Overwatch is going through somewhat of a rough patch at the moment, not so much due to the way in which the game plays or the content it already has, but rather what it’s not getting, especially in light of rumours suggesting Overwatch 2 could be delayed in 2023. However, the latest PTR patch notes point to a huge update that could well make Overwatch more enjoyable for the community.
Overwatch‘s Custom Games Browser has proven to be quite popular amongst the community. The Workshop allows players to create their own Overwatch games from a seemingly endless array of coding options, and then launch them in the Custom Games Browser (alongside pre-defined and default modes).
It’s probably the one part of Overwatch where you will always find a game almost instantly, and there’s a host of amazing games in there that are well worth playing (DVa Egg being my favourite).
The latest PTR update looks to further enhance the Custom Games Mode browser, adding in individual tabs that break up favourites, popular, and recently played games.
“Previously, it was difficult for players to keep track of the ever-growing collection of player-created game modes,” Blizzard said in the PTR patch notes. “The Custom Game Browser’s new tabs give these modes a chance to shine. The Popular tab shows off some of the most-played modes as well as modes that have started to trend.
The Favorites tab lets you build a personal collection of modes – just select the star icon next to any mode you’d like to see in this list. The Recent tab shows modes that you have recently played. Finally, the All Games tab gives you the standard, familiar list of lobbies. We’ve also added the ability to search for lobbies by share code.
In order to help identify modes, we’ve added a new Mode Name setting right above the Description in Custom Game Settings. This Mode Name will be used to represent modes in the Custom Game Browser tabs. Creators are encouraged to reupload their modes with Mode Name filled out. (If it isn’t filled out, the share code itself is displayed instead.)
Since these new features are being used by the public for the first time, we may need to make adjustments to how the Popular tab chooses its modes. If you notice that the Popular tab isn’t showing the modes that you might expect, please be patient with us as we tune the feature to present the best collection of modes that we can.
We’re excited about the possibilities these new features will bring to Custom Games, and we’ll be watching and listening to your feedback to improve the Custom Game Browser experience.“
These changes need to quickly make their way to the full game, because they could really boost the value and offerings available in Overwatch. It’s a great and long-overdue change, and could really make finding and playing Custom Games that little bit easier. I constantly have to search for my favourites (which isn’t always the easiest thing to do on Xbox), and so allowing myself to favourite them will allow me to either quickly find a match, or start one myself.
What are your thoughts on the propose Custom Games Browser changes in Overwatch? Sound off in the comments below!
Paparoach
Tuesday 17th of August 2021
I'm shocked anyone is still playing this game.