Overwatch Official Launch Dates For Role Queue Announced

Role Queue came to Overwatch via the Public Test Region back in late July. It was specifically designed to create a much better team environment, which Blizzard believes is needed to make the overall gameplay experience satisfactory for all players. Apparently, the studio is finally going to make it official.

With the feature, players can finally select their roles before the matchmaking even starts. And it does make sense for Blizzard to announce the launch dates – the Overwatch Competitive Season 18 is just days away.

It is worth noting, though, that the launch dates and times for bringing Role Queue are different for Quick Play and Competitive Play. What is more, they are quite different from what was promised before.

Community manager Molly Fender revealed in an official post on the Blizzard forums the launch dates for the aforementioned feature. Here they are below:

• Competitive Play: August 31 @ 5PM PST (September 1st 00:00 UTC)
• Quick Play: September 3 @ 11AM PST
• Quick Play Classic (Arcade Card): September 3 @ 11AM PST

According to the studio, the main reason they decide a staggered release is to simply “fully support and respond” to issues that could surface for both Quick Play and Competitive Play in Overwatch. Intially, the developers wanted Role Queue to be available on September 1, which is when Season 18 officially starts. However, they decided on a more spaced out approach.

Role Queue is pretty simple to understand. It is all about picking your go-to role: Healer, DPS, or Tank. From there, you will be matched into a team composed of two Healers, two DPS, and two Tanks. This is, in fact, the same setup that Blizzard recently implemented into the Overwatch League.

Moreover, the feature will give players the ability to track their skill at each role individually. This will reportedly be represented with a role specific skill rating. For instance, if you are a higher ranked tank, expect yourself to be matched with players who are also highly ranked DPS and Healers. But if your healer rating is low, you are going to play with lower DPS and Tanks players.