How to fix Overwatch 2 not launching or stuck on “Playing now”

❘ Updated: 2023-08-24T18:54:38

Blizzard

Like many online games that receive frequent updates, Overwatch 2 players usually run into various bugs. Here’s how to fix Overwatch 2 not launching or getting stuck on the “Playing now” screen, and other common issues.

Overwatch 2 fans have been reporting different issues when trying to play Blizzard’s iconic FPS. It isn’t uncommon for a game to experience bugs and glitches after big updates. Luckily, there’s usually a quick way to fix them.

If you’re stuck on the “Playing now” screen or you can’t launch Overwatch 2 from your Battle.net client, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of the most common issues when trying to launch Overwatch 2 and how to fix them.

How to fix “Game is Running” but Overwatch 2 won’t launch error
How to fix Overwatch 2 stuck on black screen error
How to fix Overwatch 2 not loading or launching
- Overwatch 2 not launching or loading: Repair the game
How to fix Overwatch 2 stuck on “Playing now”

How to fix “Game is Running” but Overwatch 2 won’t launch error

There’s one common issue where your Battle.net client shows that your game is running, but Overwatch 2 won’t launch. To fix any incompatibilities causing this problem, try the following steps:

Try to change any security settings that might be identifying Overwatch 2 as a security threat.
Close all applications that can free up resources and restart the game.
Reset your in-game options to optimize performance problems.
Update your computer’s drivers to resolve compatibility issues.
Run the Battle.net repair tool to repair any damaged game files.

How to fix Overwatch 2 stuck on black screen error

When starting up Overwatch 2, some players have been getting stuck on a black screen. This error usually happens because of outdated graphic drivers, corrupted game files, or missing admin permissions. Ensure that you have admin permissions on the PC you are using to run Overwatch 2 before trying the following solutions.

If none of these solutions work, you can always report your issues in Blizzard’s official forum.

If you already have Admin Privileges but you keep getting stuck on a black screen, you can try fixing it with the following steps.

Go to C:/windows/sysWOW64 and system 32 folders. Delete RzChromaSDK64.dll (from System32), RzChromaSDK.dll (SysWow64), and RzAPIChromaSDK.dll (SysWow64)
Delete files in the sysWOW64 folder and system32 folder. You’ll find them in C:/windows/.

You should also check your Antivirus settings, and try turning it off and relaunching the game. If the game runs without any problems, your Antivirus software might be stopping it from running correctly.

Some players also reported that they could fix Overwatch 2’s black screen by reducing the FPS count to 48 from 144 and playing it on 1080p resolution.

How to fix Overwatch 2 not loading or launching

Sometimes Windows Defender or any other type of Firewall software can interrupt Overwatch 2 from launching. You can try turning off this option temporarily to check if it’s identifying the game as a security threat. Here’s how you can do it.

Go to the Start menu in Windows and get to the “Settings tab”.
Look for the “Privacy and Security” menu and then click on the “Windows Security” option.
There you can select “Virus and Threat Protection Settings”, and go to “Manage Settings”.
Switch off the “Real-Time Protection” option.

To switch off Windows Firewall, you can follow the same steps as above until “Virus and Threat Protection”. There you should select “Firewall and Network Protection,” and go to “Domain Network” when a new window pops up. You’ll be able to see a tab called “Windows Firewall” that will give you the option to turn it off.

Overwatch 2 not launching or loading: Repair the game

After a big update, your system might have some corrupt files left that can cause Overwatch 2 to stop working. You can repair your game from your Battle.net client by following these steps:

Select Overwatch 2 from your Battle.net Client.
Instead of hitting the “Play” button, you’ll have to click on the Settings icon.
There you’ll get the option to “Scan and Repair”, which will prompt a pop-up asking for permission.
You can press the “Begin Scan” button, and after it’s finished, click on “Update”.

After this process is finished, check to see if Overwatch 2 launches by clicking on “Play” directly from your Battle.net Client.

How to fix Overwatch 2 stuck on “Playing now”

Overwatch 2 fans getting stuck on the “Playing Now” screen is one of the most common problems reported by players in Blizzard forums. Check the list below to resolve any compatibility or performance issues that could affect your game.

Your Antivirus or Firewall programs could be blocking Overwatch 2 from launching correctly.

How to fix your drivers to play Overwatch 2

You can check if your drivers are up-to-date in order to play Overwatch 2 without performance drops. You should simply check on the latest Graphic Card Drivers on the official sites of AMD or Nvidia, and install them.

After the installation is finished, you should restart your PC and try to run Overwatch 2 again.

How to reset your in-game settings to play Overwatch 2

If you’ve already checked everything, and you are still getting stuck on the “Playing now” screen, try to reset all your Overwatch 2 settings. You can do so by following these steps.

Open your Battle.Net client and go to the “Overwatch 2” tab.
Click on “Settings” (next to the “Play” button) and go to “Game Settings”.
Choose “Reset In-Game Options” and then “Reset”.

You’ll have to wait for a little for this action to finish, but after it’s done, you can restart your game and check if you’re able to play Overwatch 2.

How to delete your Battle.net Tools folder to play Overwatch 2

It’s possible that Battle.net has become corrupted or outdated, which causes issues when loading Overwatch 2. Before deleting your Battle.net Tools, you should close all Blizzard processes from the “Task Manager”. Here’s how to do it:

After all processes related to “Blizzard” have been closed from the root, open the “Run command” dialog box. You can do this by pressing the “Windows Key + R”.
Then type “C:\ProgramData\” into the command box and press “Enter”.
This will open your Local Disk’s ProgramData folder. You should look for a folder called”Battle.net Tools” and delete it.
After that, run your “Battle.net” program for it to run an automatic repair.

After following these steps, you can run Overwatch 2 to check if your problem is solved. If none of these methods work, you should report your problem in Blizzard’s official forums.

That’s how to fix Overwatch 2 when it’s stuck or not launching. For more on Overwatch 2, check out some of our other guides: