Overwatch Custom Games Make Long Matchmaking Times Painless

For the longest time since its release in 2016, waiting times for Overwatch lobbies were long and painful. Players gaming with their friends could expect to wait up to 10 minutes while the game finds a match. However, if a player wanted to play solo, depending on which hero they're playing, their wait times could multiply – taking anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes.

In April 2019, Blizzard announced a game mode for Overwatch that helped ease the pain of long matchmaking times – the Overwatch Workshop. The community could create new ways to enjoy the game and, at the same time, actively kill off boredom while sitting through a matchmaking lobby. This feature is hugely beneficial, and fans have been able to play some standout custom games over the years.

All About Overwatch Custom Games

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Using a simplified game system, players can create their own custom game modes with the Overwatch Workshop. They could then enjoy these custom Workshop creations as they sit in a lobby, whether solo or in a group, waiting for their next match. To enter the Workshop, gamers simply need to enter the Game Browser once the game is loaded up.

Creating a custom game on Overwatch requires a small level of coding knowledge for players to develop their own custom games. The Overwatch Workshop primarily uses a slew of if/then statements, which will be the foundation of the player's gameplay choice. Nevertheless, those who aren't proficient in programming can enjoy a large number of game modes that members of the Overwatch community have already created.

The Overwatch Workshop has amassed thousands of custom game modes made by the Overwatch community since its launch back in 2019, such that it became challenging to search for new custom games to enjoy. However, websites like Workshop.codes share a curated list of custom games that players everywhere can enjoy – organized by popularity, creation date, heroes, and maps. Players can choose custom games to work on their skills with the many hero-specific "training modes" available, or they can try one of the most popular game modes.

The Best Overwatch Custom Games

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Created by Workshop.codes user QTPi, Overwatch Fight Club (Workshop code: BWJ7Z) allows players to play some of their favorite characters in a Street Fighter meets Marvel vs. Capcom meets Super Smash Bros. 2.5D fighting game. The custom game pits player against player in a 1v1, semi-free-for-all featuring maps that players can fall off of like in Smash. Currently, players can play Doomfist, Genji, and Brigitte, who can summon "help" from the likes of Moira and Reaper in the same way as a Marvel vs. Capcom game.

While, unfortunately, no one has been able to properly create an Overwatch-style Mario Kart with Workshop, creator RookiePlayerSMG made something almost equally as chaotic. Reinkart+ (Workshop code: 34791) features a map full of Reinhardts with one sole mission – defeat the other Reinhardt by intelligently charging, firestriking, or crushing them with his ult Earthshatter. An update from the original Reinkart, a player wins this custom game by being the first to reach 25 kills within 10 minutes of utter Reinhardt chaos.

For those who wondered what a Left4Dead or Back4Blood game would look like in an Overwatch setting, Zombie Survival Mission by Mazattack (Workshop code: MPJFR) is the answer. There are two objectives in this custom game: complete the missions given and survive the onslaught of a zombie horde. Players can choose their favorite characters to play solo or with a team of friends against an ever-increasing horde of Overwatch characters, each with their own special and sometimes terrifying abilities.