Overwatch 2’s Prop Hunt lets players get way into inanimate object role-play

Overwatch 2 got a new game mode on Tuesday called “Mischief and Magic,” and it’s a Prop Hunt — which means that players have been trying all manner of strategies to mimic inanimate objects in-game.

Prop Hunt has never been available in Overwatch before, although it’s been a classic mode in multiplayer shooters since its first appearance in Counter-Strike: Source in 2012. Basically, it’s a hide-and-seek situation; one team is made up of players controlling various in-game objects, hiding in plain sight. The other team goes on the hunt, trying to find the disguised “prop” players by attacking them.

In Overwatch 2’s version, the “prop” players are technically playing as Kiriko, disguising herself using her fox spirit powers (because, sure). The props also have the ability to stun and flashbang their opponents, giving them a chance to escape even if they’re discovered. The players on the seeking side of the hide-and-seek equation play as Genji, slashing their blades at anything suspicious.

This version of Prop Hunt might seem easier than others at first, because the Genji players aren’t punished for slashing at objects that aren’t players in disguise. In theory, the Genjis could just slash at every object they see until they find their marks, since every prop player can only withstand one hit before dying. But the prop teams have figured out they can fight back — because their melee attacks still work.

In a video post on the Overwatch subreddit by user Reticulum217, titled “Ikea 2: The furniture fights back,” it’s clear that props can get the upper hand if they gang up on an unassuming Genji player. In the video, players inhabiting barrels, a bush, and a plank of wood surround a Genji player and overtake them with flashbangs and melee attacks. It’s like the end of Beauty and the Beast, when the enchanted household objects attack all the unsuspecting townspeople storming Beast’s castle.

Hiding in plain sight is still a pretty good strategy if you can manage it, though. A post by Reddit user SammyIsSeiso, titled “To hide as a prop, you must become the prop,” demonstrates the super-smooth operation of disguising oneself as a minecart on the Blizzard World map. “I plugged my controller in so I could move this smoothly,” explained SammyIsSeiso in a comment on the post.

In the video, SammyIsSeiso never gets caught. The cart just glides through the entire level, seemingly unnoticed by the surrounding Genji players. Kiriko’s grandma would be proud.