At Summer Games Fest, Riot Games announced that it’s (finally) bringing its hit free-to-play 5v5 tactical shooter, Valorant, to consoles. Starting June 14, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan can register for its limited beta test.
“When exploring whether to bring Valorant to additional platforms, we knew we had to be able to offer the same uncompromising, competitive experience that we’ve provided to PC players for years: a precise, team based, tactical shooter,” said Arnar Gylfason, production director of Valorant at Riot Games, in a statement. “We were adamant that Valorant core, competitive gameplay must feel natural on a controller; and — if we couldn’t deliver on that gameplay promise — we had to be prepared to walk away from it. We hope we nailed it, but ultimately, our players will have the final say.”
Alongside Gylfason, Valorant’s executive producer Andy Ho presented the limited beta announcement at 2024’s Summer Game Fest. Four years ago, the developer took the stage at SGF to unveil Valorant’s official June 2, 2020 PC release date.
This is a notable step into the console market for Riot Games. Its flagship title, League of Legends, is not available on consoles. However, Riot has an existing relationship with Xbox. Game Pass members can unlock in-game content in some of Riot’s titles. Moreover, the developer will gain valuable experience before launching its upcoming fighting game, 2XKO.
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In order to maintain competitive integrity, Riot is not allowing crossplay between its PC and console versions. However, Valorant accounts will share their inventory and gameplay progression between platforms. Additionally, Riot plans to release all live patch balances, new agents, maps, premium content and additional live service features simultaneously across platforms.
Global console players can learn more about the regional eligibility rollout and register for the limited Valorant beta today.