What we know about Valorant:
Valorant is a new free-to-play tactical first-person shooter from Riot Games. So far it looks like a cross between CS:GO and Overwatch. The Valorant release date is based sometime in the summer, but there will also be a closed beta running sometime in the months before release. In their Valorant announcement video, Riot Games stated they want to solve many of the problems that have plagued competitive shooters, such as cheating, latency, and peeker’s advantage. Players can choose between multiple characters, called Agents, at the start of the match - each with various unique abilities. The games in Valorant are squad-based and adopt the Counter-Strike formula of “attack and defend” over multiple rounds.
Valorant release date
Valorant will be released sometime this summer, Riot Games have revealed. The exact date is still up in the air, and will likely depend on the amount of work required to address all feedback given during the closed beta.
Valorant beta details
Yes, there is a closed beta coming for Valorant, likely very soon. We don’t have a specific start or end date yet for this beta, but we’ll be sure to let you know when that information is revealed. The beta will most likely run for at least a week, and possibly (hopefully) more like a month - but we’ll have to wait and see.
Valorant trailer and screenshots
In case you missed the Valorant announcement trailer back in October last year (back when the game was still called Project A), check it out just above. We’ve also been given our first proper look at some Valorant gameplay with the preview above, in which a group of developers take us through a (very tense) single round.
Valorant characters and abilities
The above Valorant screenshots offer several glimpses at the various characters we’ll be able to play around with once Valorant releases. Here’s what we know:
There will be a roster of eight characters (called Agents) in Valorant during the closed beta and upon release. Each character in Valorant will have a unique set of four abilities: one signature, available at the start; two more abilities which must be bought between rounds; and one ultimate ability which must be charged by getting kills. In addition to purchasing weapons and gear between rounds, you can also spend points/money either to unlock new abilities or to replenish the limited charges you have for each ability.
We’ve put together the below image which details each of the eight characters and their abilities, as revealed by Riot Games.
Valorant gameplay details
Almost there with our Valorant roundup, but what else is there to know? Quite a bit, as it turns out:
Riot Games have said that with Valorant they are looking to tackle the problems that plague all competitive shooters. Prime among these is cheating - so Riot Games have built the game’s infrastructure from day one with cheating in mind, aiming to minimise the prevalence of cheaters as much as possible. Riot Games have also said they are working on new ways of minimising other issues regarding latency, input delay, frame rate, and the infamous peeker’s advantage. How? We’re not sure yet. But it sounds very interesting indeed. One of the screenshots above reveals the current roster of weapons in Valorant. It seems so far there are: Four Rifles (Bulldog, Guardian, Phantom, and Vandal); Two SMGs (Stinger and Spectre); Two Shotguns (Bucky and Judge); Two Snipers (Marshal and Operator); Two Heavy Weapons (Ares and Odin); Five Sidearms (Classic, Shorty, Frenzy, Ghost, and Sheriff); and Two Shields (Light Shield and Heavy Shield).
Alright, that more or less wraps up everything we know so far about Riot’s upcoming FPS. But for all the latest details on Valorant, be sure to bookmark this page and check back every so often!
