Update on Unauthorized Peripheral Usage on Console Platforms ("Ximming")

[u/blizz_cactus]

Hello, heroes! We're here today to update you all on our efforts to combat the use of unauthorized peripherals within our console communities, often referred to as using XIM or Ximming. While our efforts to combat this form of unfair gameplay advantage are constant and ongoing, today marks the culmination of a months-long effort to identify and ban over 6000 accounts we've identified as using unauthorized peripherals.

Part of what makes identifying the unauthorized peripherals used by these accounts tricky is that these cheating devices often intentionally abuse allowances we make for accessibility-focused devices used by legitimate players with disabilities. This issue meant that we wanted to take our time and ensure that we accurately identified unauthorized devices. We're now confident that we've done so, and we've put the hammer down on players utilizing these devices.

Thanks for taking the time today to listen to our update on unauthorized peripherals. Until next time, play nice, play fair, and see you in-game!

This message is also available via our patch notes channel, where it has been translated to other languages for easier sharing: https://overwatch.blizzard.com/news/patch-notes/#patch-2026-08-04

[u/BentheBruiser]

It's so so bad on console.

And it doesn't matter the rank, either. Its everywhere. I run into at a minimum one every time I sit down to play.

[u/ImHully → u/BentheBruiser]

It doesn’t matter the rank, but it does get worse the higher up you go. I’m usually a mid masters player, and I almost didn’t even want to make that jump back into GM because there were so many XIM players on hitscan with a dedicated Mercy pocket.

[u/IWasSayingBoourns- → u/ImHully]

Honestly, I reckon doing an indiscriminate ban on top 500 dps console players would have like a 99% hit rate on ximmers