Why does OW 2 need a phone number?

The first thing you should do before you start playing OW2 is add your phone number to your Battle.net account. It is not possible to change this and start playing without giving Blizzard a phone number. Although it may seem strange at first, there are several good reasons why this should be done. That’s why you need a phone number to play Overwatch 2.

Why is OW 2 asking for my phone number?

This two-step verification is called SMS protection, which allows Blizzard to track down scammers and prevents users from using multiple accounts with the same phone number. Another reason for security is that if there is a suspicious login attempt or an attempt to hijack your account, you can be notified about it with a phone notification. You will need to approve (or deny) the login attempt.

Since the game has moved to a free-to-play model, Blizzard has taken this step to ensure that toxic players and cheaters do not continue to play the game and ruin it for others. Adding a phone number gives you more responsibility for your actions. Overwatch 2 will then be able to detect your in-game behavior and, if it turns out to be strange, associate it with your phone number. On a positive note, this will also help protect your account if it is about to be hacked.

If the game identifies a player as disruptive, they will be banned. If they want to use a different phone number to access the game, they must choose one that allows text messages. It also has some restrictions, so it will not be easy to immediately switch to an additional account.

Eligibility and Restrictions

Here is an excerpt from an article published by Blizzard:

Battle.net Phone notifications are for mobile phones that support text messages:

• Messaging apps such as iMessage (iOS) or WhatsApp (iOS, Android) are not supported.
• Mobile phones with prepaid plans may not work with the phone notification service.
• Phone notifications cannot be used with Voice over IP (VoIP), and VoIP numbers provided to a local provider are not suitable for this service.

Players will not be able to have multiple accounts linked to the same phone number, so this could make potential scammers think twice before cheating. If your account is about to be hacked, SMS notifications will add a layer of security by asking for your consent to reset your password.

That’s why OW 2 needs a phone number to play the game. While you’re here, don’t forget to check out how to get OW2 coins in the game for free.