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A lot of Overwatch 2 players are unable to play with their friends because of empty friend lists. Players are unable to invite their friends via the Social menu to team up and play together, but there are a few workarounds available until a fix is deployed for the issue. Usually a quick restart fixes the issue but if restarting your game does not fix the issue, here are a few possible solutions.
Overwatch 2 empty friend list: How to fix
If you are on a console, try exiting your game and signing out of Xbox/PlayStation/Nintendo services, and logging back in. It is one of the easiest ways to fix the issue and you should be able to see your friend list.
On PC, corrupted or damaged files can cause the empty friend list error to occur in Overwatch 2 on PC.
Open the Battle.net desktop app.
Click the icon of the game you are trying to repair.
Click the cogwheel next to the Play button and select Check for Updates.
If your game is up-to-date and the problem persists, use the repair tool:
Click the cogwheel next to the Play button and select Scan and Repair.
Click Begin Scan.
Wait for the repair to finish.
If any of these solutions do not work, you just invite your friends manually using the following steps:
Open chat
Type “/invite” or “/join”
Add a space and start typing your friend’s name
It should now allow you to invite your friend or join them directly without using the social menu
If you want to add someone to your friend list, you can do so from the Battle.net app on PC and if your console accounts are connected, they will be added on console platforms too. However, both you and the people you are trying to add need to have console and PC accounts connected.
The friend list issue is still being investigated and we should get a fix for it very soon. Until then, players will have to use these workarounds to play with their friends.