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PVE Meaning: What Does PVE Mean?

By Noam Radcliffe

PVE meaning is as simple as who the player fights in the game in question. Here's what it means.
PVE meaning is as simple as who the player fights in the game in question. Here's what it means. /

PVE meaning has mystified many fans, particularly in the wake of Kotaku's report about a second Overwatch title in development at Blizzard. Jason Schreier, the reporter, elaborated on Twitter that the game known internally at Blizzard as Overwatch 2 would be PVE, but what does that mean?

PVE Meaning: What Does PVE Mean?

PVE is an initialism that stands for "Player vs. Environment." It describes a game where players compete not against each other, but against the environment in the game. Think most single player games, or the raids in MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft — players fight against AI controlled enemies instead of other humans.

PVE is usually contrasted against PVP, or "Player vs. Player," which describes games such as Overwatch or League of Legends.

Games can often bridge the gap in small ways. In Overwatch, the Archives events are typically PVE rather than PVP, and in League of Legends small PVE elements such as mobs contribute to the larger PVP approach.

Photo courtesy of Blizzard