As of Patch 1.02, Valorant’s Competitive mode has finally been added to the full version of the game. Those who played the closed beta will remember it, though there are a number of small tweaks since then. Here we’ll be going over those, as well as explaining Valorant’s ranking system for newcomers who aren’t sure how to get involved.
How Valorant’s Ranking System Works
First things first: in order to unlock Competitive mode, you will need to play at least 20 games of Unrated. Once unlocked, you will then need to complete five Competitive games before you are eligible to receive a rank.
At the conclusion of your sixth game, Valorant will then issue you a rank — though you should note that your performance over the past five games is taken into account.
Below you can see the full iconography of Valorant’s competitive mode. Each rank starts at 1 and then ascends, so Iron 1 is the lowest. Radiant is the top rank, which was previously called Valorant but was changed in Patch 1.02.
So how do you improve your rank, then? Well, it’s as simple as you’d expect really: winning games, finishing as the team/match MVP, and generally playing well will see you climb quickly.
However, you can actually still lose games and ascend the ranks, so long as you have a good KDR and/or top score the match.
Unsurprisingly, losing games consistently in combination with performing poorly on an individual level will see you drop.
At the conclusion of each Competitive game, you will see your rank in the top left corner. Underneath, you’ll also see signage indicating how your performance has affected your rank.
There’s a green upward arrow, red arrow, or an equals sign (=) to indicate an increase, decrease, or neutral movement. You can also hover over your rank to get further information, such as, say, “rank increased slightly.”
For now, that’s everything we know about Valorant’s ranked mode and when it will release. As soon as we know more we’ll update this guide. For more information on the game, search Twinfinite.
