Overwatch gets 6v6 with role queue on December 8, with a warning about longer queue times

Blizzard has set a date for one of the most repeated requests from the Overwatch community: on December 8, a 6v6 mode with role queue will arrive. According to the information published by Vandal, this is the classic 6v6 everyone remembers, but with players choosing which role they will fill on the team before searching for a match. The company presents it as a direct response to player feedback and suggestions.

The news matters for two reasons. First, because the chosen format is the classic 2-2-2, the structure with which many players learned to take the game seriously. Second, because Blizzard is not selling it as a permanent return: it is a test, with a limited duration and a warning that is unusual in an announcement of this kind, namely that queue times could increase.

What you need to know

• Date: the new mode arrives on December 8, with the start of the next season.
• Format: 6v6 with role queue and a 2-2-2 split.
• Duration: it will have its own four-week mini-season, which kicks off when the season begins.
• Status: it is in a testing phase; Blizzard wants to see how players react.
• Warning: the developer itself cautions that the wait to find a match could be longer.

Three ways to compete from day one

According to the statement reported by Vandal, Season 6 will offer three competitive options from day one. The standard 5v5 mode stays, 6v6 open queue remains available, and the 6v6 role queue test joins them.

The difference from open 6v6 lies in the matchmaking. In open queue you join and the composition is decided afterward; in role queue you pick your role before searching for a match and the system builds teams with the 2-2-2 split already locked in.

A test with an expiration date and a warning about queues

Blizzard stresses that the mode is in testing and that its goal right now is to observe the community's reaction. Hence the four-week mini-season, a short window that makes it possible to gauge interest without committing to anything further. The source does not specify what will happen to the mode once that period ends.

As for queues, Vandal's headline reflects the company's warning: wait times could increase. The text we had access to does not elaborate on Blizzard's explanation, so we are not going to put words in its mouth. What is on the table is that, starting in December, the competitive player base will have three modes to spread across.

Our take

Here at the Underworld Lordz newsroom, we are glad to see Blizzard listening, but with some reservations. 2-2-2 is the format that brings the most order to a match: everyone knows their job, compositions are readable and teamwork shows. For anyone who plays seriously, that is worth a lot. The fact that it arrives with its own rank, even if only for a mini-season, is a good sign.

What worries us is fragmentation. Three competitive options at once mean three groups of players searching for matches separately, and that is our reading, not an official explanation. If waits get longer, the player who practices on a tight schedule and the creator who streams live are going to feel it: nobody wants to spend more time staring at a timer than playing. On top of that, four weeks is too short for a rank to mean anything or for a team to build a practice routine around the mode.

We also miss some clarity about what comes next. A test is useful if you know what is being measured and what result would make it permanent. Without that information, there is a risk that the community throws itself into the mode and loses it a month later. Even so, we prefer a studio that tries things and warns about the costs over one that makes promises without any warning at all.

What do you think?

On December 8 you will have to pick a queue: 5v5, open 6v6 or the new 2-2-2 role queue. Tell us in the team chat or on our Discord: are you willing to wait longer for a match with fixed roles in 6v6, or would you rather get in fast even if the format is a different one?