What are Overwatch 2 ranks? SR, tiers, & rewards explained

Bill Cooney
junker queen swinging weapon in overwatch 2

The Overwatch 2 Competitive Mode gives players a compelling reason to keep coming back to the iconic Hero shooter. For a quick round-up of the systems in the mode, we’ve compiled a list of all competitive ranks, their tiers, and all ranked rewards.

With Season 9 of Overwatch 2 is here, and it has brought with it one of the most comprehensive overhauls to Competitive the game has seen in a while.

Unlike Quick Play or Arcade, the Competitive mode in Overwatch 2 features a much more intense fight between two teams. It’s where players of all kinds come to test their mettle and try to reach the highest rank possible to face the best players on their level.

And in Season 9’s overhaul, it has drastically changed everything from placements, how players can rank up, and even to the Competitive rewards.

If you are wondering what are the ranks in Overwatch 2, here’s everything you need to know about ranking up, SR, and more.


Contents


Overwatch 2 rank explained

Ashe escorts the payload
Ranked is all about winning matches — the more you win, the higher you climb.

The ranking system in Overwatch 2 is almost similar to that of the original shooter in Overwatch 1. However, with Season 9’s Competitive overhaul, things have drastically changed. 

What is SR in Overwatch 2 ranked?

As we mentioned, SR stands for “Skill Rating” and every single player gets one after they complete their Placement Matches. In both Role and Open Queues, you’ll get a different SR for each role – DPS, Support, and Tank.

SR, technically isn’t used anymore in Overwatch 2 as it is a relic of Overwatch 1, especially now in Season 9’s Competitive overhaul.

However, SR is still used as a colloquial term among Overwatch players to talk about where a player is placed in the ranked ladder. The higher your SR, the higher your rank, and vice versa.

After completing these preliminary games, the system will assign you a rank. Your wins, losses, and overall performance during placements do matter, but less so if you’ve played for multiple seasons on the same account.

overwatch 2 competitive screen
Placement matches have to be done at the start of every new Overwatch 2 season.

How is Overwatch 2 SR determined?

Ever since Season 9’s Competitive overhaul, every single player has been hit with a rank reset. These placements will happen at the start of every single rank year, so you won’t need to redo it every season ever again.

Now, placements in both Role and Open Queues will determine your rank after your first 10 games. Your performance in the first 10 games will determine your rank placements.

And in Season 9’s update, the old rank updates of every 5 wins or 15 losses are now gone.

Instead, your rank will now update after every single match, with a Competitive progress bar to help players track how far they are to ranking up, or ranking down.

Wins will increase your Competitive progress bar, with losses decreasing it. Draws do not affect it and you won’t gain any progression.

Because of this, SR is now completely irrelevant, with Competitive percentage now taking its place to tell players how far they are in their rank.

What are all the Overwatch 2 ranks?

overwatch 2 ranks screen
The ranks of Overwatch 2, and their SR requirements.

Overwatch 2 players will be placed in any rank from Bronze to Master after their placement matches are done. Each rank operates as a different tier. If you get enough SR, you advance to the next rank. If you lose too much, you risk being demoted down a rank.

The full breakdown of each Overwatch 2 competitive rank is as follows:

  • Bronze: 5 to 1
  • Silver: 5 to 1
  • Gold: 5 to 1
  • Platinum: 5 to 1
  • Diamond: 5 to 1
  • Master: 5 to 1
  • Grandmaster: 5 to 1
  • Champions: 5 to 1
  • Top 500: Top 500 players in your region, regardless of rank

To avoid getting confused, it’s easier to think of Top 500 as more of a title than an actual rank. These Top 500 players could be spread throughout Grandmaster and even dip down into Masters as well. Diamond top 500s, while rare, aren’t unheard of either.

The vast majority of Overwatch players ended up in Silver, Gold, and Platinum though. So, if you don’t make it into Diamond or Master right after placements, don’t worry – most of us haven’t either.

