Riot Games’ Valorant is an intensely competitive FPS by design. With aspirations of becoming an esport, it’s surprising that the game launched without a dedicated competitive mode. Thankfully, the devs are looking to right this issue with a future patch. Have they announced an official Valorant ranked release date, though? Stick with this guide to find out.
When is ranked coming to Valorant?
Currently, no definitive Valorant ranked release date has been announced. It’s impossible to say exactly when the Valorant competitive mode and its accompanying rank system will be added, but the wait shouldn’t be too long. Riot’s launch Valorant patch notes confirmed that ranked play will be added after “a few patches” have been released.
ALSO: Are Valorant deathmatch and TDM modes coming?
Patches are scheduled to roll out frequently, which means it hopefully shouldn’t be too long before competitive play returns. The absence of ranked isn’t due to technical issues or anything like that, but it’s rather a “courtesy” for new players learning how to play. Riot Games took the same approach in the closed beta pre-launch, all in an effort to level the playing field before flipping the switch to turn competitive on.
While it’s inconvenient for veterans of the beta, it makes sense for Riot to lower the initial barrier to entry. New players are less likely to be scared away by encountering huge skill gaps and toxic teammates. Meanwhile, in time, the skill ceiling will level out and decrease the potential for toxicity to break out.
Until competitive mode returns, players can hone their skills via casual matches. Now’s the time to prepare, as the vague ETA of “a few patches” could mean Valorant ranked play is just around the corner.
We’ll keep you updated regarding the Valorant ranked release date moving forward.
