As part of the "Overwatch" (opens in new tab) sequel's transition to a free-to-play game, "Overwatch 2" will have restrictions on new players to prevent cheating and "disruptive players," Blizzard wrote today in a blog post (new tab opens in a new tab). Most notably, new accounts that have never played the original game will have to gain access to most game modes and heroes.

New accounts starting with "Overwatch 2" will have "access to a limited number of game modes and heroes, as well as some restrictions to allow for more gradual play," Blizzard wrote. The initial phase of the "First Time User Experience" will unlock game modes and in-game chat, followed by the original cast of Overwatch heroes "over the course of approximately 100 games.

To be clear, this first-time player progression seems to be separate from Overwatch 2's upcoming Battle Pass (opens in new tab).

Blizzard states that playing in a group will unlock "most" game mode restrictions, but the game's ranked battle mode will be locked until 50 wins in quick play first.

All accounts will require a phone number for SMS verification in order to play the game, and Blizzard hopes that the added layer of two-factor security will help prevent banned accounts from returning to the game and protect accounts from theft.

The company also announced that it will step up its efforts to detect "disruptive behavior" through voice chat transcriptions, as Riot does with Valorant (opens in new tab); Blizzard will convert reported audio into text and run it through its " chat review tool" to determine if it can be addressed. The text files will then be deleted "within 30 days of the audio transcription." Because match voice chat data is not stored for that long, Blizzard urges players to report them as soon as possible.

The blog post also discusses extensive efforts by Activision Blizzard and its external partners to collate "anti-tampering, anti-cheating, and reverse-engineering technology" and other It details small changes (such as the removal of rank icons on the pre-match match screen and the removal of general chat from the main menu).

Overwatch 2 will replace the original game, which will be released next week on October 4.