If you’ve spent any time on Twitch or followed pro Overwatch over the last decade, you’ve almost certainly come across XQC, the loud, energetic streamer who first made a name for himself as a professional main tank for the Dallas Fuel. As Overwatch 2 has evolved and XQC’s streaming career has blown up to cover everything from reaction videos to variety games, a lot of long-time fans are asking does xqc still play overwatch on a regular basis. We dug through months of his stream archives, social media posts, and recent interviews to get the full, unfiltered answer for anyone who’s been curious about his current relationship with the game that launched his career.
Does XQC Still Play Overwatch for Streams Regularly?
The short answer is yes, but not nearly as often as he did during his pro days or the first year of Overwatch 2. Most of his stream schedule now is split between reaction content, variety games like Valorant, Minecraft, and new releases, and occasional IRL streams. He still pops into Overwatch 2 at least 2-3 times a month, usually for 3-4 hour blocks when there’s a new season drop, a new hero release, or when he’s in the mood to mess around with friends in quick play or competitive.
I’ve tuned into a handful of these streams over the last six months, and he’s usually playing main tank like he always did, though he complains a lot more about balance changes now than he did when he was playing professionally. He almost never plays ranked solo these days, and most of his Overwatch streams are casual, for-fun sessions rather than serious grind sessions. He’ll often queue with other streamers or former pro players, and spends just as much time joking with his chat as he does focusing on the game.
Why XQC Stepped Away From Full-Time Overwatch Play
A lot of newer fans don’t remember that XQC was once considered one of the best main tank players in the world, and was a core part of the Overwatch League’s first season with the Dallas Fuel. He left pro play in 2019 for a mix of personal and professional reasons, and that’s when he shifted fully to full-time streaming. The decision didn’t come out of nowhere, and he’s talked about the factors that led to his exit in multiple interviews over the years:
- He burned out from the strict 12+ hour daily practice schedule and constant travel demands of the Overwatch League, which left him with little time for personal projects or even casual fun away from the game
- He clashed with league rules and team management multiple times, leading to repeated fines and suspensions that made pro play feel more stressful than rewarding for him
- He realized his variety streaming content was drawing way larger audiences than his pro Overwatch streams, giving him far more financial and creative freedom to make the content he actually wanted to make
He’s stated multiple times in recent interviews that he doesn’t regret leaving pro play, as it let him build the career he actually wanted instead of being tied to a rigid league schedule. That doesn’t mean he hates the game, though. He still talks about his pro days fondly, and often jumps back in when a big update drops to test new heroes or balance changes that affect the tank role he’s always loved.
XQC’s Current Overwatch Rank and Play Style
When he does play Overwatch these days, he still sits firmly in the top 1% of players, even if he doesn’t grind ranked every day. His most recent rank reset placed him in Master 5 rank, which is just a few tiers below the Grandmaster and Top 500 ranks he held during his pro career. That’s pretty impressive, considering he only plays a handful of times a month and doesn’t practice with a coordinated team anymore.
He still almost exclusively plays main tank heroes, with Reinhardt, Winston, and Wrecking Ball being his go-to picks. He still has that hyper-aggressive play style he was famous for in the OWL, though he’s a lot more likely to mess around and do silly plays for his chat now than he was when he was playing for tournament prizes. He’ll often intentionally make risky pushes just to see if he can pull them off, or tease his teammates for missing easy shots instead of getting frustrated like he would during pro matches.
If you’re looking to learn high-level tank play from his streams, you’ll still pick up a lot of useful tips, even if he’s not playing seriously full-time. I watched one of his streams from last month where he was teaching his friend how to play Reinhardt, and the tips he gave about shield management and positioning were exactly the same tips he used to give to his OWL teammates back in the day.
When You Can Catch XQC Playing Overwatch Next
If you want to catch XQC playing Overwatch live, there are a few specific times you’re most likely to see it on his stream. First, right after a new Overwatch 2 season drops. He almost always logs on within the first 24 hours of a new season to test the new hero, map changes, or balance updates, and those streams usually run for 4-5 hours. He’ll often go through every patch note in detail and give his unfiltered opinion on what changes are good, and which ones are going to break the game for casual players.
He also often plays Overwatch during special charity streams, or when he’s collabing with other former pro Overwatch players like Seagull or Super. These streams are usually extra chaotic, with all the former pros teasing each other about old tournament matches and making fun of how rusty they all are now that they don’t play full time. He’s stated that he will definitely play Overwatch during the Overwatch World Cup events, as he still supports the Canadian national team he played for back in 2017 and 2018.
If you don’t want to wait for a live stream, you can also find hundreds of clips of his recent Overwatch play on his official YouTube highlights channel, where his team uploads short cuts of his funniest and most impressive moments from every stream. You’ll usually see clips of him pulling off crazy team wipes, raging at bad balance changes, or joking with his teammates about his old pro days.
At the end of the day, XQC’s relationship with Overwatch has changed a lot over the years, but he’s never fully left the game behind. Even as his streaming career has grown to cover so much more than just Overwatch, he still comes back to it regularly when he’s in the mood, or when there’s a big new update to check out. For anyone asking does xqc still play overwatch, the answer is a clear yes, even if it’s not the main focus of his content anymore. You don’t have to dig very far to find him messing around in quick play, dominating ranked lobbies, or joking with his friends about his old pro play days whenever he logs on.