Individuals with an eligible prepaid phone can now register their number to play Overwatch 2.

Overwatch 2 has updated its phone number requirements, allowing people with prepaid phones to register their number on Battle.net and play the game. Read on for details and to see if your service fits the eligibility criteria.

Effective immediately, anyone with an eligible prepaid phone can now register their number on their Battle.net account and play Overwatch 2.

Blizzard on overwatch sms protect

Overwatch 2 SMS Protect requirements

Blizzard announced a new change to the Overwarch 2 SMS Protect requirements. Effective starting November 17th, individuals who have an eligible prepaid phone can register their number on Battle.net to play the game.

According to the post, this update doesn't effect current accounts with Overwatch 2 regardless of whether or not they have SMS Protect already or exempt from it.

Overwatch 2 SMS Protect is part of the Defense Matrix initiative to fight disruptive behaviors. Image via Blizzard Entertainment.
Overwatch 2 SMS Protect is part of the Defense Matrix initiative to fight disruptive behaviors. Image via Blizzard Entertainment.

Do you need a phone number for Overwatch 2?

"If you previously played Overwatch, you may now play Overwatch 2 without an eligible SMS on your account," Blizzard stated.

The announcement also answered some questions about the prepaid phone requirement for Overwatch 2. While Blizzard expects most prepaid services to be eligible, not every one of them is the case. This is because some mobile carriers have different definitions in their phone plans.

As for VOIP, WiFi, text-only or internet phone services, Blizzard stated that it doesn't support those services when it comes to SMS Protect.

Overwatch 2 phone number not working

If a player already has an eligible plan or carrier and their phone number isn't working, then there are some possible reasons. For one, the phone number could already be registered on a Battle.net account. Another reason is that the phone number could be from a previous plan that is still ineligible for use.

To check if a number is already registered, just log in to that account and visit the Account Details page and remove the phone number. If a player doesn't remember the account that their number is linked to, then they can head to the Battle.net Recovery page to be texted the email. If that email belongs to the player, then the account recover process can begin.

That's all for now. Stay tuned on Esports.gg for more Overwatch news and updates!