Is your Overwatch 2 update stuck on initializing?
This happens if there’s a new season and you need to update the game.
However, the game might fail to update because it can’t get past the initializing stage.
Your update speed might be 300 KB/s, 200 KB/s, 100 KB/s, or even lesser even though your internet speed is fast.
I’ve experienced this issue myself and spent several hours before I managed to find a fix.
Before that, I tried deleting Battle.net, reinstalling it, and connecting to a VPN, but to no avail.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to fix Overwatch 2 update stuck on initializing at 0% or updating at a KB/s speed.
How to Fix Overwatch 2 Update Stuck on Initializing
To fix Overwatch 2 update stuck on initializing, you need to change your region (e.g. from Asia to the Americas).
You can also try disabling “Limit download bandwidth”, resetting your network, or disabling all non-Microsoft services.
Fix 1: Change your region
- Open Battle.net and select “Overwatch 2”.
- Click on the globe icon.
- Change to a different region (e.g. from Asia to the Americas).
- Pause the update and start it again.
- Update the Overwatch 2 again.
Editor’s note: I managed to fix the initializing error using this method after hours of troubleshooting.
Immediately after I switched to a different region, Overwatch 2 went from 0% to 100% in less than a minute.
After the game is updated, you can switch back to your original region.
Fix 2: Disable “Limit download bandwidth”
- Open Battle.net and select the Battle.net logo.
- Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
- Select “Downloads” and disable “Limit download bandwidth”.
- Click on “Done” and update Overwatch 2.
Editor’s note: Disabling the “Limit download bandwidth” setting will dramatically increase your download speed.
Fix 3: Reset your network
- Search for “Command Prompt” using Windows Search.
- Right-click and run the Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Type “netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt” and press Enter.
- Type “netsh winsock reset” and press Enter.
- Type “ipconfig /flushdns” and press Enter.
- Restart your PC, open Battle.net, and update Overwatch 2.
Fix 4: Disable all non-Microsoft services
- Search for “msconfig” using Windows Search and open it.
- Select the “Services” tab.
- Select “Hide all Microsoft services”.
- Disable all > Apply > OK.
- Restart your PC, open Battle.net, and update Overwatch 2.
Further reading
Highest Win Rates in Overwatch 2