Riot’s new teaser for Valorant points at night mode map

Valorant episode 6 act 1 is on the horizon, which means a new map and Split’s return. Riot Games may have dropped a teaser for map 9, and it’s not what fans had expected. 

Valorant map nine is coming soon, so a cryptic teaser on the official Riot handle isn’t too surprising. What’s surprising is the voiceover and overall aesthetic of the potential map. It’s highly possible that Valorant’s next location is set in the nighttime.

With Fracture, Riot broke the 5v5 FPS map’s basic single spawn rule. It wasn’t the first time this happened. Haven featured three locales, which rarely ever happens in a team-based fighter game. So, if the teaser is actually what it portrays, we won’t put it past Riot to add a night mode map to Valorant. 

Does Valorant have a night mode map? 

No, Valorant does not have a night mode map, but it may happen in 2023, the latest teaser on Riot’s official page suggests. 

Riot uploaded a rainy, dark teaser on Valorant’s official page featuring the keeper of nightmares, Fade. Besides the night sky, Fade’s voice line has led us to believe that a nighttime map may be on the cards. On a dark backdrop with tall skyscrapers is a lone Fade standing among strange figures. 

“So many places to run from the dark, but it always catches up,” Fade says. 

.JAN // .05 // .2023 pic.twitter.com/kMFLNXLUxw

— VALORANT (@VALORANT) January 1, 2023

So far, all Valorant maps, like most FPS locations, have been set in bright daylight for gameplay purposes. Visibility is crucial in 5v5 formats, but players have always been open to nighttime maps. Fan art is proof. However, developers must consider gameplay, which is why nighttime maps remain scarce. 

Now, Riot has teased what potentially appears to be a nighttime location straight out of a cyberpunk fantasy. The buildings are lit up with red and orange neon, and it’s raining. A futuristic aesthetic dominates the map, and the sky is visibly dark. It looks like a new map, suggesting that Riot might be gearing up to break another unwritten rule. 

Either it’s a new map, or Riot has introduced a new corner on Split and revamped it for nighttime. Buildings this tall don’t exist in Split, which suggests it’s likely a new map nine. Whatever the case, the location is unique and doesn’t look like any existing map. 

A new map would enter the Valorant map in the latter half of January with episode 6, act 1.

What’s new in Valorant map Split? 

Split is returning, but it may look different from how players left it in episode 4, act 3. Leakers and fans are theorizing that Riot has significantly changed the map’s design. Unofficial images showcase a distinct map, suggesting players must prepare for a curveball.

Design-wise, Split didn’t need many tweaks. However, attacking B site was a tall order due to an enclosed alley, which would become a lion’s den if the enemy team had a Killjoy. Also, similar to Icebox, the one-site disbalance is also an issue on Split. So, it won’t be a surprise if Riot rolls out layout balances for the B site.