Has Overwatch 2 been hacked? How to identify and report hackers

With most games being always online these days, it’s little wonder that hacking and DDOS attacks are more rampant than ever. Overwatch 2 has had a rocky start, and with the anti-cheat mechanism in place somewhat outdated by modern standards, there have been numerous accusations of hacking and cheating in Blizzard’s fledgling sequel. It can be notoriously tricky to spot a cheater or hacker in one of your games, but there are certain signs that you can look out for and mechanics in place for you to report suspicious activity. We will explain how to do that in this guide.

Related: What is a DDOS attack? Overwatch 2 server problems, explained

How to spot a hacker or cheater in Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 is a fast-paced game with abilities and characters flying and blasting. To a novice player, all sorts of perfectly normal sequences might seem like hacking is taking place. But there are signs to look for to avoid false positives.

If you suspect your teammate or an opposing player of hacking, the death cam is your best friend. Try to find a correlation between how the player behaves and what’s happening in a match. The most common hacks are either persistent or toggled wallhack, head-snap, or auto-aim. Try to find multiple instances or consistency in the way that their crosshair moves or if any jerky snaps occur when they aim. The best course of action would be to capture suspicious activity on a video clip that you can later use to back your claim.

In the case that your own account has been hacked, you will notice that much easier. Some of the tell-tale signs are that you can’t log into Overwatch 2 with your regular password, your currency items are missing, or some of your settings have been completely changed. If this is the case, there are steps that you can take to recover your account and secure it from future tampering.

How to report hacking or cheating in Overwatch 2

If you are suspicious of someone cheating or hacking during a match in Overwatch 2, your best bet is to report that player immediately. To do that, bring up the player screen (‘P’ on your keyboard by default) and, right-click on that player’s name, then select the ‘Report’ option. Select ‘Cheating’ from the dropdown tab and fill in the text box with your reasoning. If you wish to provide even more detail, you can also file a report with video clips or screenshots, then send them by email to Blizzard.

On the other hand, if you suspect that your own account has been hacked, then you can do the following steps. First, you will want to scan and secure your PC from malware and viruses. Then, you’ll have to submit a ticket to Blizzard to check and recover your account through Customer Service. After reviewing your ticket, they should be able to help you recover your account. However, it’s a good idea also to set up Two-way Authentication and Battle.Net Authenticator to secure your account in the future further.