Overwatch 2 not launching or opening on PC

If Overwatch 2 is not launching or opening on your Windows 11/10 PC, here is a full guide to help you fix the launch issues. Overwatch 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It has just recently launched and is already popular amongst gamers. But what if you are not able to launch the game on your PC? A lot of users have reported that Overwatch 2 won’t launch or load on their PC. Some affected users also reported that the Battle.net desktop client shows that “Game is Running” but the game doesn’t load.

There can be various reasons why Overwatch might not open your PC. It might be the case that your PC doesn’t meet the system requirements for the game. Or, you don’t have enough permissions to run the game. Other reasons for the same issue include outdated Windows and graphics drivers, damaged and infected game files, corrupted cache, overlay apps, antivirus or firewall interference, and software conflicts.

In any scenario, if you are unable to launch Overwatch 2 on your PC, you can follow this guide. Here, we have discussed all the potential scenarios and fixes to open Overwatch 2 without any issues.

Overwatch 2 not launching or opening on PC

Here are the fixes that you can use if Overwatch 2 is not launching or loading on your Windows PC:

1. Launch Overwatch 2 as an administrator and disable fullscreen optimizations.
2. Reset In-game Options.
3. Update Windows & graphics driver.
4. Update Overwatch 2.
5. Scan and repair damaged game files.
6. Remove the Battle.net folder.
7. Temporarily disable your security program.
8. Disable in-game overlays, if applicable.
9. Close non-essential background programs.

1] Launch Overwatch 2 as an administrator and disable fullscreen optimizations

The first thing you can do is run the game with admin privileges and see if it launches or not. You might be unable to launch Overwatch 2 because of a lack of necessary permissions. Hence, run Overwatch 2 with administrator rights and check whether the problem is resolved or not. In addition to that, you can also disable fullscreen optimizations for the game and see if it helps you.

Here’s how you can run Overwatch 2 as an administrator and disable fullscreen optimizations on Windows:

1. Firstly, start the Battle.net app and from your games library, choose the Overwatch 2 game.
2. After that, click on the gear icon that you can see next to the Play button and choose the Show in Explorer option. It will open up the location where the game is installed.
3. Now, right-click on the main executable file of Overwatch 2 and select the Properties option from the newly appeared menu.
4. Next, move to the Compatibility tab and checkmark the option named Run this program as administrator.
5. Then, tick the Disable fullscreen optimizations checkbox too, and press the Apply > OK button to save changes.
6. Finally, try reopening Overwatch 2 and see if the issue is fixed or not.

If you are able to launch Overwatch 2 now, great. However, if this method doesn’t fix the error for you, try the next potential fix.

2] Reset In-game Options

If you are unable to launch Overwatch 2 after making some changes to your in-game settings, reset the in-game settings to fix the problem. There are chances that the game is not loading because of incompatible in-game configurations. So, this method will help you fix the problem. Here are the steps to reset your in-game settings for Overwatch 2:

1. Firstly, open the Battle.net app and select the Overwatch 2 game.
2. Now, you will see a Play button with a gear-shaped icon; click on the icon.
3. After that, choose the Game Settings option from the available options.
4. Next, inside the Game Settings window, tap on the Reset In-game Options button and then click on the Reset option to confirm the process.
5. Once done, try launching Overwatch 2 and see if the game launches or not.

If you are still not able to open the Overwatch 2 game, move on to the next potential fix.

Read: How to fix Overwatch BN-564 error on Windows PC or Xbox One?

3] Update Windows & graphics driver

Overwatch 2 is a recent game. If your Windows is outdated, there might be some compatibility issue that is preventing the game from opening. Hence, make sure you have installed all the recent Windows updates using the Settings app.

In addition to updating Windows, you also need to ensure that your graphics driver is up-to-date. An out-of-date graphics driver will cause problems in the launch of a game as well as in its working. Hence, you need to update your graphics driver using the below steps:

1. First, open the Settings app using WIn+I and go to Windows Update.
2. Now, click on the  Advanced options > Optional Updates option and download & install all the pending driver updates.
3. Next, reboot your PC and launch Overwatch 2 to check whether it loads properly or not.

You can also update your graphic driver via the Device Manager app or by visiting the official website of the device manufacturer like Intel, NVIDIA, or AMD. Or, simply use a free third-party driver update software to update all your device drivers including graphics. If updating doesn’t work, uninstall and then reinstall your graphics driver and see if the problem is fixed.

Still not able to open or launch Overwatch 2? Use the next potential fix.

4] Update Overwatch 2

It is recommended to keep your game up-to-date always so that such issues can be avoided. So, if there is an update available for Overwatch 2, download and install it and then see if the problem is resolved. Here are the steps to update Overwatch 2:

1. First, open Battle.net and select the Overwatch 2 game.
2. Now, tap on the cogwheel icon present beside the Play button and choose the Check for Updates option.
3. Let Battle.net scan and install available updates for the game.
4. When done, try opening the game and check whether it launches or not.

If you still find no luck launching the game, try the next troubleshooting method.

See: Overwatch 2 Error: Sorry, we were unable to log you in.

