Overwatch users are experiencing Unexpected Server Error occurred – Code LC-202

Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. The game offers a 6v6 intense battle between heroes that has the armored suit, superpower abilities, and more placed on a near-future earth. Meanwhile, some of the Overwatch players are experiencing an unexpected server error that occurred that includes an error code LC-202 after getting the recent patch update on all platforms. If you’re also getting the same, you can check this guide.

Blizzard Entertainment has just released the Overwatch Anniversary that will be available from May 19 to June 9, 2020. This new update brings new skins, earning weekly rewards, enjoying all favorite seasonal brawls, etc to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Overwatch. According to the affected players, the Overwatch server kicks them out every time from the ranked games. While the most frustrating thing is that players can’t rejoin the server anymore after getting the error message “Unexpected Server Error occurred”.

Overwatch users are experiencing Unexpected Server Error occurred – Code LC-202

Alternatively, you can also consider the LC-202 Error Code as a ‘Lost Connection to the Server’. This particular issue occurs on all PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch platforms. Some of the affected players are also reporting that even receiving the error message, even though they try again and the game loads, but they’re unable to use the in-game voice chat feature for some unknown reasons.

Well, initially we can assume that your network connection has some issues with the NAT Types or port forwarding. In some cases, inconsistent DNS (Domain Name System) can also trigger several issues with the online server connectivity. So, it’s better to use Google’s Public DNS for seamless online connectivity with your games. While an antivirus program or firewall protection can also try preventing the game files to run properly when it comes to online services.

Luckily, there are a couple of methods that the affected Overwatch players can easily try out in order to fix the issue properly mostly. Please keep in mind that not all steps may gonna work for everyone.

1. Check Server Status

It seems that somehow your Overwatch game server or the Battle.net client-server is down or having a maintenance process running in the background. If you’re feeling the same, make sure to visit the official Overwatch Twitter handle and the Blizzard CS Twitter handle to get all the latest updates and info in real-time.

Additionally, you can visit the Overwatch Support page on Blizzard to cross-check whether other players are reporting for the same error or not. If you want, you can ask for dedicated support on it. Otherwise, ensure to check the third-party Down Detector Overwatch Status page for further info.

At the time of writing this article, a huge number of Overwatch players have reported server connectivity issues and online gaming-related issues. So, in this case, we can hope that Blizzard Entertainment will resolve the server issue asap.

2. Try Signing Out and Back In

Sometimes it can also possible that signing out of your Blizzard account from your console or PC and then signing back into your account should clear any kind of connectivity issues. Although it’s not useful for everyone, you should try it once.

• First of all, you should sign out and sign back into the Blizzard account on your PC or console.
• Now, just head over to the official Blizzard website via the web browser and sign in to the account to be redirected.

This trick mostly works for server-related issues. If this trick doesn’t come in handy, you can check out the next method.

3. Power Cycle Your Networking Device

Make sure to power cycle your networking device such as Wi-Fi Router. So, if you’re using a Wi-Fi connection and feeling that somehow the internet connection isn’t stable enough or having issues with the default download/upload speed then you should perform a power cycle to your router. It’ll basically clear out all kinds of cache data and temporary glitches to run the router software properly.

• First, power off your Wi-Fi router and wait until the LED indicators turned off completely.
• Now, unplug the power cable from the router and power source too.
• Wait for around a minute or so and plug back the power cable in.
• Turn on the router and start playing the game without any issues.

However, if the Overwatch Unexpected Server Error occurred – Code LC-202 is still bothering you, make sure to follow the next method.

4. Disable Antivirus and Firewall (PC Only)

Well, there is nothing new to say about the Windows Defender Firewall protection or third-party antivirus software because all of them work as a security tool for your Windows computer. Now, the chances are high enough that somehow the security program is detecting any kind of security vulnerability possibilities and that’s why it starts preventing the ongoing connections to the game servers. To fix this issue, you should temporarily turn off the firewall or antivirus protection.

• Press Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Update & Security > Select Windows Security from the left pane.
• Go to Virus & threat protection > Click on Manage settings.

• Just turn off the Real-time protection toggle and if prompted by UAC, click on Yes to give the permission.

Additionally, you can simply disable the Windows Firewall protection on your computer temporarily while playing Overwatch. To do that:

• Click on the Start Menu > Type Control Panel and open it from the search result.
• Go to System and Security > Select Windows Defender Firewall.

• Now, click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off from the left pane.
• Select Turn on Windows Defender Firewall for both the Private & Public Network Settings.
• Once done, click on OK to save changes.
• Restart your computer and check whether the Overwatch Unexpected Server Error occurred – Code LC-202 issue has been resolved or not.

If not, don’t worry. We’ve shared some other possible workarounds below. So, check them out.

5. Update Router’s Firmware

Try updating the router firmware to its latest version as well if in case, you haven’t updated the firmware of your Wi-Fi router for a while. Just like the applications, games, and mobile software, the router is also a networking device that runs on its own operating system. So, it’s quite necessary to keep the firmware up-to-date to bring more stability and bug fixes.

You’ll just need to open a web browser on your computer and visit the router’s admin panel by logging into the username & password. Once logged in, make sure to check for the firmware update. If available, just download and install the update by following the on-screen instructions. Finally, restart your router normally and try playing the Overwatch game to check for the issue again.

