Overwatch deathmatch modes are now open to everyone

Earlier this month, Blizzard rolled out new "Free-For-All" and "Team Deathmatch" game modes on the Overwatch PTR, where they could be put through their paces before being released to the world at large. Today the studio announced that those paces have been put, and that both modes are now open to everyone on the Overwatch Arcade.

Free-For-All—known colloquially to industry insiders as "FFA"—is an eight-way race to 20 kills: Whoever gets there first wins the match. Team Deathmatch is slightly more organized, as two teams of six battle to be the first to 30 kills, a process complicated somewhat by the fact that Mercy resurrections will reduce kill counts. Blizzard said that "several" maps are being modified for the new modes, and a new one called Château Guillard is being released specifically for FFA.

Speaking of Mercy's resurrections, Blizzard is making some big changes to the character intended to make her more useful, and more interesting, to play. Read all about it right here.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.