Overwatch 2 is more fun to play with friends, and Wide Matches allow players of all ranks to work together.

Wide Matches in Overwatch 2 let you group up with friends regardless of rank, allowing for more flexible team compositions and encouraging casual competitive play. While friends have always been able to queue together in unranked matches, there was previously a rank restriction that prevented players with large skill differences from grouping together when they wanted to play competitively.

With Wide Matches, rank restrictions are removed, and you can queue as a duo, trio, or even a five-stack with friends at any rank (except groups of four for now). If you choose to play with a Wide Group, you will only be matched against other teams that were also queued for Wide Matches. This attempts to ensure a more balanced experience compared to a high-ranked player dominating a lower-ranked lobby situation, but the matchmaking system may not always produce the best results.

The biggest difference in Wide Matches is that wins and losses have a smaller effect on your Overwatch 2 rank. This is because the system recognizes the inherent challenge of coordinating teams with a larger skill gap, and gives friends space to have fun without worrying too much about their rank.