Having disconnections mid game? READ THIS

[Sawada-21290]

After a back and fourth in the comments this post has been updated to reflect results.

A wide range of users in Asia have been impacted with frequent disconnections mid matches, facing “connection to server lost” or just noticing people leaving abruptly mid games.

The most likely reason:

Three Southeast Asia submarine cables went offline around June 15, 2024 and I have not seen any updates about them being repaired. However, I do not live in that region, so news that I am able to find (in languages I can read/understand) may be delayed. The affected cables are:

• Intra Asia (IA) connection to Singapore
• Asia Pacific Gateway (APG)
• Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1)

If they are still down, traffic normally on those cables would be funneled into other routes and burden them with double/triple internet traffic load beyond the usual.

So…what can we do meanwhile?

In most simple terms, install the Battle net app > Download the game from there
Note: If you are on steam this workaround wont help you.

Before you launch the game via battle net, switch the region from “Asia” to “Europe”

Why did I just switch this? how does this help?

There are 3 “logon servers” Europe, America, Asia
This is what you use to authenticate your login to the Overwatch game.
It’s this node that’s taking the most impact, so switching to a different non Asia node > will work.

What else will be impacted due to changing this?

• Some users maybe put into matches where they may face higher latency than usual
  Other than that, nothing much.

How do I know which server am I connected to for this match?

Press Ctrl+Shift+N in a match/custom-match/practice-range/deathmatch to see the server name on top left corner followed by the IP of the server you are connecting to.

Example: [GMEC1] 192.168.0.1

• GMEC1 is Google Middle East 1

What about cheats crashing my game or disconnecting me?

Here is a detailed post explaining why that’s not a thing.
So can people crash your overwatch? - #49 by Sawada-21290

Note: If you think console is P2P, please provide evidence. I do not own a console but looking at the setup, the conclusion says a console match will also note leak your IP.
People claiming otherwise in comments, please provide evidence of the same.1

Note: I do not work at Blizzard

[WATEGGS-1329]

I feel embarrassed for bliz, so many disconnection issues clearly issue with their servers and no word what so ever from their team, support tickets only send auto responses with no help. Their own troubleshooting links are broken.

What a horrible company.

Update: The disconnect issue IS 100% an issue with blizzard but could be a bug rather than server infra issues.

When I play on an alt account I do not get disconnects ever, when I go back to main account I get disconnects every 3-4 games this is consistent and has been for 3 weeks now. This confirms it’s a bug for some accounts. it’s anecdotal but it’s consistent between hundreds of games at this point so plenty of data right there.

[leshrak-11993]

As someone who works every day in the server and internet world, I hear “we ruled our internet connection out” too many times to count when talking with customers.

In my estimation, 98% of the issues like this are actually, in fact, their internet connection.

[Goldark-11154]

This has been an issue since season 8 at least in asian servers… ive been disconnected only a few times but my friends have been disconnected regularly. Server issue most likely but i think there is ddos attack from hackers too.

[Applesoup-1346]

@Sawada-21290

(or an impossible to have ddos thing that people think can happen on this sort of game, trust me ddos isn’t gonna happen on your IP, it can happen to the server itself but not to you specifically to make you lag)

that’s not even remotely close to true, lol.

@Sawada-21290

Note: I do not work at Blizzard

You don’t actually work anywhere, do you? because everything you have said makes no sense.

[Applesoup-1346]

@leshrak-11993

As someone who works every day in the server and internet world, I hear “we ruled our internet connection out” too many times to count when talking with customers.

In my estimation, 98% of the issues like this are actually, in fact, their internet connection.

People are idiots, lol.

[Sawada-21290]

@Applesoup-1346

that’s not even remotely close to true, lol.

Its one thing to say “oh no its not true lol” and other to explain what someone posted incorrect.

@Applesoup-1346

You don’t actually work anywhere, do you? because everything you have said makes no sense.

You made me start the computer up and have me type this properly.

Here is your explanation written in crayons So can people crash your overwatch? - #49 by Sawada-21290

Please give it a read, if you have questions please reply to me.
If you find any information incorrect, please let me know. (but explain whats incorrect this time).

@leshrak-11993

As someone who works every day in the server and internet world, I hear “we ruled our internet connection out” too many times to count when talking with customers.

When 11 people in your friend list, and around in matches report issues of being disconnected mid-game, you start to look into these things.

I’ve tested this around with different people from Asia to Europe regions.
I can say for a fact, that there is an issue happening with the Asia side of node with overwatch where people get disconnected mid-game.

