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How to Publish and Save Workshop Items in Overwatch Game

Introduction

The Overwatch Workshop allows players to create their own custom game modes with unique rules and mechanics. Once you have created a workshop mode, you can publish and share it with the community using share codes. You can also save your workshop creations locally so you don’t lose your work. This guide will walk you through the whole process.

Accessing the Workshop

To access the Workshop, launch Overwatch and navigate to the main menu. Select “Play” then “Game Browser” and click on “Create” in the top right corner. This will open up the Workshop editor where you can start creating your own game mode.

Creating a Workshop Mode

The Workshop editor allows you to define rules, conditions, actions, values and more to customize your game mode. For example, you could:

  • Increase player movement speed
  • Modify cooldown durations
  • Change hero health pools
  • Create new abilities
  • And much more

Use the left panel to add and edit rules that will define your custom game behavior. The Workshop has a bit of a learning curve, but once you understand the basics, you can create incredibly complex modes.

Playtesting Your Mode

As you build your workshop mode, you can launch it at any time to test it out. Simply click “Start Game” in the top right to load into the game with your current ruleset active. Iterate on your rules and continue playtesting until your mode works as intended.

Make sure to thoroughly test your mode before publishing!

Saving Your Workshop Mode

There are a few different ways to save your Workshop creations:

Saving to a Preset

This saves the mode locally on your computer and adds it to your preset list in the Workshop editor for easy access later.

To save a preset:

  1. In the Workshop, click “Settings”
  2. Select the “Presets” tab
  3. Click “Save Preset” and give your mode a name

You can load presets anytime by selecting them from the preset menu.

Saving to a Code

This generates a share code that allows other players to access your mode. Share codes make it easy to distribute your creation.

To save a share code:

  1. In the Workshop, click “Settings”
  2. Select the “Summary” tab
  3. Click “Export” to generate a 40-character share code

Players can enter this code in the game browser to play your mode.

Saving to Text

You can save all your Workshop rules as a text document to share online or keep as a personal backup.

To export text:

  1. In the Workshop, click “File”
  2. Select “Export Text” and save the file anywhere on your PC

You can then import this text file into the Workshop later to restore your rules.

Publishing Your Creation

Once you are happy with your Workshop mode and have playtested it thoroughly, it’s time to share it! Post the mode’s share code on social channels, gaming forums, and communities like r/OverwatchWorkshop. Some places to share Workshop modes:

  • r/OverwatchWorkshop on Reddit
  • Blizzard Overwatch forums
  • Overwatch content creator Discord servers
  • Overwatch Workshop websites like Workshop.codes

Encourage players to try out your mode and leave feedback. Keep iterating on your creation based on what players like/dislike.

And just like that – you’ve successfully published your own custom Overwatch Workshop mode!

Continued Development

The Overwatch developers actively maintain and add new features to the Workshop, allowing creators to build even more elaborate modes over time. So keep an eye out for patch notes detailing Workshop changes.

You can continually update and improve your own Workshop modes after publication as well. Players who have already saved your code will receive all updates automatically.

Conclusion

Creating and sharing Overwatch Workshop game modes is an awesome way to engage with the player community while flexing your creative muscles. Use this guide to help publish your own modes! Experiment, iterate, playtest thoroughly, publish share codes across communities, and keep improving post-launch. The Workshop allows endless opportunities for new Overwatch experiences.

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