5] Scan and repair damaged game files

If the problem is still the same, there is a high possibility that the game files of Overwatch 2 are infected or missing. As a result, you are not able to open and play the game. So, in that case, you need to verify the integrity of the game files and repair the damaged ones to fix the issue. Battle.net has a dedicated feature that enables you to scan and repair corrupted game files. Here are the steps to do so:

1. First of all, go to the Battle.net client and choose the Overwatch 2 game.
2. After that, click on the cogwheel icon) present next to the Play button.
3. Next, press the Scan and Repair option and then click on the Begin Scan button.
4. It will start checking your game files and the corrupted ones will be repaired.
5. When done, try reopening your game to see if the problem is resolved or not.

6] Remove the Battle.net folder

The issue at hand might be caused due to outdated or corrupted files present inside the Battle.net folder. Hence, you can try clearing the folder and see if the problem is fixed. Once the game is launched, the files will be regenerated automatically. This troubleshooting method is suggested by the official support team of Blizzard on the official forum page. You can try it and check if you are able to launch Overwatch 2 or not.

Here are the steps to do so:

1. The first thing you should do is make sure no process related to Battle.net is running in the background. So, open Task Manager and close all the related processes using the End task button.
2. Now, evoke the Run command box using Windows Key + R and type C:\ProgramData\ in the Open field.
3. After that, press the Enter button and then locate the Battle.net folder in the opened location.
4. Next, delete the Battle.net folder using the Delete option.
5. At last, reopen Battle.net and try launching Overwatch 2.

If the game launches correctly, good. But, if the problem is still the same, there are a few more fixes you can use.

7] Temporarily disable your security program

Your overprotective security suite might be blocking a process related to the Overwatch game and preventing it from being launched. It happens when the antivirus detects the game or a related process as a potential threat to your system due to a false positive alarm. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can temporarily disable your antivirus or firewall and then check if the problem is resolved.

If disabling your antivirus is helpful, you can try adding the game’s main executable file to the exception/exclusion/ whitelist of your antivirus. This is because turning off your antivirus will invite threats to your system. So, better add an exception for the game in your security suite. All the antiviruses have exception settings in different locations. For example, Avast users can navigate to the Menu > Settings tab > Exceptions tab > General tab and add the game to the exception list.

In case your firewall is blocking Overwatch 2 from launching, you can allow the game through your firewall. Windows Firewall users can follow the below steps to do so:

1. First, launch the Windows Defender Security Center app and tap on the Firewall and Network Protection > Allow an app through firewall option.
2. Now, click on the Change Settings button and then press the  Add another app option if  Overwatch 2 is not on the list.
3. Next, browse and add the main executable file of Overwatch 2.
4. After that, tick the Overwatch 2 game and enable it through Private and Public networks by ticking the respective checkboxes.
5. Finally, press the OK button and then try opening Overwatch 2 to see if the problem is gone or not.

If your antivirus is not causing the issue at hand, move on to the next potential solution.

Read: Battlefield 2042 not Launching or Opening on Windows PC.

8] Disable in-game overlays, if applicable

If there are overlay apps running on your PC, try disabling them and see if the problem is fixed or not. Steam users can disable the in-game overlay option using the below simple steps:

1. First, go to the Steam app and select the Steam > Settings option.
2. After that, move to the In-Game tab and disable the Enable Steam Overlay while in-game checkbox.

Here are the steps to turn off in-game overlay on Discord:

1. Firstly, open the Discord app and tap on the User Settings (gear icon) button.
2. Now, go to the Game Overlay section under the ACTIVITY SETTINGS section and turn off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.

You can also disable Xbox Game Bar and other overlay apps, and then try launching Overwatch 2. If the problem is resolved, well and good. However, if the game is still not loading, move on to the next final fix.

9] Close non-essential background programs

You might be experiencing the launching issue with Overwatch 2 because of too many background programs eating up your system resources. Also, there might be a software conflict causing the issue at hand. Hence, try closing all the unessential background tasks and then open your game to check if the issue is fixed or not. To do so, open Task Manager and close all tasks one by one using the End task button. Hopefully, this will help you fix the launch issues with Overwatch 2.

Recommended System Requirements for Overwatch 2:

Do check the recommended system requirements to play Overwatch 2 and see if your system meets the system requirements or not.

• OS: Windows 11/10 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 5
• Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 / 1650 or AMD R9 308 / AMD RX 6400
• Memory: 8GB or more
• Disk Space: 50GB available
• Sound Card: DirectX compatible
• Resolution: 1024 x 768 minimum display resolution

See: Diablo Immortal keeps crashing and is not launching or working on PC.

Why isn’t Overwatch launching?

Overwatch 2 might not launch due to corrupted and out-of-date graphics drivers or outdated Windows build. Other than that, if the game files are faulty or missing, you are likely to experience launch issues with the game. It might not launch due to your security program, software conflicts, etc.

Why is Overwatch 2 not responding?

The Overwatch 2 game might crash or might not be responding on your PC if your computer doesn’t meet the system requirements for the game. Apart from that, if you have too many programs running in the background, the game might crash due to software conflicts or overloaded system resources.