Are there bots in Overwatch 2?

Despite Blizzard's latest FPS multiplayer game being out for a few years now, fans have reported bots in Overwatch 2. Ranging from behaviors like stiff aim and wooden movements to running into walls, certain odd patterns have caught the attention of many players. These bots have irked the fandom since they refuse to partake in gameplay in any manner.

Making matters worse, the number of bots in Overwatch 2 has been steadily increasing with each progressing Season. This has been one of the biggest arguments for players who have given up and moved on from the 5v5 hero shooter. If this issue is not dealt with sooner rather than later, the game's future may be in jeopardy.

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Fans have been exasperated at bots in Overwatch 2 even in the Competitive scene

Players can detect bots easily as they neither eliminate nor cause damage. Moreover, they refuse to engage with their surroundings, including opponents. This makes it easy to identify bots among one's team. Furthermore, they also have predictable names, such as Flaxsquid or Lavacat.

Bots largely started popping up around Season 5 "Questwatch", and I alongside other players can attest to joining matches where our entire team was filled with bots. Sometimes these bots may leave, contributing to the backfilling problem in Overwatch 2.

Usually, they do not contribute to the game in any manner and waste both sides' time. The problem has become so pronounced that bots have become somewhat common in competitive games. While originally they were detectable right away due to their names, these days they may have more unique or even human names.

The real Overwatch Bot Invasion is happening right now. Even more Bot reports. The game is unplayable for me and a lot of ppl on Bahrain/GSG servers right now. Every single game has Bots. OW2 has become TF2. byu/Bhu124 inCompetitiveoverwatch

Making matters worse, these bot accounts often turn out to be bot farms as well, where a single user handles different accounts and teams them up to drop them into live matches. They still gain match XP and repeating this process will level up these accounts, which are then sold to interested buyers. Although players have been voicing their concerns for a while now, there seems to be no solution in sight.

While last month's Overwatch 2 Defense Matrix developer update was all about dealing with cheaters, Blizzard Entertainment has not shown any interest in dealing with the bot infestation. On top of fans highlighting vocal issues such as poor monetization and promised content being axed, the situation became so extreme that Overwatch 2 was review-bombed during its Steam launch.

Being a multiplayer game, having bots in Overwatch 2, especially in competitive ranks, is insulting to players who have leveled up by painstakingly honing their skills and collecting match XP. With the latest Season 10 ongoing, here's hoping Blizzard solves the problem before things reach a boiling point.