Narrow or Wide?
The highest player, Master 4, sets the limit: in Master and Grandmaster everyone has to be within 2 divisions of each other. Your group spans 4 divisions, Diamond 3 to Master 4.
For a narrow group everyone has to be Diamond 1 or higher — the lowest rank Master 4 can group with narrowly. Below that: You (Diamond 3).
- Matched only against other Wide groups, so queues are longer.
- Smaller rank changes for everyone — the wider the group and the higher its top player, the smaller (the Wide modifier).
- No Challenger Score in Wide matches (since 9 December 2025).
Shaded: the narrow window under the top player — Diamond 1 to Master 4. Numbers are the players above; division 5 is on the left of each tier, 1 on the right.
No partner in range?
Limits from Blizzard's patch notes: within 5 divisions from Bronze to Diamond (16 April 2024), 2 in Master and Grandmaster and 1 in Champion (9 December 2025); Predicted Rank for unplaced players (20 August 2024); Open Queue's shared pool (29 October 2024). The checker reads the limit from the highest player, the strictest one in the group. Blizzard hasn't restated the five-division rule since Emerald arrived on 11 August 2026, so Emerald counts inside Bronze to Diamond here — the group banner in game has the final word. Stadium has its own ranks and grouping rules and isn't covered.
How group rules work in Overwatch
Since 16 April 2024 any ranks can queue Competitive together — Blizzard removed every older grouping restriction and now sorts each group into Narrow or Wide. A group is narrow when every player is within the limit of every other player: 5 divisions from Bronze to Diamond, 2 in Master and Grandmaster and 1 in Champion. The limits only get tighter as you climb, so the highest-ranked player's limit decides for the whole group — a Diamond 3 and a Master 4 are only four divisions apart, but Master allows two, so that duo is Wide.
A narrow group is matched against other narrow groups or solo players and gains and loses rank in full. A Wide group can still play, but in Role Queue it meets only other Wide groups, waits longer, and every player's rank moves less — the wider the group and the higher its top player, the less. A Wide group of four can't queue at all, and since 9 December 2025 Wide matches earn no Challenger Score. If your group could be narrow with one set of roles and Wide with another, the game prefers the narrow one and warns you when your picks would make it Wide.
Open Queue works differently since 29 October 2024: Wide groups, narrow groups and solo players share one matchmaking pool there, and Blizzard said it would remove the Wide modifier from Open Queue in a future update.
Narrow limits by the highest player's rank
| Highest player | Narrow if everyone is within | Since |
|---|---|---|
 Bronze |
5 divisions | 16 April 2024 |
 Silver |
5 divisions | 16 April 2024 |
 Gold |
5 divisions | 16 April 2024 |
 Platinum |
5 divisions | 16 April 2024 |
 Emerald |
5 divisions | 16 April 2024 (Emerald from 11 August 2026 — not restated) |
 Diamond |
5 divisions | 16 April 2024 |
 Master |
2 divisions | 9 December 2025 |
 Grandmaster |
2 divisions | 9 December 2025 |
 Champion |
1 division | 14 May 2024 |
Worked examples
| Group | Apart | Limit (from the top player) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold 5 + Platinum 5 | 5 | 5 (Platinum 5) | Narrow |
| Diamond 3 + Master 4 | 4 | 2 (Master 4) | Wide |
| Grandmaster 1 + Champion 5 | 1 | 1 (Champion 5) | Narrow |
| Master 5 + Master 2 | 3 | 2 (Master 2) | Wide |
How the rules changed
- 13 February 2024 — Champion arrives; a Champion player may group with only one other player within three divisions.
- 16 April 2024 — every old restriction removed; groups become Narrow or Wide. Narrow: 5 divisions Bronze–Diamond, 3 in Master, none for Grandmaster and Champion. Wide groups of four can't queue.
- 14 May 2024 — Grandmaster can be narrow within 3 divisions, Champion within 1.
- 20 August 2024 — Predicted Rank decides Wide or Narrow for players still in placements.
- 29 October 2024 — Open Queue matches Wide groups, narrow groups and solo players in one pool.
- 9 December 2025 — Master and Grandmaster narrow within 2 divisions, Champion within 1; no Challenger Score in Wide matches.
- Blizzard — Overwatch 2 patch notes, Season 9 — rank updates after every match, Competitive Points and the progression meter, the Champion rank (13 February 2024)
- Blizzard — Patch notes, Season 10 — Narrow and Wide groups, the Wide modifier, Demotion Protection (16 April 2024)
- Blizzard — Patch notes — Grandmaster and Champion narrow groups, the Pressure modifier (14 May 2024)
- Blizzard — Patch notes, Season 12 — Predicted Rank decides whether a group is Wide or Narrow (20 August 2024)
- Blizzard — Patch notes — Open Queue's shared matchmaking pool; trend, calibration and decay effects reduced at high ranks (15 and 29 October 2024)
- Blizzard — Patch notes, Season 20 — Master and Grandmaster narrow within 2 divisions, Champion within 1, no Challenger Score in Wide matches (9 December 2025)
- Blizzard — Patch notes, Season 4 — the Emerald rank between Platinum and Diamond (11 August 2026)
- Checked 2 November 2026.
Related Overwatch guides
FAQ
Common questions
How far apart can you be to duo in Overwatch?
Any ranks may group, but only a narrow group gets full rank changes: everyone within five divisions of each other from Bronze to Diamond, within two in Master and Grandmaster (since 9 December 2025) and within one in Champion. The highest player's rank sets the limit for the whole group; wider than that and the group is Wide.
What happens in a Wide group?
In Role Queue you are matched only against other Wide groups, so queues are longer, and every player's rank changes less — the wider the group and the higher its top player, the less. Since 9 December 2025 Wide matches also earn no Challenger Score.
Can a four-stack queue as a Wide group?
No. Blizzard doesn't let a Wide group of four players queue, so a solo player is never needed to fill a Wide match. Two, three or five players can queue Wide.
Can Champion players group in Overwatch?
Yes. When Champion arrived in February 2024 a Champion player could group with only one other player within three divisions, but Blizzard removed every old grouping restriction on 16 April 2024. Today a Champion group is narrow when everyone is within one division; anything wider still queues, as a Wide group.
More free tools
Overwatch boosting opens soon
Rather climb with a pro in your group? Our Pro Teammate players will queue with you inside the narrow limits for your rank, so your wins count in full. Ordering isn't open yet — get the launch alert and we'll e-mail you once, the day it opens.
Overwatch is a trademark of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. BoostPirate isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment. Rank icons are Blizzard's official Competitive rank icons — Game images © Blizzard Entertainment. Boosting conflicts with Blizzard's End User License Agreement; read our Risk Disclosure before you order.
