Valorant
Kick
Riot Games announces Kick partnership for LoL, Valorant, and TFT esports broadcasts
Khizar Mundia
League of Legends and Valorant developer and publisher Riot Games has announced a massive partnership with live streaming platform Kick. This partnership will bring official broadcasts and co-streaming support to more viewers. Kick isn’t new to the esports scene, and the platform has been pushing for official recognition for some time. The live streaming platform has hosted and supported many esports community broadcasts, notably for Counter-Strike and Valorant. Kick has …
Valorant
Paper Rex vs Leviatan VCT Masters London Grand Final: betting predictions and picks
Owen Harsono
We’re down to the final two at VCT Master London 2026, with Paper Rex and Leviatan competing for the international title. Will Paper Rex win their second international event, or will the young squad of Leviatan pull off the upset? Here are our VCT Masters London Paper Rex vs Leviatan predictions. Tournament: VCT Masters London 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Valorant Format: Best-of-five Betting tip: Paper Rex have already beaten …
Valorant
Riot Games reveal major VCT 2027 changes: here’s how it works
Owen Harsono
After a long wait, Riot is finally moving away from the current closed league structure in VCT, and is opening the floodgates for anyone to compete. The 2027 VCT Season introduces a new ecosystem where teams can climb from open qualifiers all the way to champions. Here’s what you need to know about the VCT 2027 structure. In the current VCT season, we have long, drawn-out regional leagues where teams …
Esports Betting
History in the making at VCT Masters London as four team carry the expectations of all major regions
Cecilia Ciocchetti
By the time dawn comes on VALORANT Masters London’s final weekend at the Copper Box Arena, every region will still have a reason to believe the trophy will be theirs. Twelve teams arrived in London carrying the hopes of the APAC, China, EMEA, and the Americas. Two weeks later, Paper Rex, Edward Gaming, Team Vitality, and Leviatán remain standing, each carrying a different story into the final stretch of the …
Valorant
Which teams will make it to the VCT Masters London playoffs?
Owen Harsono
The first round of the VCT Masters London Swiss Stage has come to a close, and we have a pretty good idea of which teams are looking good – and which ones aren’t. Let’s take a look at the frontrunners who will likely survive the first stage with flying colors. It’s been a long time coming, but we’re finally able to see the EMEA superteam play in their first international …
Esports Betting
VALORANT Masters London 2026: Teams, format, prize pool and odds
Owen Harsono
After a long wait, international Valorant action is back. Twelve of the best teams across four major regions have booked their spots at the upcoming VALORANT Masters London 2026 tournament, and we’re in for a treat. Here’s everything you need to know about the event. Masters London is the second international VALORANT tournament of the year, following Masters Santiago in February and March. We have several new rookies making their …
Valorant
NRG vs 100 Thieves betting predictions and best picks: VCT Americas Stage 1
Owen Harsono
NRG will take on 100 Thieves in the lower bracket of VCT Americas Stage 1, with the winner booking the final spot at Valorant Masters London 2026. There’s a lot on the line, as this series will determine how the next few months look for both teams. Here is our NRG vs 100 Thieves VCT Americas Stage 1 predictions. Tournament: VCT Americas Stage 1 Stage: Playoffs Game: Valorant Format: Best-of-three …
Esports Betting
EWC officially heads to Paris for 2026 as early reports confirmed
Michael Hassall
The Esports World Cup 2026 will take place in Paris, France from July later this year as per an new announcement by the EWC organizers, the Esports Foundation. Revealed in a post on their official social media, and an accompanying release and blog post, the announcement confirmed earlier speculation that the event would move location due to the “regional situation” around Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here’s the info: The Esports World …
Paper Rex vs FULL SENSE betting preview, odds, and best picks: VCT Pacific Stage 1 grand final predictions
Owen Harsono
Valorant
FULL SENSE will take on Paper Rex for the VCT Pacific crown, as the two teams clash in the Pacific Stage 1 grand finals. The former made a clean run through the upper bracket, while the latter has been ramping up through the lower bracket. Here are our Paper Rex vs FULL SENSE VCT Pacific predictions. Tournament: VCT Pacific Stage 1 Stage: Grand Final Game: Valorant Format: Best of 5 …
Valorant’s TenZ joins T1 as a content creator
Hannan Mundia
Valorant
After a long career with Sentinels, the former professional Valorant player TenZ joined T1 as a content creator. Riot Games’ FPS title Valorant has given rise to multiple names. However, few have earned the recognition and respect that Tyson “TenZ” Van Ngo has. While he has retired from his career as a professional Valorant player, he continues to create content on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. While he’s most …
Trainwreckstv’s Valorant ban has xQc and Riot Games quarrelling
Hannan Mundia
Valorant
The popular Kick streamer Trainwreckstv has received a 30-day ban on Valorant for apparently boosting despite playing on his own account, sparking heated discourse in the community. The terms of service of online competitive games are usually shakily implemented. In particular, Riot Games is known for only occasionally giving players any punishment for actions such as boosting and smurfing. The primary exceptions to this matter are popular streamers who catch …
All Real-World Locations of Every Valorant Map
Owen Harsono
Valorant
Have you ever wondered why some Valorant maps feel familiar? That’s because they actually take place in real-life locations. That’s right, your favorite maps are based on real cities in our world. However, there’s also a little twist which we’ll go over. Below, we take a look at all Valorant map locations and what they’re inspired by. Before we dive into the list, there’s something you should know about Valorant’s …
This is how to change your name and Riot ID in Valorant
Owen Harsono
News
Are you bored of your Valorant name and want to switch things up? Fortunately, Riot Games makes it very easy to change your name in Valorant. In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to change your Valorant name. A Riot ID is pretty much the same thing as your Valorant name. Riot IDs feature a combination of your in-game display name, as well as …
Here’s why Riot Games banned canezerra for 12 months
Khizar Mundia
Valorant
