Heroes Never Die – How to Appeal an Overwatch 2 Ban

The grounds Blizzard relies on

In general, Overwatch 2 penalties rest on one of three grounds. First, conduct in matches and chat is assessed through reports: according to Blizzard's support, a player reported several times for breaking the in-game rules receives an automated warning and, if the behaviour continues, may be silenced or suspended. Second, leaving matches leads from short queue suspensions to a ban from Competitive Play for the season and, after several season-long suspensions, to a permanent Competitive Play ban. Third, cheating covers, under Blizzard's End User License Agreement, cheats, bots, hacks and any code or software not expressly authorised by Blizzard.

The three grounds differ in what an appeal can achieve. Under the End User License Agreement, last revised on 21 March 2024, breaches of the codes of conduct may lead to penalties against the Battle.net account, including the suspension or termination of game licences. Blizzard's support, however, states that Game Masters will not overturn leaver penalties. Thus, an appeal makes sense for a silence, suspension or ban that rests on a finding the player can contest, and not for a leaver penalty that follows from the match record.

Where the appeal goes

Blizzard's support article Appeal Suspension or Ban in Overwatch (checked on 26 October 2026) refers players to the Account Restrictions page of Blizzard Support. That page lists the restrictions active on the Battle.net account, when they expire and how to appeal where an appeal is available. Blizzard also sends the details of a penalty to the email address linked to the Battle.net account, which makes that email the first document to keep.

Two traps follow from the support article on warning notices. First, the automated warning that may precede a silence or suspension cannot be seen or modified by Customer Support, so only an actual penalty is a matter for the restrictions page. Second, Overwatch is supported by Nexon for players in Korea, and an appeal from there belongs with Nexon's support rather than with Blizzard's.

What the appeal should contain

An appeal against a conduct penalty should name the BattleTag, the type and date of the penalty as shown on the restrictions page and the match concerned, and it should quote the chat lines or describe the behaviour to which the reports most likely refer. Where the player did break the rule, the appeal should say so plainly. Blizzard's support states that extenuating individual circumstances will not lead to the removal of a penalty, so the appeal should rest on facts about the match rather than on personal circumstances.

An appeal against a cheating ban has to address the software on the PC: which overlays, macro or input tools and other third-party programs ran with the game, and whether any of them could alter the game or automate play. It shall be noted that Blizzard applies penalties no matter who was playing at the time; where the account was taken over, the steps on Blizzard's Account Hacked page come first, and the appeal should refer to that recovery.

After the decision

Blizzard's support states that repeated or abusive appeals will not help and that appeals sent after a final review may be ignored. A second request, therefore, makes sense only with facts the first appeal did not contain, whereas a time-limited suspension expires on the date shown on the restrictions page.

Using another account to keep playing during a penalty may itself breach Blizzard's terms, which prohibit sharing, buying or selling accounts and allow Blizzard to suspend or revoke the licence to use its platform. Accordingly, this guide does not describe ways around a ban.

Current enforcement

Whether Blizzard is currently running a wider enforcement wave is recorded on the ban-wave monitor of Game Ban Appeal, and the Overwatch 2 appeal page sets out the steps of an appeal in short form.

Frequently asked questions