Console players have discovered that Overwatch 2 aim assist is being removed whenever they pool with PC players.
Cross-play has proven to be one of the best features of Overwatch 2. Blizzard introduced it back in mid-2021 for Overwatch, and it’s since made the transition to the sequel in 2022. However, while the bridging of the PC and console experiences of Overwatch 2 has generally been well-received, a recently-discovered disabling of aim assist for console players is proving a divisive topic within the community.
Aim assist is common place in shooters on console, “snapping” a player’s cross-heirs to an opponent once it moves within a certain small range of the target. PC players hate it because it counters the flexibility and sensitivity of their mouse movements, whereas console players generally don’t know any different given how common it is in shooters. You’ll often hear PC players bemoan the fact a game has “aim assist”, which generally occurs when a game is developed on console as a lead platform, before being brought over to PC.
Overwatch 2 on console has aim assist, although it’s been removed in cross-play with PC players, meaning those using a controller are greatly disadvantaged.
The removal was noted by a fan over on Reddit, who noted that their friend group is split across console and PC, but that the experience was greatly diminished.
“[Console players] suffer a significant dip in their aim consistency because their aim assist is removed in PC Pool,” they explained. “[For] some, it’s just an obstacle, but others just find less enjoyment out of the game being disadvantaged this way. It’s a total bummer because PC players already perform better on average, so it hits like a double whammy.”
Interestingly, and certainly worth noting, is that aim assist is only removed in Quick Play and Arcade, and cross-play isn’t possible in the Competitive mode. Thus, the stakes are far lower, but given how large a cross section of the community only play in those modes, removing aim assist stands to impact their performance when joining a cross-play pool.
Additionally, the likes of Call of Duty and Halo both have aim-assist for controllers in cross-platform pools, while also allowing players to search in player pools relative to the controller input. For example, PC players playing with a keyboard and mouse can specifically target pools with PC and console players, but only those also playing with keyboard and mouse. This sort of improvement would certainly make it better for console players to transition into cross-platform pools.
What are your thoughts on the removal of aim assist for console players? Sound off in the comments below!
