Ranked play has finally come to Valorant, giving competitive players a chance to prove how good they actually are at the game. Valorant is still currently in beta, so any of the current systems in place are subject to change before the game fully launches this summer, but the present implementation of ranked play is indicative of what we’ve seen in other recent competitive games and it’s likely here to stay until launch. It works a lot like the competitive modes in Counter-Strike and League of Legends. If you’re not the competitive type, though, standard unrated casual matches haven’t been taken out of the game. For the hardcore crowd out there, however, it’s time to grind. This guide will break down everything you need to know about Valorant’s ranked competitive mode.
How to Play Ranked in Valorant
To unlock Competitive mode in Valorant, you first need to complete 20 Unrated matches. These 20 matches serve as a tutorial of sorts and prevent new players from jumping into ranked without having any knowledge of how the game works. After playing 20 Unrated matches, you can select Competitive mode before queueing up for a match. You’ll start out without a rank, but after playing 5 placement matches, you will be awarded one of the ranks listed below.
Valorant All Ranks List
- Iron 1
- Iron 2
- Iron 3
- Bronze 1
- Bronze 2
- Bronze 3
- Silver 1
- Silver 2
- Silver 3
- Gold 1
- Gold 2
- Gold 3
- Platinum 1
- Platinum 2
- Platinum 3
- Diamond 1
- Diamond 2
- Diamond 3
- Immortal 1
- Immortal 2
- Immortal 3
- Valorant
How Does Valorant Ranking Work?
Winning games will increase your rank, as expected, but Riot has explained that winning isn’t the only thing that can cause your rank to go up. “Winning games is the most important factor in gaining rank,” according to Riot, but “if you perform exceptionally well, your rank can go up faster.” The opposite is true as well, so if you have a particularly bad game, your rank will suffer as a result. Not all wins and losses are equal, either. Decisive wins will rank you up faster, and shutout losses will reduce your rank heavily.
Does My Rank Reset If I Don’t Play?
Your Valorant rank does not decay or reset if you don’t play the game for a while. However, if you don’t play for 14 days, your rank will be hidden from other players for your first match when you return. “We want to be confident that when others see your rank, it’s an accurate reflection of your skill,” Riot explains. “After 14 inactive days, we don’t have as high of confidence in displaying your rank.”
Does My Beta Rank Carry Over to the Full Game?
Your Valorant rank from the closed beta does not carry over to the full game. The ranking system may see some changes before Valorant launches this summer, so you’ll have to redo your placement matches again in the full game.
Can I Play Competitive With Friends?
You can play Competitive mode in Valorant with a full team of five friends if you’d like, but there are some rules and restrictions and place. Everyone in your party must be within 2 ranks (6 tiers) of your rank. That means you cannot play with your friend in Diamond if you’re still stuck in Iron and vice versa. Also, Valorant takes party size into account for matchmaking, so it will attempt to find premade groups of a similar size for the opposing team. Solo players will ideally be matched with other solo players, and full teams of five will ideally be matched against other premade teams of five.