New Overwatch 2 rank rewards

Overwatch 2 Jade weapons

With Season 9’s Competitive overhaul also comes changes to the Competitive rewards that are given out.

There are two different gun skins players can get through playing rank. The old Golden Guns and the Jade Guns. However, earning them takes completely different methods.

Now to obtain Golden Guns, you will need to use Legacy Competitive Points. Legacy CP can only be gained by converting your regular CP into Legacy ones, which only happens automatically at the end of every rank year.

At the start of Season 9, everybody’s existing Competitive Points they’ve earned from Season 8 and before was automatically converted.

To get Jade Guns, you will need to use regular Competitive Points. These points still work the same, which you can get at the end of every single Competitive season depending on how well you’ve done.

A small amount of CP is awarded after each win, and depending on your rank you’ll receive a set amount at the end of each Comp season as well. Here’s a rundown of CP awarded in each rank and match results:

  • Win: 15 CP
  • Draw: 5 CP
  • Bronze: 65 CP
  • Silver: 125 CP
  • Gold: 250 CP
  • Platinum: 500 CP
  • Diamond: 750 CP, Diamond Challenger
  • Master: 1,200 CP, Master Challenger
  • Grandmaster: 1,750 CP, Grandmaster Challenger
  • Top 500: 1,750 CP, Top 500 Challenger

Every player who completes a total of 250, 750, and 1750 competitive games get special titles called Adept Competitor, Seasoned Competitor, and Expert Competitor, respectively.

The sequel also brings a new tier of skins called “Mythic Skins” into the game. Here’s our guide on how to unlock Mythic Skins in Overwatch 2.

How to gain SR & rank up in Overwatch 2

Black Cat Sombra
There’s no sure-fire way to guarantee wins or SR in Overwatch 2, but there are some good rules that will make the Ws much more likely.

Now, we’re not going to guarantee that you’ll break into Master or Top 500 by following these tips, just to be clear. But, there are some simple things anyone can do  — other than using heroes you actually know how to play  — that will legitimately increase your chances of winning.

Play with a mic & USE IT

In a team-based game like Overwatch 2, where everyone is focused on their individual role, communication is key. No one wants to hear your life story during a match, but a mic can do wonders for coordination, ultimate combos, and focusing targets.

As a Support, you can let DPS and Tanks know when you need help or when someone is wrecking your backline. Tanks can let teammates know when a shield is about to break, and DPS can let everyone know where their damage is being sent.

Some people don’t like talking to complete strangers on the internet, and that’s completely understandable. So, how do you deal with this? Take a look at our next tip.

Play with a group

Overwatch Summer Games Poolside Ashe
Teamwork might not make the dream work all its own in Overwatch 2, but it definitely helps!

If using a mic can increase win percentage, playing with a group of familiar players can assist even more. This tip can be a challenge though, especially if you lack friends who play Overwatch 2, but there are options to avoid the dreaded solo queue.

Friends who play are an obvious choice, given they’re the same rank as you. If all else fails, don’t be afraid to whisper or invite teammates following a win, if you think you can make it happen again.

Cut your losses

This one seems obvious, but when you’re deep into an Overwatch 2 Comp grind just walking away can be one of the hardest things to do, especially if you’re down SR.

But think about it this way, what’s better? To continue playing while tilted and potentially throwing more SR into the trash, and even dropping down a rank; or taking a break, maybe heading over to Quick Play or Arcade for a bit? Maybe even go for a walk to get your mind off of that Lucio who didn’t seem to understand the difference between Speed and Healing boost in your last match.

There’s nothing fun about losing multiple matches in a row, but trust us, what’s even less fun is ending up at Silver when you were almost to Plat the week before.


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About The Author

Bill is a former writer at Dexerto based in Iowa, who covered esports, gaming and online entertainment for more than two years. With the US team, Bill covered Overwatch, CSGO, Influencer culture, and everything in between.