Valorant is now playable in China.
The National Press and Publication Administration announced the list of games approved ahead of 2023 and included Riot Games’ shooter. The game, however, is listed as Fearless Covenant.
Valorant is finally debuting in China two years after its release. The game went through China’s exhaustive approval process and will become available for players in the country soon. In China, videogames must be approved by the National Press and Publication Administration before reaching the players. Popularity around the world doesn’t guarantee approval. For example, Fortnite is one of the games that is not available in China.
So this is big news for Valorant and its esports scene. China is one of the biggest esports markets in the world and teams are known for investing significant amounts every year. FunPlus Phoenix, the 2019 League of Legends World Champion, had a Valorant team registered in Europe. The team disbanded in November of 2022, which could be an indication that the team is moving regions and competing in China.
There isn’t an official announcement about the possible competitive structure yet. China should produce at least ten competitive teams, and these teams should be integrated into the ecosystem in some way. How Riot will shuffle things, fans will have to wait and see.
Valorant will be available through the Tencent game launcher. While players can download the game launcher, it is completely in Chinese, and it is impossible to change the language. Even if players found a way to change the language to English, creating an account might prove impossible.
In order to have an account, players need a Chinese phone number, a QQ account, and a WeChat account. These accounts require identity verification using legal documents like a passport. Even if players successfully completed this process, the ping would be too high and not worth the effort.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
