Overwatch 2 rank distribution explained

Andrew Highton
Overwatch 2 four heroes including Genji in front of them all

While Overwatch 2 Season 11 is loaded with new content such as Battle Pass, hero changes, and events, the Competitive grind to reach the highest ranks remains the same.

Your seasonal rank is also a great way to evaluate your skill level and match you with other players with similar expertise, experience, and aspirations. Here’s what the rank distribution looks like.

Average rank distribution

  • Bronze: 10.2% 
  • Silver: 19.2% (Higher than 10.2% of players)
  • Gold: 26.7% (Higher than 29.4% of players)
  • Platinum: 26.2% (Higher than 56.1% of players)
  • Diamond: 12.2% (Higher than 82.3% of players)
  • Masters: 3.9% (Higher than 94.5% of players)
  • Grandmaster: 1.6% (Higher than 98.4% of players)

Bear in mind that there’s no official or third-party method to check the latest rank distribution, and there’s no data for console players as well. The rank distribution for Competitive in Overwatch 2 was shared on June 22, 2023, by Blizzard in an official blog post.

Rank distribution graph posted by Blizzard on their blog
Rank distribution in Overwatch 2 is only available for PC players.

One of the most beloved developers and former lead director of Overwatch, Jeff Kaplan shared the ranks for the playerbase in February 2018 as well:

  • Bronze: 8 %
  • Silver: 21 %
  • Gold: 32 %
  • Platinum: 25 %
  • Diamond: 10 %
  • Master: 3 %
  • Grandmaster: 1 %

Going over the 2018 and 2023 data, you can observe that the rank distribution hasn’t changed much despite five years having passed. Based on this, if you’re wondering what the rank distribution is like in Overwatch 2 Season 11, it’ll be similar to the stats from 2023.

Lastly, considering that we don’t have recent data on rank distribution, it’s unclear at this stage how many players are in the new Champion rank which released in Season 9. Given that it’s above Grandmaster, though, it’s safe to say that very few players have reached this tier.

What is the most common rank?

The most common rank in Overwatch 2, according to the 2023 stats, is Gold, with 26.7% of all the players falling under this skill tier. However, 26.2% of the players were Platinum, so there isn’t that big of a difference between the two skill levels.

How good are you in Competitive?

If you have a high Gold or Platinum rank with any division, you likely have a slightly higher rank compared to the average Overwatch 2 player.

Overwatch 2 stats page
Overwatch 2 tracks a plethora of stats for every mode.

Ranking system explained

Your rank in Overwatch 2 is unlocked after you’ve played 10 placement matches. Your rank is determined by your SR or Skill Rating, which works similarly to the system in the prequel.

During your placement matches, apart from the wins and losses, your performance has a significant role in determining your SR. Simply put, if you’re getting a lot of kills or providing a ton of support and yet you fail to earn the win, the game considers your performance while working out your rank or SR.

It’s also worth noting that your rating will be different for each role – DPS, Tank, and Support, in both Open and Role Queues.

Why is your rank so low?

If you’re coming over from FPS titles like Valorant and Counter-Strike 2, you might find it a challenge to rank up in Overwatch 2. This is largely due to the games being different types of shooters. While OW2 is like an arena shooter, Valorant and CS2 aren’t as chaotic and require a degree of stealth to play effectively.

To quickly improve your rank, you can master a few Heroes for each role and focus more on being the best teammate possible rather than just your performance.

Finally, you should also use aim training codes to practice in Overwatch 2 for you need to track both horizontally and vertically, as opposed to holding angles and pre-aiming in most major FPS titles.

What’s easiest role to rank up in?

While no role is easy in Overwatch 2, we recommend taking up DPS to get a head start on ranking up in Competitive.

It also depends on what you define as easy. For players who are just getting into the game, the mechanics behind consistently winning on Tank and Support can be difficult to master. DPS Heroes tend to have a less intense learning curve, which makes them ideal choices for new players.

Specifically, you may want to look into Heroes like Soldier: 76, Sojourn, and Reaper. However, if you want to get into more Tanks and Supports, you can try out Orisa, D.Va, Mercy, and Lucio.

One of the best ways to make sure you’re performing well in Competitive is to ensure your PC and controller settings are fine-tuned. Comp also helps you get all the Hero rewards for progression to customize your game, or you can check out how to change your menu background for more options.

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