Overwatch 2 is available now. But there are some restrictions you need to know about before playing. You will need a cell phone and prepaid card if you want to chat while playing – which many people may find bothersome because they don’t want other people knowing what they’re saying in-game. The game also records every chat conversation between players, which leads us to believe that they might use these recordings for marketing purposes.
This guide will examine if players can play Overwatch 2 without a phone number.
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How to Play without a Phone Number?
You can’t play Overwatch 2 without a phone number unless you’ve been playing the original game since June 9th, 2021. There’s no way for new players to play, so all they’re getting is an error message when trying to sign up. As one of the main reasons behind this new rule, it was stated that this would reduce smurfs and cheaters in-game, which makes sense.
All Overwatch players who have logged in at least once since June 9, 2021, can access Overwatch 2 without going through phone number verification. So, if you’ve logged in at any point from June 9, 2021, up until now, you’ll be able to get into the game without any issues.
Players who create an account after Overwatch 2 release will still need SMS Protect enabled. Blizzard took this measure to ensure that Legacy players can enjoy the game even more than before and prevent smurfing and cheating from occurring in Competitive Mode. Without an account, you cannot play Overwatch 2 unless you’re one of these Legacy Players.
This sums up our guide on how to play Overwatch 2 without a phone number. Also, read our other guide about the OW2 Server Status so that you can enjoy the game seamlessly.