No matter what game it is, everyone loves it when they land a headshot onto their opponent. Just hearing the special hit sound or seeing the different icon on the kill feed makes you feel good. For some people hitting headshots comes naturally, and for others it requires some practice. There are a couple ways to practice your aiming and it really comes down to your personal preference as there is no "one way" to practice getting headshots consistently that works for everyone. With these methods, feel free to change your crosshair and your sensitivity to find what fits you best. So with that being said let's get right to it.

Headshots only vs. bots

The easiest method to set up and to use is the headshots only vs. bots method. Just as the name suggests, this is where you make your own custom game, turn on headshots only, and fill the enemy team with bots. It is recommended to use Ana bots on the enemy team when doing this because she is one of the smallest and most elusive targets in the game who can also not deal headshot damage to you. And if you can consistently land headshots on Ana, it becomes easier to hit bigger targets. You can also add other heroes like Winston, Zarya, Reinhardt, Pharah, Junkrat, or Symmetra to the enemy team as they do not deal headshot damage just like Ana. Adding these other heroes can help you practice because in a real game situation you most likely will not be facing a team made up of all small targets. The best part of using this method is when creating the custom game you can make a preset with all the settings the way you want them to be and save it, so it is easy to access next time and all you will have to do is add the bots. This is the preset I use when training against bots.

Other custom games

Just like the headshots only vs. bots method, you can go into the arcade and search for headshot only lobbies. So instead of facing semi-predictable bots, you can now face real opponents. This is a great option because everyone in the lobby is there for the same reason you are, so you may be able to get tips on aiming from these players as well. Another option is to create your own 1v1 lobby for yourself and a friend so that way both of you can get better at landing headshots together.

Learn how each hero's shot behaves

Each hero's shot behaves differently, so it would not hurt to learn how all the shots behave. For example Genji throws his shurikens with deadly accuracy, so when playing Genji you may want to try predicting where the enemy will go instead of aiming directly at them, because most likely your opponent will not be standing still when you are fighting. With Soldier 76 his first couple shots are pretty accurate but then after that they start to spread out, so embrace your inner Counter-Strike and click instead on holding down the mouse button when playing Soldier. Then there are heroes like Tracer and D.Va (in mech) whose shots are always spread out, so when playing these two it is best to be closer to the enemy to minimize the spread in your shots. If you are able to learn these shot behaviors you will get better at aiming with your hero of choice.

Aim for the neck

You can use this method during all of you games whether it be quick play or competitive. Once again, as the name says just aim for the neck. This may sound a little weird because it is called a headshot not a neckshot after all. When aiming for the head and not the neck you have a bigger area to miss in any direction. But when you are aiming for the neck if you shoot a little higher you may get a headshot, and if you shoot a little lower at least you will get a body shot instead of missing completely (see pictures below for comparison). Hitting the neck directly still counts as a headshot and does the extra damage if you happen to hit exactly where you are aiming. This method takes some getting used to but after a while it will become instinct. Speaking of instinct, another thing you should probably get used to always doing is having your cross hair at about the height of a hero's head or body when not in a fight. It is much easier for you to land a shot if you are already aiming around a body or head's height and have to slightly adjust instead of aiming at the floor and having to greatly adjust.

Calm down

Lastly, you are not going to land headshots if you are angry and tilted. The angrier you get at the game, the worse your accuracy will be. So do not stress yourself too much. It is just a game after all. All you can do is get better! You can do just that if you keep putting time and effort into improving. Take your time when trying to aim, the worst that can happen is you die and then respawn and try again. If you feel like you are too angry to keep playing, go play a calm game for an hour or two and then come back and see how you feel. If you follow these tips and use some of these methods you will be landing headshots in no time.

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