The frequency of the issue is way too high to call it a skill issue on the user’s end.

If your estimate that you made up is 98% user fault, then this is the other 2%.

[NighthAwk-13514]

@Sawada-21290

So, clearly, something on Overwatch servers is acting up.

This is a common and often incorrect assumption that people make. Ruling out an issue in your household doesnt mean the issue is automatically at the other end in the server room. The internet is very complex and routing packets goes through many different nodes along the way.

For example, if you shipped a package and the person you mailed it to didn’t receive it, you wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that the person is just dumb or blind and doesnt know how to retrieve mail from their mailbox – after all, you know for sure you walked it over to your own mailbox and you ruled that out.

There could be a dozen places between you and the recipient where the package could’ve been lost. Maybe the mailman dropped it. Maybe it got knocked out of a sorting bin at the warehouse. Maybe the label wasn’t legible and they couldnt figure out the to/from addresses. Heck maybe the mail truck got into an accident and the package was destroyed.

When you connect to different regions, you’re changing the routing involved in your packets. Especially if that route is further away, you increase the risk of packet loss. For example as someone in US west, if I changed my region to the middle east servers, you can bet I would get tons of networking issues, and probably DC all the time.

[RanYakumo-11741]

@Sawada-21290

So, clearly, something on Overwatch servers is acting up.

No, unless you count cheaters as on their servers “acting up”.

[Sawada-21290]

@NighthAwk-13514

This is a common and often incorrect assumption that people make. Ruling out an issue in your household doesnt mean the issue is automatically at the other end in the server room. The internet is very complex and routing packets goes through many different nodes.

I understand.

@NighthAwk-13514

you increase the risk of packet loss.

If the loss is happening due to a certain region, you also decrease it by avoiding that affected node.

@NighthAwk-13514

For example as someone in US west, if I changed my region to the middle east servers, you can bet I would get tons of networking issues, and probably DC all the time

High latency doesn’t always equate to losing connection.

I am in India, I CAN and HAVE played on US servers
The latency will be around 330, the gameplay is unfun because of the noticeable delay.
It will not disconnect you off.

But when you have people that live in

• Europe
• China
• Tokyo
• India
• Indonesia
• Thailand
• Philippines

and they have all within the past week and a half, reported sudden “connection to server lost, got disconnected mid-game”

You start to suspect something is up.
I am positive they have an issue somewhere that is causing server disconnects with login session.

Why login session?
Because the region selector is your “login server”
If changing this immediately resolved the issue and for the past almost week you didn’t get even one disconnection, then its likely an issue with the Asia login server.

Unfortunately, Steam users cant switch the logon server like this
I had some friends switch to battle net and start the game in Europe region. No issues so far, been a few days.

But yes, please explain how 6 different regions have had issues with their ISP or them being the cause in a span of two weeks if you still don’t believe it.

@RanYakumo-11741

No, unless you count cheaters as on their servers “acting up”.

My Guy I added a whole network side breakdown to the post and you still say its cheaters, I am just astonished at this sort of reading.

However, exploiting a game bug to affect the gameplay of other users would also technically count as cheating.
But this seems more like a logon server issue, which is way before you even start the game and get in a match, let alone cheating.

“The connection to server lost” issue specifically is what I am referring to here.

[Applesoup-1346]

@Sawada-21290

@Applesoup-1346

that’s not even remotely close to true, lol.

Its one thing to say “oh no its not true lol” and other to explain what someone posted incorrect.

Oh okay sorry. Yes you can ddos other people on the internet, and through this game. I didn’t know that needed explaining. What exactly about it do you need me to explain?

@Sawada-21290

Please give it a read, if you have questions please reply to me.

I question why you don’t understand that people can. I literally do this kind of thing for a living, so I don’t need to read your post. Yes, they can, and very easily.

That’s not what is happening with you (and your “friends”?) though. At least, I don’t think so. What is happening, is your internet sucks. lol.

[NighthAwk-13514]

@Sawada-21290

If the loss is happening due to a certain region, you also decrease it by avoiding that affected node.

Correct, but you claimed the issue was with blizzard servers. I’m saying that your route to a particular region might be the thing impacted.

For example, if you have a city and theres construction on the west side, theres going to be traffic issues on the west side but anyone who lives east of the city will have a very smooth commute.

@Sawada-21290

High latency doesn’t always equate to losing connection.

I didn’t say it did. My point was that your route changes. The further away the region is, the more hops and routes you have to take to get there, which increases odds of a lost packet because you have more opportunities for traffic to be routed via unstable nodes. It doesnt guarantee packet loss, just increases the likelihood.

