Valorant esports: the game and its pro scene

Valorant in brief

Valorant is a first-person shooter from Riot Games, released in June 2020. It was the studio's first shooter and became its second major esport. Every match pits two teams of five against each other. Before the first round, each player selects an Agent, a character with abilities of its own; because those abilities are built to be combined, choosing Agents is a team decision. Agents fall into four roles, and a line-up that mixes them usually has better odds of winning.

A map is played over a series of rounds. One side attacks while the other defends, and they trade roles after 12 rounds. The attackers aim to plant a device called the Spike and let it detonate; the defenders have to defuse it once it is down. Every round opens with a buying phase in which players spend their credits on weapons and abilities.

Knowing each map, and the routes opponents can take, counts for a lot, and so does communication: teammates call out positions by voice or with pings.

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How Valorant esports works

Riot Games runs the official professional circuit, the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT). Some organisations take part as partner teams, but they are not the only ones: teams outside the partnership can also earn a place through competition and reach the biggest events.

Results in regional competitions decide which teams go on to the international events. The details change from one season to the next, from the stages of the year to the way teams qualify, so the official site, valorantesports.com, is the place to check the current format.

Riot also runs Game Changers, a programme meant to make more room for women in competitive Valorant, with competitions organised by region.

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Masters, Champions and the major competitions

During the season, Riot holds international tournaments called Masters, each in a different host city. They bring together teams from several regions, which meet there in the course of the year.

Champions closes every VCT season. The strongest teams of the year gather there, and the tournament crowns the Valorant world champion; no title on the circuit ranks higher.

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How to watch Valorant esports

valorantesports.com is the official home of Valorant esports, with news and a calendar of upcoming matches and tournaments. Riot streams the matches live on its official Valorant Esports channels, which are present on the main video platforms.

At events such as Champions, watching the official live broadcast can unlock in-game items, under conditions such as a minimum viewing time that are set out on the event's page. Fans can also submit predictions, called Pick'Ems, in the game client or on the website; taking part requires a Riot account.

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