In Overwatch 2, standard teams were reduced from six players to five.
The change applied to the core player-versus-player format when Overwatch 2 launched in early access in October 2022. The original game used two teams of six, usually arranged through role-based play with two tanks, two damage heroes, and two supports. Overwatch 2 removed one tank slot, creating a five-player lineup of one tank, two damage heroes, and two supports.
Blizzard said the smaller format was intended to make matches faster and easier to read. With one fewer tank, there were fewer defensive barriers, crowd-control effects, and simultaneous abilities on screen. The developers also adjusted heroes and maps to make the new structure work, including giving supports passive health regeneration and redesigning several tanks to play more aggressively.
Five-versus-five refers to the standard team structure, not the number of roles or heroes available. Players still choose from a large roster, and special arcade, event, or custom modes can use different rules. The reduction also applied to both teams, so the match changed from six-versus-six to five-versus-five rather than simply removing one player from the entire game.