Overwatch 2 Axes Phone Number Requirement For Most Existing Players

In response to complaints, Blizzard is dropping the phone number requirement to play Overwatch 2(Opens in a new window) for most existing players.  

The developer announced the news as many Overwatch fans with prepaid cellular phone numbers found they were blocked from playing the newly-released game. The reason? With Overwatch 2, Blizzard has instituted(Opens in a new window) a strict anti-cheat system that revolves around using phone numbers to crack down on offenders. 

The developer is now moving quickly to remove the restriction. In a Wednesday forum post, Blizzard wrote(Opens in a new window): “Any Overwatch player with a connected Battle.net account, which includes all players who have played since June 9, 2021, will not have to provide a phone number to play.”

“We are working to make this change and expect it to go live on Friday, October 7. We will update players once it is in effect,” Blizzard added. 

The company’s phone number requirement involves a system called SMS Protect(Opens in a new window), which is designed to verify that an Overwatch 2 account is real. The same system can also ban a cheating or disruptive player and block them from starting up a new account using the same cellular number.   

The problem is that cellular phone numbers can often be recycled, and reused again for new customers, especially among prepaid phone plans. Blizzard introduced SMS Protect for Overwatch 2 back on Sept. 27th in a blog post(Opens in a new window), which even noted: “A phone number can only be used once when making a new account, and certain types of numbers, including pre-paid and VOIP, cannot be used for SMS Protect.”

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But it seems Blizzard underestimated how many gamers use prepaid phone plans, which tend to be more affordable. In Reddit posts, numerous users have complained(Opens in a new window) about the restriction with one going as far to write(Opens in a new window): “I am ashamed of having a prepaid phone.”

The change to remove the phone number requirement should ensure many existing fans of the game can access Overwatch 2. However, Blizzard noted: “accounts that were not connected to Battle.net as well as new accounts will still have to meet SMS Protect requirements.”

The company added: “If a player is caught engaging in disruptive behavior, their account may be banned whether they have a new account or not.”

Blizzard is also apologizing for the rocky roll out of Overwatch 2. The game launched on Tuesday, but suffered(Opens in a new window) a pair of DDoS attacks, which made the multiplayer shooter inaccessible for many users. In addition, Overwatch 2 has been suffering from long login queues and server crashes. 

“We expected the launch of Overwatch 2 to go smoothly. We hold ourselves to a higher standard and we are working hard to resolve the issues you are experiencing,” the company added.