

We remain committed to combating disruptive behavior in Overwatch 2-accounts that were not connected to as well as new accounts will still have to meet SMS Protect requirements, which helps to ensure we’re protecting our community against cheating. We will update players once it is in effect. We are working to make this change and expect it to go live on Friday, October 7. Any Overwatch player with a connected account, which includes all players who have played since June 9, 2021, will not have to provide a phone number to play. We have made the decision to remove phone number requirements for a majority of existing Overwatch players.

Update, October 5: We designed Overwatch 2 to be a live service, which enables us to be responsive to a variety of player feedback. This update may take several hours to roll out completely, and we can’t wait to see you in-game! We are excited to welcome more players to Overwatch 2 while continuing our commitment to combating disruptive behavior and protecting the integrity of the player experience. Update, November 17: Beginning today, we are expanding global SMS Protect access to pre-paid phones.
