What Is VSync in Overwatch 2? Should You Turn It On or Off?

What is VSync in Overwatch 2? VSync (vertical synchronization) is a setting in the Video options that forces the game to sync its frame rate with your monitor’s refresh rate. It exists for one reason: to eliminate screen tearing, the horizontal split you see when your monitor displays parts of two different frames at once.

In Overwatch 2 the trade is steep — VSync removes tearing but adds input lag, which is poison in a fast hero shooter. So the short answer is: turn VSync OFF if you play competitively, and only consider it on in a few specific setups. Here’s how it works and how to decide.

What Is VSync in Overwatch 2 and How Does It Work?

Your monitor redraws the image a fixed number of times per second — 60 times on a 60Hz monitor, 144 times on a 144Hz monitor, and so on. Your graphics card, meanwhile, renders Overwatch 2 frames whenever they’re ready, at whatever speed it can manage.

When those two rhythms don’t match, the monitor can start displaying a new frame halfway through refreshing the screen. The top half shows the old frame, the bottom half shows the new one — that’s screen tearing, and it looks like the image has been sliced and shifted sideways for a split second.

VSync fixes this by making the GPU wait: a finished frame is only handed to the monitor at the start of a fresh refresh cycle, so every refresh shows exactly one complete frame. Tearing gone. But that enforced waiting is also VSync’s big problem.

The Problem: VSync Adds Input Lag

Because frames queue up waiting for the monitor’s refresh cycle, there’s a delay between your mouse movement and the result appearing on screen. In a game where a Widowmaker shot or a Tracer duel is decided in milliseconds, that delay is genuinely noticeable — your aim feels floaty and a step behind.

VSync has a second failure mode: if your frame rate drops below your refresh rate, classic VSync can stutter hard, because a frame that misses its refresh slot has to wait for the next one, effectively halving your frame rate (60 → 30) until things recover.

That’s why virtually every competitive Overwatch 2 settings guide — and every pro player’s config — sets VSync to Off, and instead uses:

NVIDIA Reflex (On + Boost) — cuts system latency directly inside the game engine.
Reduce Buffering: On — trims the frame queue for snappier input.
A frame rate cap — limiting FPS stabilises frame pacing without VSync’s queue.

Where Is the VSync Setting in Overwatch 2?

Press Esc and open Options.
Go to the Video tab.
In the Display section at the top, find VSync and toggle it On or Off.
While you’re there, set Triple Buffering to Off and Reduce Buffering to On — triple buffering only exists to soften VSync’s stutter, and it adds lag of its own.

Overwatch 2 graphics quality settings page

Should You Turn VSync On in Overwatch 2? (By Setup)

Your setup	VSync verdict
Competitive / ranked player, any monitor	Off. Use Reflex + Reduce Buffering, cap FPS if needed
G-Sync or FreeSync monitor	Off in-game. Your variable-refresh monitor already stops tearing without the lag penalty. Cap FPS ~3 below your max refresh (e.g. 237 on a 240Hz screen)
60Hz monitor, casual play, strong GPU, tearing annoys you	On is acceptable. At 60Hz the tearing above 60 FPS is obvious, and the lag matters less in casual modes
Your FPS is below your refresh rate	Off. VSync can’t help below the refresh rate and its stutter penalty kicks in — lower graphics settings or render scale instead
You notice no tearing at all	Off. Don’t pay the input-lag cost to fix a problem you don’t have

VSync vs the Frame Rate Limiter

Overwatch 2’s Limit FPS option (Video settings) is the gentler tool: capping your frame rate slightly above your refresh rate (or at it) reduces how far out of sync the GPU and monitor can drift, which softens tearing and stops your GPU running flat-out for frames you’ll never see — all without forcing frames to queue for refresh cycles. It won’t eliminate tearing as completely as VSync, but for most players it’s the better trade.

Overwatch 2 gameplay with the FPS counter showing 123 frames per second

FAQs

What is VSync in Overwatch 2?

VSync is a toggle in Overwatch 2’s Video settings that synchronises the game’s frame rate with your monitor’s refresh rate, so each screen refresh shows one complete frame. It completely removes screen tearing, but the frame-queuing it uses adds input lag.

Does VSync cause input lag in Overwatch 2?

Yes. VSync holds finished frames until the monitor’s next refresh cycle, which delays how quickly your inputs appear on screen. It’s one of the most noticeable sources of “floaty aim” in Overwatch 2, and the main reason competitive players leave it off and use NVIDIA Reflex instead.

Should VSync be on or off in Overwatch 2?

Off, for almost everyone. Turn it on only if you’re on a fixed-refresh (non-G-Sync/FreeSync) monitor, playing casually, and screen tearing genuinely bothers you. If your monitor has G-Sync or FreeSync, leave in-game VSync off and cap your FPS a few frames below the maximum refresh rate.

What does Triple Buffering do in Overwatch 2?

Triple Buffering is a companion setting that reduces the harsh frame-rate halving VSync causes when FPS dips below the refresh rate — but it adds even more input lag. If VSync is off (as it should be for competitive play), Triple Buffering should be off too.

Does turning VSync off increase FPS in Overwatch 2?

It removes the ceiling VSync imposes: with VSync on, your frame rate can never exceed your refresh rate. Turning it off lets the GPU render as fast as it can, which both raises FPS and lowers input lag — the image may tear occasionally, but the game feels more responsive.

VSync in Overwatch 2 is a tearing fix with a latency price tag — and in a shooter this fast, responsiveness wins. Leave it off, switch on Reflex and Reduce Buffering, cap your frame rate sensibly, and only reach for VSync if tearing on a basic 60Hz monitor is ruining casual sessions. For more performance tuning, check out our other PC gaming guides. On console instead? Our Overwatch 2 console aim assist not working guide covers the other big settings headache.

Axee Davies

Axee Davies is the founder of AxeeTech, publishing gaming guides, codes, and Windows how-tos since March 2013. A tech enthusiast for 13+ years — starting with smartphones and Android rooting — he now runs a site that puts out a new guide every day for Roblox players, traders, and Windows users. More about AxeeTech

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