A new patch for Overwatch is being developed and it is now available for testing on the Public Test Region (PTR).
The Overwatch PTR is open to all PC players who have accounts in good standing, meaning they haven't been banned nor suspended. For the PTR client to work, the game must be installed and a player must have logged into it at least once.
To get the PTR client, just head to the tab "Overwatch" in the desktop app for Battle.net. From the drop-down menu labeled Region/Account, choose "PTR: Overwatch" and click "Install." Once installation is complete, click on "Play" to start.
If the PTR doesn't initiate using the steps outlined above, players are advised to log into Overwatch and exit the game's client before launching the PTR client again.
Players from all regions can participate in the Overwatch PTR except those in China. The PTR will be available as well in all supported languages, but some content may not be completely localized yet. Also, the PTR is hosted on servers in the Americas so those participating from outside the United States are warned about increased latency and lowered performance.
Up to 10,000 accounts playing concurrently (logged at the same time) can be supported by the PTR. If the cap is reached, new players trying to get into the PTR will be queued.
Accounts from the live game are transferred automatically over to the PTR, including progress made. However, copies in the PTR are pre-made based on earlier snapshots of accounts so it is not guaranteed that PTR accounts will be up-to-date with live game accounts.
Additionally, while participants can start from where they left off in the live game, any progress they make on the Overwatch PTR will not be carried over to the live game. All purchases are also disabled on the PTR so Loot Boxes cannot be bought while playing on the client.
Some of the things participants can expect on the Overwatch PTR are changes coming to season 2 of the game's Competitive Play, balance updates to heroes and maps, user interface updates and bug fixes.
"While many of these changes will also be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in a future patch, the PTR is PC-only and therefore will only reflect changes coming specifically to that platform," said Blizzard.
Those participating may still leave feedback via normal channels, but are reminded that changes are unlikely to be incorporated before the patch is released because this particular PTR is designed to detect major technical issues. Those who do encounter game-related bugs are encouraged to post about them in the Overwatch PTR Bug Report forum.
