10 Overwatch custom games to try while waiting in ranked queue

Queue times for Overwatch’s competitive mode can be a drag, but the game’s vast assortment of creative Workshop modes can fill that time with excellent fun or practice.

Whether you’re grouped up with friends or climbing the ladder on your lonesome, you may as well make the most out of your Overwatch ranked queue time—particularly if you’re waiting on a DPS slot to open up.

And whether you want to warm up and work on your aim or simply have a laugh, Overwatch’s illustrious fans have you covered with an absurd variety of options.

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Top 10 Overwatch custom games

10. Spider Widow

This one is simply silly. A Workshop creator who goes by ‘Therister’ has given Widowmaker spider legs which, while fitting, is certified nightmare fuel. 

It’s not worth spending your full queue time trying out, but it’s definitely a good time if you want to mix things up and explore a bizarre alternate reality. Its Workshop code is 5D4FX, if you want to terrify your friends.

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9. 12 Hogs: 1 Hole

An older mode made by ‘Block,’ but a nice break for those Roadhog players who wish they could spend more time throwing hooks and less time forced into throwing D.Va bombs. In this one, 12 Roadhogs spawn around Ilios: Well, and try hooking each other into the pit’s chasm.

• Read more: Epic Overwatch skin ideas take Roadhog & Reinhardt back to the Stone Age

Whenever you get a kill, you get your ultimate, which enables you to shoot your way out of the pit when you’ve been pulled in. It gives pulled pork a whole new meaning and is a quality chance to decompress before a match.

8. Enhanced Ana Paintball

The absolute classic, created by ‘Jinko.’ No headshots, no grenades, just you playing Ana in a field of people playing Ana — each trying to nail shots or Sleep Darts for a point apiece.

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Blizzard Entertainment

Ana is a mother and a gunner, with a hitbox small enough to prove a perfect training partner.

In some more elaborate versions of this mode, players are unable to stay scoped in for too long, encouraging you to work on your quick-scope skills. This is a simple, but fun way to work on your aim as one of the game’s most difficult heroes. Its Workshop code is 1DMTZ.

7. 1v1 Arena

Winning 1v1’s separates the bad from the good and the good from the great. In this mode, you take turns going “mano a mano” while everyone else. It’s like a casual Thunderdome while you wait to put your SR on the line.

This is a good time for those wanting to get the blood pumping. Its code is TXCXX and it was built by ‘Seita.’

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6. Doom Sumo

This should probably sit behind some of the options on this list, but it’s honestly silly, fun and good practice for those who don’t want to take the time to improve with Doomfist.

• Read more: Dafran coordinates insane Overwatch combo with McCree, Symmetra & Lucio

You and a bunch of other Doomfists need to punch each other off the map and the winner is crowned the best fist of them all. The code is 2A2YA and the creator is ‘KukuGie.’

5. Thomas (the Tank Engine)

When silly meets genius, you find this bizarre mode that took the Overwatch world by storm for a while.

‘rangddang’ somehow made Thomas the Tank Engine in Overwatch and then made a mode where he tries to run people over. Simple rules, great laughs.

4. Aim Trainer

On the opposite end of the spectrum, this mode crafted by ‘PMAJellies’ is all about getting your aim right for an upcoming match. You’ll get to choose from a variety of ways to work on your aim, including real character models programmed to pull off different behaviors.

Much more effective than the Practice Range, this mode helps you click heads and its code is KAVE5.

3. Pictionary

Another one by PMAJellies, if you’ve been playing a little too much Overwatch, this is the perfect way to unwind before getting back into the action. It’s the classic game of Pictionary, but brilliantly executed in Overwatch.

The code is FH93A and your artistic options are limitless.

2. Island Party

Imagine every great workshop mode rolled into one. ‘Jokaes’ did and they came up with Island Party, the solution to the easily bored—and a fantastic way to find out what specific modes you want to play more from (Winston Sumo? Torbjorn Hammers?).

• Read more: Bastion cooldown rework could balance controversial Overwatch hero

You’ll have to just look around and find a particular Island Party that you like most, because there are a variety of modes to choose from.

1. Gun Game

As old as gaming itself, but it’s just too fun. FFA Deathmatch, but everyone starts as the same character and you can’t swap until you get a kill. It is a preset you can choose from now, but still a hit in custom lobbies.

This type of mode has been most popular in Call of Duty, as players start with a pistol and secure kills to move on to stronger guns. But it works perfectly in Overwatch, forcing you to improve your versatility and have a weird, frantic blast in the process.