Riot Games is known to punish players when they violate the terms of service or cheat, and Alex “canezerra” Banyasz is the latest to fall foul of the rules — he has been banned for one year. canezerra rose through the ranks in the Tier 2 Valorant circuit and gained fame in the Challengers circuit while playing for Envy, qualifying for the VCT Americas after winning Ascension in 2025. canezerra …
Best Valorant Streamers in 2026
Owen Harsono
Valorant
Sometimes, playing Valorant can be a little stressful and exhausting. That’s why many Valorant fans prefer watching someone else play the game instead. If you’re looking to sit back and watch some entertaining gameplay, here are the top Valorant streamers in 2026. Mixwell is a name that’s been hovering around first-person shooter games for a while. He kickstarted his career in professional Counter-Strike, where he played for a handful of …
All Valorant Maps in Standard Mode, Competitive and in Reserve
Owen Harsono
Valorant
If you’re trying to become a good Valorant player, there are several things you need to master. Not only do you have to learn the individual agents, but you also have to study all of the maps in Valorant. In this guide is a list of all Valorant maps and what you need to know about them. As of , there are 12 maps in Valorant, released over the course …
VCT 2027: The biggest change to Valorant esports in four years
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games is overhauling the Valorant Champions Tour for 2027, scrapping traditional league play in favor of a tournament-based system where any team can compete for a spot on the main VCT stage. Here’s all you need to know about the VCT 2027 ecosystem. Announced in 2020 and launched in 2021, the Valorant Champions Tour has gone through several significant changes over the years, none bigger than the franchise model …
Best Valorant Players in 2026: The Top 10 Pros Dominating Right Now
Owen Harsono
Valorant
The Valorant 2026 season is off to an interesting start, as we have new names dominating the professional scene this year so far. Some of the familiar names that dominated previous years are no longer at the top. Here are the best Valorant players in 2026. Disclaimer: This article was last updated on May 31, 2026. It is based only on the 2026 season up to this point. A contender …
Best Valorant Teams in 2026
Owen Harsono
Valorant
Professional Valorant is getting interesting in 2026. We’re seeing new competition with fresh blood, which makes it more exciting than ever. With VCT Masters Santiago and Kickoffs wrapped up, we have a good idea of who the strongest teams currently are. Here is our list of the best Valorant teams in 2026. Disclaimer: This article is based only on the 2026 season and was written following the conclusion of VCT Masters …
Valorant Ranks: Our Complete 2026 Ranking System Guide
Owen Harsono
Valorant
Valorant is one of the most popular competitive video games in the world, and many players spend hundreds or even thousands of hours grinding the game. That’s exactly why Riot Games has implemented a ranking system, which allows players to track their progress. Below we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Valorant ranking system. Valorant’s ranking system gives its players a good idea of where they currently …
Riot Games has long looked to expand its footprint beyond the success of popular MOBA League of Legends, and one of its biggest successes to date in this regard is the tactical shooter, Valorant. Blending traditional first-person shooter elements with unique and flashy hero abilities, Valorant seeks to combine the best attributes of tactical shooters and hero shooters into one cohesive experience.
Based on player feedback, the game has largely succeeded in accomplishing those aims. It’s not an easy balance, and it’s one that is arguably still tenuous, but Riot Games seems to be doing as good a job of it as most fans have hoped for.
What type of game is Valorant?
Valorant is a first-person shooter that represents a unique blend of the tactical shooter and hero shooter subgenres. There are some games that represent similar gameplay elements, but not many that offer the exact experience that Valorant puts forward to players.
The tactical shooter genre is often considered to have been defined by the release of the original Counter-Strike, a multiplayer mod for famed single-player PC title Half-Life that later became a standalone game of its own. While most multiplayer FPS games to that point emphasized prolonged battles between opposing players zipping around the game at high speeds, Counter-Strike slowed things down significantly and made players much more susceptible to each other’s firepower, requiring players to take a more tactical approach to play.
That slower and more tactical approach, combined with the lightning-quick nature of action when it does occur, proved reliably popular. That popularity can still be seen today with the ongoing success enjoyed by the Counter-Strike franchise, and it’s this gameplay type that represents the core of Valorant. It’s no accident that former Counter-Strike developers were drafted by Riot Games to help create Valorant during the game’s formative stages.
What differentiates Valorant from CS and other tactical shooters it that each of the game’s characters, called agents, wield a number of unique abilities. Some are typical for tactical shooters, like flashbangs and smokes, while others are wildly different, such as an ability that transports two players to an isolated dueling arena for its duration.
These agent abilities are more reminiscent of hero shooters, a subgenre that arguably got its start with the Team Fortress games but has best been popularized by Blizzard title Overwatch. The abilities, combind with the tactical considerations that are at the core of Valorant, separate it from most any other FPS experience available for play.
How does Valorant esports work?
Like many other popular competitive shooters, Valorant does have a thriving esports scene. That scene is differentiated by the way it’s run and controlled by developer and publisher Riot Games. Riot uses a model based on the success of its League of Legends esports scene, which sees the globe’s competitive players and team’s separated by region. These regions play out their own competitions in their sections of the world before coming together at regular intervals for international tournaments featuring the best teams from each individual region.
While League of Legends once boasted a variety of regions and regional types, Riot sought to simplify that model when setting up esports for Valorant. The game has only a handful of major regions, and these regions are held as largely equitable, each sending their best teams to international events leading up to the year-end VALORANT Champions event.
