Overwatch news » Welcome to Season 8 of Competitive Play

Get ready to sharpen your skills and perfect your strategies—Season 8 of Competitive Play has begun!

Unlocked at Level 25, Competitive Play is designed for those players who want to put their skills to the test, and offers a more serious experience than our Quick Play or Arcade modes.

• Getting Started
• Competitive Rewards
• What's New

To begin your competitive journey this season, click on the "Play" button, select "Competitive Play" from the submenu, and you're ready to enter a match. You can join on your own or in a group, and Overwatch's matchmaking system will automatically find the best game possible for your skill level.

Before you can kick off your competitive career, every player must first complete 10 placement matches to obtain their initial skill rating. This rating will be a number between 1 and 5000, with higher values indicating a greater skill level. Players will also be assigned a tier based on their rating—Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, or Grandmaster—and climbing into the next tier is possible as you improve.

Skill ratings and tier icons will be visible at the beginning of every match. As you compete, your rating will increase or decrease with each win or loss based on a number of factors, including your own performance and the skill of the other players in the match. 

A detailed breakdown of the skill tiers, along with icons and information about the corresponding skill ratings can be found by pressing the "Information" button under the Competitive Play menu.

In addition to experiencing the thrill of victory, players can also unlock unique rewards through Competitive Play. Anyone who completes their placement matches during a season will receive a special spray and player icon. If you are placed within the Top 500 players on your platform (and in your region) at the end of the season, you’ll receive an extra player icon and animated spray.

On top of that, as you complete competitive matches, you’ll earn a currency called Competitive Points. When the season concludes, you’ll also receive a number of these points (based on your overall performance) to spend on golden versions of your favorite heroes' weapons.

Over the last few months, we've been listening to your feedback and working behind the scenes to make this season of Competitive Play better than ever. So, before you dive into your placement matches, let’s talk about what's new for Season 8.

SKILL RATING ADJUSTMENT UPDATES

• The maximum Skill Rating difference between the highest and the lowest skill rated player on the same team has been reduced. The ranges have been changed to the following:  
  • 1000 SR for Bronze through Diamond
  • 500 SR for Master
  • 250 SR for Grandmaster
     
• This change should help players at both the lower and higher limits of Skill Rating get placed with allies and against opponents of a similar skill level, which in turn should lead to more satisfying games overall. 

PERSONAL PERFORMANCE ADJUSTMENT UPDATES

• Personal performance Skill Rating adjustments for Diamond-tier players and above have been removed. Previously, Skill Rating gained or lost in these tiers was calculated in part by how well you performed during a match. We hope this will help players focus more on winning matches rather than on their individual performance. To learn more about this change, click here. 

Season 8 is live RIGHT NOW on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, so power up your favorite gaming machine and join the fight. We’ll see you on the battlefield!