Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch 2 features a robust Match Replay system that allows players to revisit previous battles from a range of camera angles and player views without sacrificing any performance or quality of gameplay.
You may also import other players’ Match Replays into your game to spectate their previous games, and share your Match Replay codes with anyone.
So, no matter what type of player you are – someone who is about to go pro in Overwatch 2 or has that competitive hunger to get better at the game and review their mistakes to know why you won or lost a specific battle.
A casual gamer who just wants to share their ‘Funny’ moments and huge plays with their friends, or even a content creator who wants to use this Match Replay system to record certain portions of the match from different angles – we’ve got you covered.
In this Frondtech article, we’ll go over (in depth) how to watch Match Replays in Overwatch 2.
How to Access the Match Replay System In-Game
Accessing your list of Match Replays in Overwatch 2 is not a complicated task. Here’s the step-by-step on that:
- While in the Main Menu and not queued for any match, press the Esc button on your keyboard and select ‘CAREER PROFILE’.
- Alternatively, you can right-click on your profile name in the top right of the screen and select ‘CAREER PROFILE’.
- Inside your ‘CAREER PROFILE’, navigate over to the ‘HISTORY’.
- Click on ‘REPLAYS’.
- You can see a list of up to ten of your most recently played matches here, along with information such as how long ago you played a certain match, how long each match lasted, what score you won or lost a match by, and so on.
- Clicking on any match in the list gives you the option to ‘VIEW’ the replay or ‘PIN’ it to come back to it later.
- You can also add a note to each replay to categorize it as you see fit. By clicking on ‘SHARE’, you can also generate a sharing code to share that specific replay with your friends.
Viewing a Match Replay
Now that you know where to find your match replays, you can start viewing one you like:
- Click on the ‘View’ button against any replay on the list of match replays. Wait for the replay to finish loading.
- If you can’t see the media controls right away, press ‘N’ on the keyboard.
- Within the player, the following media controls are accessible via clickable buttons (from left to right):
- Jump to Start.
- Seek Backward by 20 Seconds.
- Pause/Play. (Shortcut: Ctrl+P)
- Seek Forward by 20 Seconds.
- Playback Speed. (Shortcut: Mouse Wheel Up & Down)
- Spectate Player. (Shortcut: F1-F11; each key assigned to a player)
- Enable Free Cam. (Shortcut: LMB/RMB while spectating a player)
- Enable/Disable Spectate Overlay.
- Using the track slider inside the media controls, you can jump to any point in the match.
Default Keyboard Shortcuts
Here are the default keyboard shortcuts for certain functions to make your life a whole lot easier when you are reviewing matches in the Match Replay system in Overwatch 2:
- N: Show/hide controls
- W, A, S, and D: Move the camera around on a plane
- Q and E: Move the camera up and down
- Scroll Wheel Up: Increase playback speed
- Scroll Wheel Down: Decrease playback speed
- (Ctrl+P): Toggle play/pause
- Spacebar: Toggle between first-person and third-person view
- Left/Right Mouse Button: Detach from first-person and third-person view to free camera
- F1–F12: Spectate players (corresponds with player list in media controls)
- 0: Snap to the objective
- (Ctrl+L): Show map overlay
- (Ctrl+1) – (Ctrl+9): Save bookmarks
- 1–9: Restore camera bookmarks
A complete list of the customizable shortcuts can be found in-game by pressing Esc and selecting Options > Controls > Spectate.
Observe Like a Pro
Here are a few tips to help you level up your Replays experience:
- If you want to learn how a specific player uses a hero, make sure to spectate both them and the enemy they’re attacking. This will help you understand the difference in their play styles.
- Using the map overlay (Ctrl+I) to watch a match will help you understand how team fights unfold. The icons for each hero provide status indicators, so you can see exactly what is happening to that player.
- For the best view when using the map overlay, position your camera high in the sky and look straight down at the ground. This allows you to see an overhead map when using the tool.
- Setting up static cameras in specific locations can help you view fights from multiple perspectives and better understand team rotations. Remember to bookmark your locations each new match.
- If you’re creating highlight footage for videos, don’t overuse slow motion. For the most dramatic effect, slow down the most impactful moments of a play or a team fight.
[Source]
Article submitted by ~ Soumyajit Mukherjee.
If you think this guide has helped, then let us know in the comment section below. And for more Overwatch 2 guides, keep an eye on Frondtech.
That’s all, folks!
Last Updated on November 15, 2022
Shoaib, 30, is a simple guy who loves to play video games, and enjoys new cuisines sporadically. He has been gaming since he was 7 years old, and with an experience of 22 years, under his belt, there is not a single AAA game in this world, that he hasn’t played. Despite being a MBA Graduate he decided to follow his passion. And because of his love for gaming, Frondtech came into existence.