Overwatch 2 PvP beta glitch isn't letting players log in – here's why

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The beta for Overwatch 2 kicks off today and we'll be keeping you posted on all of the action as it goes live.

Activision Blizzard is giving fans the chance to dive into the PvP portion of Overwatch 2 ahead of its launch. The devs get to stress test their servers while players get a taste of the new 5v5 multiplayer format.

The Overwatch 2 beta kicks off today, April 26, from 11am PT/ 2pm ET / 7pm BST for PC players only. There are a couple of ways to get beta access over the next couple days. People who signed up will find out if they made the cut via an email when the beta goes live. Not a minute before.

If your inbox is woefully bereft of invites, guaranteed access is being granted tomorrow, April 27. There's a caveat though, which involves watching select Twitch streamers for a total of four hours.

You also need to own Overwatch so make sure you have the game downloaded and installed so you're ready to go if you're one of the chosen.  

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The Overwatch 2 PvP beta is live and it looks like the game's official website is already struggling. TRG's guides editor, Patrick Dane, reports that Battle.net is also feeling the strain, although I managed to log in without incident. 

Overwatch has skyrocketed up the ranks on Twitch. It's currently sitting at 325k views, above GTA 5, Minecraft, League of Legends, and Valorant. xQc is responsible for a bug chunk of that. He's streaming the Overwatch 2 PvP beta right now, with over 157k people watching.    

Activision Blizzard has released a list of patch notes that detail changes between the original game and the PvP beta. The highlights here include the new Ping system, and Scoreboard. 

The Scoreboard screen now displays key stats for all players in real time, including eliminations and deaths. The layout echoes that of "other competitive games and sports" and should give you a better and more accurate overview as you play.  

The knock on effect is that the Fire and Medal systems are being scrapped. The new Scoreboard makes it unnecessary for now, but the devs say that they'll revisit the system at some point down the line. More so for the "excitement and positive feedback" it provides.  

Activision Blizzard has shared the full Overwatch 2 patch notes and they're extensive! Lots of Hero changes, new features, and general tweaks here and there. 

TechRadar Gaming's guides editor, Patrick Dane, is streaming the Overwatch 2 PvP beta now over on his Twitch channel pixellogicttv. Competitive shooters are his bread and butter so if you want to get an idea of how the beta handles, head over there and ask him for his expert opinion! 

While Activision Blizzard told fans that invites were being sent out as soon as the beta went live, there's still a chance to get in today. A redditor posted a screenshot from the Blizzard forum that will give hope to those of you who didn't get your golden ticket.  

"As a friendly reminder everyone, the email invites will go out in waves and will take several hours to complete the entire initial list of people selected to play. Please be patient!" says WyomingMyst. "

"Remember to check both your spam and promotion folders on your email client. The email will come from a @blizzard.com email address. Even if you do not get the email, your BattleNet app launcher will update with the beta client in the game version list if you are selected. So try restarting the app launcher on occasion and check there."

The user is part of the Blizzard forum MVP program and is a credible source for all Overwatch tidbits.

They note that lots of people have had their email invites delayed "from the time the account is activated." So check all of your folders – you might be among the chosen Overwatch 2 beta participants!

Some recipients of the Overwatch 2 beta invites are reporting they they're unable to get in. If you're also seeing the message below, don't panic!

Players trying to join the game are being presented with a screen telling them they their account is missing the Overwatch 2 license.

"have owned OW since before it came out, I pre-ordered as soon as you were able to. I have OW1 installed and I can play it fine, but the OW2 Beta says 'Account missing Overwatch License'," lamented the redditor who shared the screenshot below.   

screenshot of Overwatch 2 beta screen issue that won't let successful applicants play the game

(Image credit: u/Cregavitch via reddit)

A mod waded in to explain that this is simply a bug that's reared its head "because of how the beta is being rolled out."

They go on to say that Activision Blizzard is "giving access to the game person after person so you will have to wait as this is expected and there is no work around... 

"If you have this error you just have to wait and then you'll be able to log in."

A number of other users chimed in say that they're seeing the same message, but the OP came back to confirm that it was just a temporary glitch.

"After an hour of retrying, it finally worked for me and let me in."

So if you've bumped up against the same issue, just keep on trying. It should sort itself out eventually. 

European players who didn't get an invite should try restarting Battle.net and checking their games in the drop down. You may have access to the Overwatch 2 beta and not even realize. 

Redditors in the region are reporting that they have access but their emails haven't come through yet. 

"EU, didn't get mail, didn't work with 'Update' button, was available after restart of launcher," said one. 

"I had the exact same thing, the emails are delayed compared to when you are granted access," added a mod.

So even if all of your email folders are empty, restart the launcher to see if you have any luck.