@Sawada-21290

But yes, please explain how 6 different regions have had issues with their ISP or them being the cause in a span of two weeks if you still don’t believe it.

I didn’t say it wasn’t possible, but 99/100 times “blizzard fix your servers!!! REEEEE!!!” actually ends up not being an issue with blizzard at all because most people dont have any understanding of networking. It’s actually incredibly complicated to the point where most highly tech savvy people without an actual degree or certification in network management/engineering probably also have no clue when their home network is the problem. The number of times I’ve heard “I promise it’s not on my end” only for them to say “oh haha it was my router” a bit later is insane.

[Sawada-21290]

@Applesoup-1346

Yes you can ddos other people on the internet, and through this game. I didn’t know that needed explaining. What exactly about it do you need me to explain?

Oh yeah? explain how that works
You cant just say “yes you can” you need to tell how you plan to “in a watered down sense” even get a remote user’s IP through a client-server model to DDOS them.

The info you are saying is OW 1 when it was launched, it was P2P.

@Applesoup-1346

I question why you don’t understand that people can

Explain the how, don’t just make baseless claims.

@Applesoup-1346

I literally do this kind of thing for a living, so I don’t need to read your post. Yes, they can, and very easily.

Again, provide more details don’t go making claims.

@Applesoup-1346

What is happening, is your internet sucks. lol.

Again, baseless claim with no thought to it.

[NerfThis-11137]

you made a nice detailed topic thanks for that, some forum fossils here sit around to play contradictarion and waste your time, dont engage them, they have all day and will derail the thread to nonsense, any idiot who says there is not a server issue acting up in asia servers of overwatch esp sg is someone not playing there, last two days have been acting up weird with plenty of complaints.

even workshop makers like dragonengineer have made posts.

[Sawada-21290]

@NighthAwk-13514

I’m saying that your route to a particular region might be the thing impacted.

It isn’t, cause there are 6 countries I’ve tested this around over, there is no way all of them are having bad routes to the node.
Unless ofc, the most common Hop to the node (which would be close to the node itself) is having issues.

@NighthAwk-13514

My point was that your route changes. The further away the region is, the more hops and routes you have to take to get there, which increases odds of a lost packet because you have more opportunities for traffic to be routed via unstable nodes. It doesnt guarantee packet loss, just increases the likelihood.

Thatts for other the lobby server, not the logon server.
There are 3 major login servers - the asia one is having issues.

[NighthAwk-13514]

@Sawada-21290

Unless ofc, the most common Hop to the node (which would be close to the node itself) is having issues.

Bingo

I’m not saying the issue isn’t Blizzard, all I’m saying is “It isnt on my end” doesn’t mean it’s their servers. There’s a whole lot of stuff that happens in the middle - including yes, common network nodes and routers that will be shared by pathways between many different locations and even countries.

But if you feel strongly that you can prove otherwise, by all means, pressure them to address the issue.

[Sawada-21290]

Again we have come full circle going into the DNA of “politically correct” in technic terms.

When I’ve tested be same issue to exist in 6 different countries, it’s quite safe to assume the exit node is so close to their server it could practically be their data center router or their vm instance at fault.

Given the widespread area of effect.
Which is again, still something OW needs to address from their end.

Either by rerouting the logon server or by any other means as feasible from their side.

[leshrak-11993]

You’re kind of missing the point - the bar for claiming the issue is at Blizzard’s end is so incredibly high when there are relatively few people on these forums complaining about what you’re complaining about.

Everything you are using as your argument is circumstantial, and there are far too many unknown variables involved in the connections between each individual you reference and the servers (wherever they are located) in order for you to conclusively determine that the issue is with Blizzard’s servers.

You’ll never have a strong enough case for that unless you get a widespread outage, think to the scale where you have 10000+ people reporting it on downdetector type of outage, before you’ll get anyone’s attention on it at Blizzard. And especially with you playing from a country with notoriously poor internet connections even among the population with good connections, your bar of proof is raised even further.

[Sawada-21290]

Notoriously poor internet?

You joking right?
Maybe some states in some corners, which is the case for every country.

The average internet in main indian states is better than what you have in UK, US.

But that’s not even the argument.
As for the 10k+ reports, things start somewhere

Some suffer with issues and think it’s them, some raise it as an early post and watch other users refute and deny about it cause they can’t believe a server having issues because it’s uncommon.

[leshrak-11993]

Again missing the point - it’s not speed, it’s quality. Packet loss. Drops. More evidence that tells me you aren’t qualified to speak about “ruling out your local connection”.