Marvel Rivals Soars as Overwatch 2 Steam Player Count Fall

The competitive landscape of team-based arena shooters has seen a significant shift with the release of Marvel Rivals, impacting the player count of Overwatch 2 on Steam. Dive into the details to understand how these similar games have influenced each other's performance.

Overwatch 2 Numbers Dip Below 20K Post-Marvel Rivals Launch

OW2 Meets Its Match

Following the launch of Marvel Rivals on December 5th, Overwatch 2 experienced its lowest player count on Steam, plummeting to 17,591 on December 6th and further to 16,919 by December 9th. In stark contrast, Marvel Rivals attracted a massive audience, reaching 184,633 players on December 6th and peaking at 202,077 on December 9th. The all-time peak player counts further highlight the disparity, with Marvel Rivals boasting 480,990 players compared to Overwatch 2's 75,608.

Both titles, being free-to-play team-based PVP shooters, share similar gameplay mechanics, leading to inevitable comparisons. Overwatch 2 has faced criticism on Steam, receiving a Mixed review rating from both Marvel Rivals enthusiasts and its own player base, who have expressed dissatisfaction with the game. Meanwhile, Marvel Rivals enjoys a Mostly Positive review rating, despite some noted balancing issues.

Steam Represents Only a Fraction of Overwatch 2's Player Base

It's important to recognize that Steam's player count is just a segment of Overwatch 2's total audience. The game is also available on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Blizzard's Battle.net platform. Many players have migrated to Battle.net, especially since the Steam version was introduced in 2023, a year after its Early Access launch on Battle.net. Cross-platform play across all versions requires a Battle.net account.

Overwatch 2 has recently kicked off Season 14, bringing a wealth of new content including a new Scottish tank hero named Hazard, a new limited-time mode, and the start of the 2024 Winter Wonderland event, perfectly timed for the holiday season.

Both Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals are free to play on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Overwatch 2 extends its reach to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch as well.