Overwatch 1 is back, and it gave us a serious reality check...

Overwatch 2 is going back to 6v6 matches, old Overwatch 1 maps and former abilities (at least for the current season). The Overwatch classic event has started, and it's truly humbling to revisit the good ol' days.

Overwatch classic header
Overwatch 2 goes back to 2016 version | © Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 currently reigns the Overwatch Classic event, where players will be able to play the release version of Overwatch from 2016. We played it, and made a shocking discovery...

Overwatch: Classic Event brings back trauma

I’ve been playing Overwatch since its release in 2016, and back then, I fell in love with it instantly. Through high school and beyond, it became a constant in my life. When Overwatch 2 launched, I was skeptical about the shift from 6v6 to 5v5 and the many hero balance changes. At first, it felt like the game had lost some of its charm. But, over time, I grew to appreciate the adjustments and began enjoying the new version more and more.

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Overwatch Classic is here! | © Blizzard Entertainment

Now, Blizzard’s Overwatch: Classic event is here, and it’s a wild trip down memory lane. It brings back everything from the game’s launch in 2016 – original 6v6 gameplay, the old maps, and the unbalanced mechanics that made matches feel both chaotic and thrilling.

Until November 19, players can dive into the nostalgic no-hero-limit mode, where teams can stack up to six of the same hero. Hanzo’s Scatter Arrow, Mercy’s mass Resurrect, and Symmetra’s teleporting chaos are back in full force.

Naturally, my friends and I jumped into the event to relive the good old days. And let. me. tell. you. It was a disaster.

I had forgotten just how unbalanced Overwatch used to be. The 6v6 matches felt overcrowded, and having two tanks on a team was borderline oppressive. Mercy’s old ultimate could flip a match in seconds, and Bastion – well, let’s just say Bastion was a nightmare.

After a few rounds of pure madness, we ended up switching back to Overwatch 2. That’s when it hit us: maybe we’ve been a little too hard on Blizzard’s changes. Sure, Overwatch 2 is different, but it’s also more refined, balanced, and less chaotic than the original.

If you’re up for some nostalgia, give Overwatch: Classic a try. Just be prepared for a mess – and a reality check.

Malena Rose

Malena is a game design student and writer at EarlyGame. Her life-long passion for videogames inspired her to make a living out of it. Through her studies in Game Design, she now plays an active role within the gaming industry....