Valorant
Valorant
Valorant player count 2023: How many people are playing?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant has become extremely popular among FPS fans, but exactly how many people play Valorant in 2023? Here’s what we know about Valorant player count. Valorant entered the FPS genre as a less serious 5v5 FPS game. At least, that’s what players deduced from its upbeat, animated visuals. But the game has a massive player base and a widespread esports circuit in 2023. Riot’s FPS is making waves in 2023, especially …
Valorant
Tex joins Leviatán to complete the roster
Tokoni Uti
Latin American organization Leviatán has signed German-North American player Ian “tex” Botsch to the Valorant roster, it was announced last night. Tex is the latest addition to the roster following his stint with The Guard, where the player famously earned Ascension with the rest of the team but was released by the organization following an internal restructuring. https://twitter.com/LeviatanGG/status/1712606652245979408 But Tex will be able to compete in the VCT Americas league, …
Valorant
Former LOUD player aspas joins Leviatán
Tokoni Uti
Former World Champion Valorant player Erick “aspas” Santos has left Brazilian team LOUD to join Leviatán following weeks of speculation surrounding his future, the organization announced last night. With the move, Leviatán has developed a solid roster on paper prior to the VCT Americas season next year, where nine other teams will compete to become crowned the best team in the region. https://twitter.com/aspaszin/status/1712242315614474746 The organization is set to finalize the …
Valorant
This Sova trick on Breeze is a game-changer
Fariha Bhatti
Sova’s viability on Breeze is no secret, and this new trick further proves why he’s an excellent pick. Maps with sky openings are Sova’s home turf. The Russian Initiator can pull off wild tricks with his traditional bow and arrow, but on Breeze, his viability is unmatched. From gathering intel to drawing out enemies from A site’s choke points, Sova can do it all. This new trick demonstrates why he’s …
Valorant
How to fix bugged Valorant audio in patch 7.07
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant players have noticed a weird audio bug after patch 7.07. Here’s how to fix it if your in-game sound is also disrupting gameplay. After patch 7.07, which reverts the rank restriction and slightly buffs Cypher, players noticed an audio bug that could be game-breaking. Due to distorted and misleading audio, many have ended up in hot waters, losing their ranked games. But it’s possible to fix the audio bug …
Valorant
Who is Noot Noot? Pro Valorant team disqualified for cheating
Fariha Bhatti
Unless you live under a rock, you probably already know about the latest cheating drama in the Valorant Game Changers. So, who is Noot Noot, and what exactly did the team do? On October 5, Riot caught a team cheating in a live game against Complexity GX3, which led to an instant forfeit of the match. Unsurprisingly, Noot Noot has been disqualified from the series, but fans of the game …
Counter-Strike
Here’s how to convert Valorant sens to CS2
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike 2 servers went live a week ago, and the game has already started roping in players from competitor FPS games, especially Valorant. If you’re new, here’s how to convert your Valorant sens to CS2. While both the games are pretty similar, movement in CS2 and Valorant is like night and day. In CS2, movement feels much lighter and smoother, facilitating jiggle peeking, counter-strafing, and many other stunts. In Valorant, …
Valorant
Valorant team caught cheating against Disguised, Complexity
Olivia Richman
Valorant Game Changers team noot noot is being investigated for cheating after a few suspicious wins. During a Game Changers Series III match against Complexity GX3, there was a weird extended pause on noot noot’s end. But after winning that match, noot noot went on to also beat Disguised Game Changers. Now, Riot Anti-Cheat has confirmed that one of noot noot’s players was cheating upon closer inspection. https://twitter.com/valesports_na/status/1710099437815754778 After losing …
Cryptic teaser related to Agent 24 appears on Valorant map Sunset
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
A fresh teaser for Valorant’s upcoming Agent 24 has emerged within the newest map, Sunset, sparking a flurry of wild theories. Valorant’s upcoming agent is a duelist who enjoys a good hot plate of duck blood. Their abilities, origins, and name, however, are still unknown. Previously, the code name for a player card was leaked, which pointed at the agent’s potential ability, but there was no way to tie the …
Teaser for the new Valorant Agent has been added to the game
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
The upcoming Agent to be released in Valorant has been teased as “Architect” by Riot Games. Here’s what the data miners have discovered. Valorant data miner and leaker ValorLeaks posted a short clip on social media of a mysterious sound that was added to the game. The soundbite is supposedly linked to the upcoming Agent set to be added to the game under the codename “Architect.” Not much is known …
Valorant patch 7.07 reverts anti-smurf rank restriction, buffs Cypher
