If you’ve ever had your crosshair dragged off a perfect Widowmaker headshot by aim assist locking onto a nearby tank mid-fight, or you’re practicing to switch from controller to mouse and keyboard, you’ve probably wondered can you turn off aim assist in Overwatch 2. A lot of players assume aim assist is a forced setting for controller users, but Blizzard actually gives players full control over almost every gameplay input. This guide breaks down exactly how to adjust or disable aim assist, who should consider turning it off, and what to expect if you make the switch.
Step-by-Step Steps to Turn Off Aim Assist in Overwatch 2 for All Platforms
First, it’s important to clear up a common misconception: mouse and keyboard players on PC have no aim assist at all, so this setting only applies if you’re using a controller on any platform (PC, Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch). The steps to disable it are almost identical across all devices, so you can follow the same process no matter what you play on.
To fully turn off aim assist, open the main menu and select Options, then navigate to the Controls tab. Select the Controller submenu, then scroll down to the Advanced section. You’ll see an option labeled Aim Assist Strength: slide the bar all the way down to 0 to disable it entirely. If you want to remove all aim-related assist, you can also set Aim Assist Window Size to 0 and Aim Smoothing to 0, though most players only need to adjust the strength slider to get the raw input feel they want.
Your settings will save automatically, so you don’t have to worry about re-adjusting every time you log in. If you swap between controller and mouse and keyboard on PC, the setting will only apply when you’re using a controller, so you don’t have to toggle it back and forth between input methods.
Reasons You Might Want to Disable Aim Assist in Overwatch 2
Most casual controller players leave aim assist on full strength, and that’s totally fine for relaxed play. But there are plenty of valid reasons you might want to turn it off entirely, depending on your goals and playstyle. I’ve tested both enabled and disabled settings for months across quick play, competitive, and custom lobbies, and these are the most common reasons players make the switch:
- You're transitioning from controller to mouse and keyboard and want to build consistent raw aim muscle memory without the crutch of aim assist
- You regularly miss high-priority targets like supports or flanking DPS because aim assist snaps to nearby low-health enemies or tanks in crowded team fights
- You want to participate in community-run unassisted aim tournaments or custom game lobbies with specific no-aim-assist rule sets
- You prefer the feel of unassisted aim for hitscan heroes like Widowmaker, Ashe, or Soldier: 76 where tiny micro-adjustments to hit headshots matter most
You don't have to keep aim assist off for all heroes if you don’t want to. Overwatch 2 lets you save custom control profiles per hero, so you can leave aim assist on for projectile heroes like Pharah or Junkrat that rely on tracking, and turn it off entirely for hitscan heroes where precision is key. I use this setup personally, and it’s the best of both worlds for mixed hero pools.
Pros and Cons of Turning Off Aim Assist in Overwatch 2
Before you go sliding that aim assist bar to 0 and jumping straight into a competitive match, it’s important to weigh the upsides and downsides of playing without assist. I made that mistake when I first tested the setting, and I dropped 200 SR before I adjusted to the new feel, so you don’t have to repeat that error.
The biggest upside is full, unfiltered control over your aim. You’ll never have your crosshair dragged off a target you’re intentionally aiming at, and you won’t have to compensate for aim assist’s reduced strength at long ranges. Your muscle memory will also translate far better to other FPS games that have weaker or no aim assist, or if you eventually switch to mouse and keyboard full time.
The downsides are pretty significant for new players, though. You’ll have a steep learning curve for the first 10 to 20 hours of play, and you’ll probably miss a lot of easy shots you would have hit with aim assist enabled. You’ll also be at a noticeable disadvantage against other controller players who keep aim assist on, especially in close to medium range fights where tracking fast heroes like Tracer or Genji is key. If you're playing ranked to climb, we don't recommend turning off aim assist unless you've already put in dozens of hours of practice without it in quick play first.
For most players, the tradeoff only makes sense if you have a specific goal like switching input methods or you’re a high-skill player who is more hindered by aim assist than helped by it. If you’re just playing for fun, there’s no shame in keeping it on to make your games feel more accessible.
How to Adjust Aim Assist Instead of Turning It Off Fully
You don’t have to choose between full aim assist and no aim assist at all. Most players who are frustrated with the default settings will get far better results from tweaking the sliders to fit their playstyle, rather than turning the feature off entirely. There are three core settings you can adjust to fine-tune your aim assist feel:
First, adjust Aim Assist Strength first. Instead of leaving it at the default 100, try dropping it to 50 to 70 first. This reduces the amount of pull your crosshair has toward enemies, but still gives you a little bit of help tracking fast targets without the annoying snap to the wrong enemy in team fights. aim assist strength is the most impactful setting to tweak first, so test a few values in quick play before you make big changes.
Next, adjust Aim Assist Window Size. This setting controls how close your crosshair has to be to an enemy for aim assist to activate. If you set it to a small value, like 20 or 30, aim assist will only kick in when your crosshair is almost directly on top of a target, so you won’t have random pulls to enemies you don’t want to aim at. If you set it to 0, it’s the same as turning aim assist off entirely.
Finally, adjust Aim Smoothing if you feel like your crosshair is lagging behind your stick inputs. Lowering this value makes your crosshair move more responsively to fast flicks, while higher values make your aim feel smoother for long range tracking. Most pro controller players keep this setting between 20 and 50, depending on their playstyle.
At the end of the day, the answer to can you turn off aim assist in Overwatch 2 is a clear yes, but whether you should depends entirely on your playstyle, goals, and skill level. If you’re curious, test it out in a few quick play matches or custom aim lobbies first to see how it feels for you. You can always switch back to the default settings if you don’t like the feel of unassisted aim. There’s no right or wrong setup, just what helps you have more fun and win more games. For me, a 60% aim assist strength for most heroes and 0% for Widowmaker is the perfect sweet spot, but you might find something entirely different works for you.