Overwatch 2 Implements Initiatives to Increase Competitive Integrity and Community Safety
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Key points
- Using unapproved third-party peripherals and devices to gain an advantage in the controller pool results in a permanent account ban.
- The Defense Matrix team has banned over 1 million accounts since the launch of Overwatch 2.
- The bans include players who used wallhacks, aimbots, and other cheats.
Blizzard revealed that the Defense Matrix team for Overwatch 2 has officially banned over 1 million accounts since the launch of the sequel title. In the official update blog, Blizzard also announced that using third-party peripherals and devices to gain an advantage in the controller pool will result in a permanent account ban.
Within the context, an example of an unapproved third-party peripheral would be a device such as the Cronus Zen, which allows console players to use a mouse and keyboard by tricking the console into thinking the inputs are coming from a controller. The full game account ban will be handed out regardless of the player’s rank or mode.
The developers updated the text chat to be a more “safe, friendly space to interact with other players.” Overwatch 2 now features a Real-time Moderation technology targeted towards censoring harmful or offensive messages. The system will now hide the entire message from the rest of the lobby; players can opt to turn this feature off.
Beginning on Overwatch 2 season 18, Mouse and Keyboard users have a separate player pool from controller users; it was previously PC Pool and Console Pool. Overwatch 2 Season 18 started on Aug. 26, 2025. The game is available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
