As release nears, the Overwatch 2 team provided an update to the game's community on Thursday afternoon that included information regarding a change in design direction, beta schedule, and more.

The largest piece of information shared in the company's post was that the development team has made the decision to separate the PvP from the PvE game modes to get the much-anticipated title in the hands of players sooner.

Alpha testing for PvP game modes kicked off on Thursday with employees, Overwatch League professional players, and "a few other select groups" able to give the sequel a test run. The game will move into closed beta in late April in select regions where more feedback will be received by a larger test group, according to the release.

Eager players can visit Overwatch's main website to request access to the first beta phase.

Overwatch Game Director, Aaron Keller, mentioned the beta will be filled with "major items" that will give players a taste of what the new title has in store, including:

- A brand new ping system
- Hero reworks
- A new hero: Sojourn
- New maps
- A new game mode called Push
- A transition to 5v5 game modes

The development team plans on sharing more information related to the game's beta as it approaches.