Overview
Valorant is a free-to-play tactical first-person shooter from Riot Games, the studio behind League of Legends, released on PC on 2 June 2020. Every match pits two teams of five against each other, swapping between attack and defence: attackers try to plant an explosive device called the Spike, defenders try to stop or defuse it. The first team to win 13 rounds takes the match, so every short skirmish can swing the outcome.
OtaHub's take
What sets Valorant apart is the mix of precise gunplay, where a single headshot is often enough to drop an opponent, and Agent abilities. Each Agent belongs to one of four roles, Duelist, Initiator, Controller and Sentinel, bringing smokes, walls, recon gadgets or healing. An economy system forces the team to decide which guns and abilities to buy each round. The Vanguard anti-cheat runs at the operating system kernel level.
Riot brought Valorant to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2024 and moved the game to Unreal Engine 5 in July 2025. A mobile version launched in China in August 2025. On the esports side, the Valorant Champions Tour runs regional leagues for the Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China, feeding into international events and Champions at the end of the year. OtaHub regularly follows VCT Pacific and Champions, where teams such as Paper Rex represent Asia.
Verdict
Valorant suits players who enjoy competitive shooters and are willing to train their aim, learn maps and coordinate with teammates over voice chat. Newcomers should expect a fairly steep learning curve, especially in ranked play. Since it is free, playing a few matches to see if it clicks is easy, and esports fans have the VCT to follow all year.
