Overwatch 2 has made a lot of changes, from new heroes to maps. However, its biggest was the switch over to 5-v-5 rather than 6-v-6 for games. This format change meant one less payer per team. While it’s helped queue times, long time players have missed the original format. Which made it especially exciting when Overwatch 6–6 trials were announced as coming back. But when is Overwatch 6 v 6 coming?

Overwatch isn’t making the return to 6-v-6 format wholesale. Instead, it’s happening as a trial at first. There will be multiple trials of slightly different formats. Blizzard will then take data from these trials to decide which format will be best going forward. When are the trials and what kind of format will they be played in?

When is Overwatch 6-v-6 Coming back?

When is overwatch 6 v 6 coming back

Source: Blizzard

Overwatch is trailing a return to its original 6 v 6 layout. Where players will get two Tank heroes, not one. However, the exact format and choice of role is being experimented with too. The trials are currently due to start up in December. Some have guessed December 14th, but we don’t have an exact time for now.

The first test isn’t a return to classic 2/2/2 team format. Instead, it’s a version of Open Queue. Each team will have at least 1 Overwatch hero of each role, and up to 3. That means you could have 1 tank, 3DPS, and 2 support. Or players could do the classic 2/2/2. It’s up to each team to decide.

This first test will be beginning soon. The second will happen mid-season, with a more classic layout. This one will test out the 2/2/2 format. Two tanks, two DPS, two Supports. It’s this classic model that a lot of players have been yearning to see again, so it’ll likely be a busy period for Overwatch 2’s player count. Will 6-v-6 come back properly though?

Will It Replace 5-v-5?

Currently, Overwatch is just testing the old format. However, there’s a good chance we could see it return properly. These tests will measure player interest, and go with whatever format is the most popular. We don’t know which will win out, but 6–6 definitely seems like a more popular way of playing the game. We’ll have to watch Overwatch news after the tests to see which format Blizzard decide to go with.