Overwatch delay sparks frustration among CS2 players

Luke Warr Published May 22, 2024

In early May, Valve announced the imminent return of CS2’s community-focused watchdog, Overwatch. The developer has yet to deliver on this promise, and CS2 players aren’t pleased about the delay. 

Overwatch, while not a perfect solution, played a crucial role in addressing the cheating problem in CSGO. It empowered players to file evidence-based reports against hackers and provided them with a sense of justice when unfairly beaten, losing precious ELO in a ranked game. Despite its value, the initial CS2 announcement did not include Overwatch. However, on April 24, Valve assured fans that it would make a comeback.

The vague statement in the release notes said that the demo review would be exclusive to “trusted players” without defining the criteria for gaining said trust. Weeks later, players are expressing concerns about the status of the promised Overwatch.

CS2 still doesn’t have Overwatch and players aren’t happy

The reminder was first posted by credible CS2 data miner ThourCS, who highlighted Valve’s failure to provide clear instructions on becoming eligible for Overwatch in almost a month. His post quickly gained traction among frustrated CS players. The reminder even drew the attention of Copenhagen Major MVP Justinas “jL” Lekavičius. 

The growing concern may be attributed to the rise in obvious hackers. Despite the recent ban wave, which recorded the second-most VAC bans in a day since 2019, cheaters continue to plague the game with advanced hacks. The arms race has become faster since the game’s launch. While Overwatch won’t solve the problem entirely, players will at least have some sense of control after losing to a cheater. 

For now, CS2 players hope for clarity regarding the eligibility criteria to do Overwatch. It’s worth noting that in CSGO, the system chose Overwatch trusted players based on competitive wins, account age, hours played, skill group, and more.