longer about playing it safe": Overwatch 2 game director talks Marvel Rivals and betting big on season 15
Latest in FPS
halflife screenshot showing a headcrab jumping at a player
Half-Life devs worried Gabe Newell "promised things that they couldn't possibly deliver" for the iconic FPS, but "they just didn't know" that they'd be able to do it yet
Former Valve exec recounts the meeting where Half-Life's publisher almost killed the iconic FPS: "Half-Life would quietly die. I was stunned"
FBC Firebreak screenshot for GamesRadar Big Preview showing a character throwing an electric shock grenade in a crowded room
FBC: Firebreak may be Remedy's first live-service game but the Control creators are going about it the right way, confirming that all playable post-launch content "will always be free"
"Valve would never ship another game": Former exec forced Half-Life publisher's hand by saying Gabe Newell and the team would pivot away from game dev
Gordon Freeman
Valve literally gives Half-Life away now, but 27 years ago it was carefully crushing its angry pirates: "None of them had actually bought the game"
FBC: Firebreak gameplay trailer reveal in Future Games Show: Spring Showcase
With an impressive new FBC: Firebreak trailer at the Future Games Show, Remedy confirms a Summer 2025 release window for its co-op shooter set in the Control universe
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game