When Does Overwatch 1 Shut Down? Answered

We’ve all known for a few months that the first Overwatch will disappear completely and morph into the new Overwatch 2. Considering players are going to be losing access to a game they have been playing for the last six years, there is plenty of wondering about when exactly the first Overwatch will be gone. We’ve got all the info you want for when Overwatch 1 will be shutting down.

When Will Overwatch 1 Shut Down

The last day for all players to experience Overwatch 1 will be Oct. 1. After that, the Overwatch 1 servers will be taken offline on Oct. 2 to begin the Overwatch 2 transition for the Oct. 4 launch.

We repeat: This upcoming Saturday will be your last day to play Overwatch 1 before it becomes the free-to-play sequel.

On the bright side, you aren’t necessarily losing access to anything in your inventory. All cosmetics (character skins, player icons, etc.) will be making the transition to Overwatch 2. Overwatch 1 isn’t getting a full deletion, more like a merge into the sequel.

That is everything there is to know regarding when Overwatch 1 will be shutting down. Be sure to stick around as we will keep you up to date with any further developments in the last several days of Overwatch 1.

For those wondering about how the new game might run, there’s been some very definitive and exciting news on that for those looking to maximize their hardware. Last week Nvidia put out a video claiming that when using the upcoming GeForce RTX 4090, Overwatch 2 runs at 360+ FPS at a shocking 1440p resolution.

Why Did Overwatch 1 Shut Down?

Overwatch 1 had to shut down because with Blizzard making Overwatch 2’s PvP free-to-play, it didn’t make sense to still make players pay for the first game and it wasn’t worth the time to change Overwatch 1 to be free-to-play as well.

Is Overwatch Dead?

For all intents and purposes, the first Overwatch is entirely dead. A tweet by popular user @Nibel shows what happens if you try to load into Overwatch 1 right now (and from now on, obviously).

Can You Still Play Overwatch 1?

Technically, you can still play Overwatch 1, as all modes, characters, and skins will be available in Overwatch 2. Though, you will only ever be able to launch the Overwatch 2 application to start the game.

How To Play the Original Overwatch?

There isn’t any possible way to play the first Overwatch anymore. To enjoy the Overwatch experience from now on, you will only be able to play Overwatch 2.