6. Whitelist Overwatch in Firewall

Windows Defender Firewall protection always tries to prevent the unauthorized ongoing connection from your Windows system if not whitelisted or assumes malicious. So, it’s always a better idea to either disable the Firewall protection while playing any online game or whitelist the program. If you want to whitelist the Overwatch game, do the following steps:

• Click on the Start Menu > Type Control Panel and click on it.
• Go to System and Security > Click on Windows Defender Firewall.
• Click on Allow an app feature through the Windows Defender Firewall Settings from the left pane.

• Click on Change Settings > Click to enable the checkbox for both Overwatch & Battle.net programs and save changes. If not available on the list, Allow another app… and then click on Browse to locate the programs individually.
• If prompted by Windows Security Alert, select both the Private and Public networks.
• Finally, click on Allow access to apply changes.
• Enjoy!

7. Use Google DNS

If in case, your default DNS address is unable to fetch the online game servers and you’re experiencing a lot of issues, make sure to use the Google DNS address for consistent and worry-free performance. To do so:

PC Users:

• Click on the network or wi-fi icon from the taskbar > Select Network & Internet settings.
• Click on Change adapter options > Right-click on the active networking adapter.
• Go to Properties > Double-click on the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
• Select the Use the following DNS server addresses option.
• Now, input 8.8.8.8 for the Preferred DNS server and 8.8.4.4 for the Alternate DNS server.
• Click on OK to save changes > Restart your computer once to apply changes.
• Finally, you’ll be able to play Overwatch without any server connectivity issues.

If you’re using the IPv6 internet protocol then do the same steps as above but open the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) instead of IPv4. Meanwhile, you’ll need to input 2001:4860:4860::8888 for the Preferred DNS server and 2001:4860:4860::8844 for the Alternate DNS server. Then save changes.

Xbox Users:

• From the Xbox main dashboard, press the Xbox button on your controller.
• Select All settings from the guide menu > Open Network.
• Select Advanced Settings submenu > Select Advanced settings from the Network menu again at the left pane.
• Choose DNS settings > Selec Manual > Input Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8 and Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4 respectively.
• Save the changes and restart your console.

However, if your ISP supports IPv6 protocol, you can select Primary DNS: 208.67.222.222
and Secondary DNS: 208.67.220.220 values.

PS4 Users:

• From the main PlayStation dashboard, go to Settings, and press the X button on the controller to open it.
• Go to Settings > Select Network > Choose Set Up Internet Connection.
• Choose either LAN or Wi-Fi from the next screen according to your usage.
• Select Custom from the next screen > Choose Automatic for the IP address.
• Select Do Not Specify for DHCP Host Name.
• Select Manual for DNS settings > Set Primary DNS to 8.8.8.8 and Secondary DNS to 8.8.4.4 respectively.
• Once done, save changes > Restart your PS4 console and see if you’re still getting Overwatch Unexpected Server Error occurred – Code LC-202 or not.

However, if you want to use the IPv6 protocol instead of IPv4 then prefer Primary DNS – 208.67.222.222 and Secondary DNS – 208.67.220.220 respectively.

8. Use Port Forwarding for Overwatch

Specific ports that are used by Overwatch are not open to all and can’t be used by the game. In this case, you’ll have to manually forward the Overwatch ports according to your gaming platform if your router supports UPnP. To do so:

• Make sure that you’re connected to the same Wi-Fi network on your PC or console where you play Overwatch.
• Now, launch any web browser > Visit the router’s admin panel.
• Log into the admin panel > Go to the NAT Forwarding option.
• Make sure to turn on the UPnP feature. If already turned on, proceed to the next step.
• Restart your router as well as the PC/console to refresh the network connectivity properly.

However, if this trick doesn’t fix the issue, you should manually create the Port Forwarding.

• So, once again you’ll have to log into your router’s admin panel.
• Go to Advanced > Select Port Forwarding (Virtual Servers).
• Now, add the mentioned ports for Overwatch according to your gaming device. For example: if you’re using a PC to play Overwatch, you’ll have to add PC ports.

Overwatch - Playstation 4

TCP: 1935, 3478-3480
UDP: 3074, 3478-3479

Overwatch - Xbox One

TCP: 3074
UDP: 88, 500, 3074, 3544, 4500

Overwatch - PC

TCP: 1119, 3724, 6113 
UDP: 5060, 5062, 6250, 3478-3479, 12000-64000

• Once added according to your gaming device, restart both the router & gaming device to check whether the Overwatch Unexpected Server Error occurred – Code LC-202 is happening or not.

9. Reinstall Overwatch (Consoles Only)

Well, it seems that some of the affected players have resolved their issues by just reinstalling the Overwatch game on their consoles. This method won’t gonna affect your saved games.

For Xbox:

• From the Xbox main dashboard, press the Xbox button on your controller.
• Use the guide menu to open My Games & Apps.
• Locate Overwatch from the list > select Overwatch and press the Start button on your controller.
• Choose Manage game > Now, select Uninstall all.
• Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation process.
• Once done all, restart your console.
• Head over to the Xbox store and reinstall the game again.

It should fix the Overwatch Unexpected Server Error occurred – Code LC-202 issue completely.

For PS4:

• Access the Library menu from the PS4 main dashboard.
• Select Games from the left pane > Locate and highlight Overwatch from the right window.
• Press the Options button on your controller > Select the Delete option.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
• Finally, restart your console > Reinstall the Overwatch game from the PS Store.

10. Contact Blizzard Support

Finally, if none of the above methods worked for you, make sure to contact the Blizzard Technical Support team for further assistance on it. You can also submit a ticket for this issue with the necessary details and screenshots.

That’s it, guys. We hope you’ve found this article pretty helpful. Feel free to ask in the comment section below.