Overwatch disables text chat after bug crashes game lobbies

Blizzard has disabled text chat in Overwatch after a newly discovered bug caused entire lobbies to crash.

The issue emerged on February 25 2026, when players found that repeatedly spamming the ‘<’ character in the in-game text chat could break matches. With enough repeated inputs, lobbies would crash, sending all players back to the main menu.

In response, developers moved quickly to turn off the text chat function across the game. The feature remains disabled while Blizzard investigates the cause of the bug. The company has not yet confirmed when text chat will be restored.

The exact reason the specific character triggered crashes has not been explained. In the meantime, players are unable to communicate via text chat or view certain information typically displayed in the chat window, including location-based pings.

Reaction from parts of the community has been mixed. Some players have described the temporary removal of text chat as positive.

One widely shared Reddit thread described the situation as “an upgrade” and urged Blizzard to consider keeping the change in place. Others have noted that players have long had the option to disable text chat individually through in-game settings.

The incident marks the first major game-breaking bug since Blizzard reverted branding from Overwatch 2 back to Overwatch. The title has recently experienced renewed engagement following the launch of Season 1 for 2026.

The current season introduced five new heroes alongside interface changes and balance updates. According to player activity trends cited by the community, the update has drawn significant numbers of returning players, making it one of the most active periods for the game in recent years.

Blizzard is expected to provide further updates once a fix has been implemented.