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant patch 7.07 reverts a crucial update that prevented smurfs from entering high-ranked lobbies. The recent patch includes minor updates that will potentially have a major impact on the Valorant meta. Patch 7.07 acknowledges the smurfing problem in Valorant and rolls out a minor but significant buff for Cypher. Earlier this month, Riot pulled the curtain on Valorant rank restriction, which barred low-ranked players from Ascendant and the ranks above. …
Cloud9 Valorant secures victory with new roster at Red Bull Double Agent Tournament
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
North American Valorant team Cloud9 won its first match following the major roster overhaul during the offseason at the Red Bull Double Agent tournament. Although the event wasn’t taken as seriously as a major VCT match, Cloud9 managed to score a victory against Moist x Shopify, two brands that merged together for the creation of a Valorant Challengers team. Cloud9 managed to take down MxS despite the disruptions, which caused …
This iconic Valorant bundle is returning with a Phantom skin
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Leakers have discovered that Gaia’s Vengeance 2.0 is the next Valorant bundle, and it looks better than ever. Riot Games has recently rolled out plenty of original, futuristic skins, but players still compare them to popular classic bundles. Riot often recreates hit bundles with small upgrades to satiate those who like over-the-top skins. This time, Gaia’s Vengeance is going back to the workshop for a facelift. Credible Valorant leakers have …
Red Bull Turkey teases cNed to FUT Esports
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
The Red Bull Turkey social media has teased the signing of former Natus Vincere player Mehmet “cNed” Yağız İpek to FUT Esports. CNed has been linked with the Turkish team during the offseason following his removal from the CIS-based team Na’Vi. It was reported that cNed was trialing for the team last month and was being heavily considered by FUT, according to Esporkolik. https://twitter.com/RedBullTR/status/1708422308723921342 Fans may get to see cNed …
Valorant Mobile’s practice mode is better than PC
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Players will either be pleased or enraged to know that practice mode in Valorant Mobile is tenfold better than the PC variant. Valorant Mobile is currently in the late stages of testing, and gameplay clips have been steadily leaking. A recent leak revealed an MVP animation exclusive to the mobile version, which has left PC players green with envy. Thus far, Valorant Mobile appears to be shaping up as a …
Cloud9 announces new Valorant roster with vanity return
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
North American esports organization Cloud9 has announced the signing of multiple new players to the Valorant roster including the return of the former in-game leader Anthony “vanity” Malaspina, it was announced today. vanity is most known for his previous stint with the organization which ended earlier this year following the VCT LOCK//IN tournament. At the event, Cloud9 was defeated by Korean team DRX in the second round. But vanity has …
Here’s the first official teaser for Valorant agent 24, a sharp duelist
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot has dropped the first official teaser for Valorant Agent 24, previously leaked by the codename “Giraffe.” It’s been almost two years since Riot updated the duelist roster and sharpshooters in Valorant have long awaited a change. Finally, after rolling out Gekko and Deadlock, Riot is turning its attention to the duelist lineup. In the latest State of the Agents, character producer John Goscicki talked about the upcoming duelist. The …
Sayf released by Team Liquid
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
The star duelist for European organization Team Liquid Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel, has been released from the Valorant team, it was announced today. Sayf, known for his aggressive duelist playstyle with Team Liquid, has been linked with a move away from the team for months following the team’s disappointing run at Valorant Champions, the largest and most anticipated event in the calendar, which took place earlier this year. https://twitter.com/LiquidValorant/status/1707711834965635524 It’s unclear …
Kyedae says she’s completed her chemotherapy for cancer
Tokoni Uti
Twitch
Popular Twitch streamer and content creator Kyedae Alicia Shymko has said that she’s off chemotherapy and will continue her other treatment on her road to recovery. A few days ago, Kyedae said that she’s finished chemotherapy, which is used to treat cancer by utilizing chemicals to kill the cells in the body. She still has other treatments to complete, but she shared the good news with her fans and the …
ardiis move to Natus Vincere edges closer
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
European Valorant player Ardis Svarenieks is set to return to the region by joining Natus Vincere, following weeks of speculation surrounding his future, it was revealed today. ardiis was added to the global contract database with Na’Vi, which confirmed that the British-Latvian player will compete in the EMEA Valorant Champions Tour for the Ukrainian-based organization next year. ardiis is set to complete the roster following the replacement of Mehmet “cNed” …
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.
