Blizzard is upgrading the servers of Overwatch . Soon, data will be transmitted significantly faster.
Tripling the Tick Rate in Overwatch
Especially from veterans who have played many other shooters before, Overwatch has repeatedly faced criticism (in addition to the large hitboxes) that the server tick rate is far too low. While this doesn’t make a difference for a large part of the players, the difference from 21 to 63 ticks is particularly noticeable in the professional arena.
Previously, players could increase the tick rate in private matches in Overwatch.
Now, Blizzard has begun upgrading all servers worldwide, so that in a few weeks all games will be played at a rate of 63 ticks.
As this can also lead to excessive strain on the internet connection for some players, Blizzard plans to introduce an option later allowing players to individually reduce their tick rate slightly.
The changes currently only apply to the PC version of Overwatch. According to the official announcement, “they are currently looking for ways to implement the adjustments on PS4 and Xbox One as well.”
What is the Tick Rate, Anyway?
In simple terms, the tick rate determines how quickly information is sent from your PC (the game client) to the server and processed there. With the “old” tick rate of 21 ticks, information was exchanged 21 times per second between the server and the client regarding what is currently happening in the game. With a tick rate of 63, the number of updates is tripled, leading to faster reactions and more accurate actions. However, since Blizzard has still implemented mechanics that follow the principle “favor the shooter”, and latency also plays a role, achieving 100% precision in such games is not possible.
