Bored on PS5, Xbox Series X or PC? Download this classic on a free trial until January

It’s weird to call Overwatch a classic due to its enduring popularity and eSports strength, but it has been out on the market for a while.

And even though it launched back in 2016, there hasn’t been a lot of effort to upgrade the original experience for PS5, Xbox Series X or PC.

Unlike other games, Overwatch will not get a next-gen upgrade during 2021, mainly due to plans for the release of Overwatch 2.

And a recent statement from technical director John Lafleur has poured cold water on the idea of anything like this happening before the end of the year, with Lafleur telling fans:

“We would have to invest a non-trivial amount of time in upgrading the original Overwatch to recognize and separately treat the PS5 (it involves changing the platform SDK)

“Instead, we’re taking that time to focus on making Overwatch 2 the best we can on the next-gen consoles.”

It makes sense to do something like this, although, with the plan to make it possible for Overwatch and Overwatch 2 gamers to play together, a next-gen upgrade needs to arrive at some point.

But for anyone who hasn’t played the smash-hit team shooter yet, now would be a great time to jump in.

Blizzard has made the game free-to-play for a limited time, meaning it won’t cost you anything past your normal multiplayer subscription to try out all the latest content.

The Overwatch Free Trial is available across PC, PlayStation and Xbox, and is scheduled to end on January 2.

In our original review of Overwatch back in 2016 we pointed out the strength in the team shooter’s attention to details, writing:

“Overwatch excels in pick-up and play-ability, offering an incredibly diverse range of characters to use in combat, along with some cracking maps to explore and the artwork to admire.

“And all in these endeavours, the quality and time that has been put in by Blizzard really does shine through.

“The Overwatch roster is one of the main reasons this game excels, while there are many characters to choose from, the overall quality in design, art and backstory means that you can enjoy trying out the many options available.

“We would suggest exploring them all but even that would be a meaty undertaking as the lineup benefits highly from different quirky fighting styles.

“The 21 characters fall into four roughly defined areas, but luckily for fans these Attackers, Defenders, Tanks and Supports all offer different ways to play.”