PSA: Overwatch 2’s free Premium Battle Pass glitch does not work [Update]

Update 10/9/22 at 12:30 p.m. PT: Our original story stated that the glitch was functional, but shortly afterwards, we discovered that the glitch was merely a visual bug. We’ve updated the text below to reflect this and apologize for the error.

What you need to know

• A glitch has been discovered that seemingly allows players to get Overwatch 2’s Premium Battle Pass without spending any money.
• The glitch doesn’t work, and is instead merely a visual glitch. Don’t spend your Legacy Credits trying to make it work.
• The Premium Battle Pass can be purchased with 1,000 Overwatch Coins, which is $10 worth.

The arrival of Overwatch 2 has introduced the game’s new Battle Pass system, which replaces the original title’s loot box model with tracks that players can earn cosmetic rewards from directly. The Battle Passes feature 80 tiers of rewards in total, and while a handful of them can be acquired by free-to-play users, most of them require Premium access. Overwatch 2’s Premium Battle Pass costs 1,000 Overwatch Coins, which is $10 worth, so naturally, many players have wondered whether or not there’s a way to get Premium for free.

The answer to that question has been “no,” as players can’t earn enough Overwatch Coins in a season to purchase its Battle Pass before the season ends. However, thanks to the discovery of a bizarre glitch by Twitter user @freeboop1, players believed that there was a way to get access to the Premium Battle Pass for free (kind of). The glitch involves using 700 Legacy Credits, a currency from the original game that many players had stockpiled, to purchase an item from the Hero Gallery after cancelling a purchase of the Overwatch 2 Premium Battle Pass. You can see it in action below.

While the glitch appears as if it works — after performing it, you’ll get a notification that the Premium Overwatch 2 Battle Pass was unlocked — it’s only a visual bug. Players have reported that the Battle Pass still shows Premium rewards locked after refreshing its UI, and in my own experience, the Premium rewards became locked after I restarted the game. Don’t use your Legacy Credits to try and get a free Premium Battle Pass, because it’ll ultimately be a waste.

Overwatch 2 is available now on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. It’s arguably one of the best Xbox shooters available, and since it’s free-to-play, it doesn’t cost anything to check it out. Alternatively, players can purchase the Overwatch 2: Watchpoint Pack that provides access to Season 1’s Premium Battle Pass, 2,000 Overwatch Coins, and a bundle of unique Legendary skins.