Overwatch Is Adding 6v6 Role Queue to Competitive Play

Overwatch is adding 6v6 role queue to Competitive play for the first four weeks of Season 6, giving players a structured alternative to its open queue format. The test will use a 2-2-2 team setup, with two tanks, two damage players and two supports.

Game director Aaron Keller said players will have three Competitive options when the season begins: standard 5v5, Open Queue 6v6 and the new Role Queue 6v6 test. The team plans to run the role-queue mini-season for the first four weeks, while keeping Open Queue 6v6 available.

Adding 6v6 Role Queue for a Four-Week Test

The change addresses a limitation of 6v6 open queue: teams can enter with uneven role combinations. The source describes matches with four supports and two damage players as one example. A fixed 2-2-2 format would require the matchmaking system to find two tanks for each team before a match can begin.

That requirement could make waits lengthy. Keller said Team 4 has matchmaking changes planned for Season 6 that it theorizes will keep queue times more manageable. The team has not promised that the changes will eliminate long waits. Keller described the aim as making waits more manageable, leaving the test to show whether the adjustments help players find matches.

The role-queue test will run alongside Open Queue 6v6, which will also receive the season’s balance patch. Team 4 says it wants to learn whether players choose 6v6 because they prefer the mode or because open queue can produce shorter waits. Keeping both formats available gives the team a way to observe those choices.

5v5 and 6v6 Can Coexist

Keller framed the test as an effort to support different player preferences, not to replace one format with another. He said the team does not currently intend to move Overwatch’s main mode to 6v6. Instead, it is beginning to treat 6v6 as a second option with equal standing.

Team 4 also plans to put more effort into balance patches for the mode and continue looking for a format that gives the community the experience it wants. Keller said the competition should happen within matches, rather than between 5v5 and 6v6.

The two formats have different team sizes, and the source notes that players can enjoy both. It also connects 5v5’s adoption to a shortage of tanks and the longer waits associated with 6v6. The four-week test will give the team time to see how players respond to role-based teams and the matchmaking changes.

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For the source story’s details on the announcement, PC Gamer’s report quotes Keller on the season’s options and Team 4’s plans. Players will be able to compare the formats when Season 6 launches, then see whether role queue remains a useful way to play after its first four weeks.