Valorant Esports News

Apeks has become the first team to rise from Ascension to fall back out after a single season. Following a year marked by high hopes, hard lessons, and a relentless string of defeats, the Norwegian squad’s rapid relegation signals both the unforgiving nature of top-tier competition and the uncertainties built into Riot Games’ evolving league format. Apeks’ Challenging Venture into the VCT EMEA League Apeks made a significant leap in 2024 by winning the EMEA Ascension, securing their place inmore

VALORANT Esports has launched Shotcall, a unique Twitch extension designed to gamify the live match experience for fans. Exclusively available on desktop, Shotcall lets fans engage directly with the action by making real-time predictions on pivotal moments during VCT (VALORANT Champions Tour) matches. Accurate predictions earn you points and a place on the Shotcall leaderboard. Think of it as a mini-game unfolding alongside the high-stakes esports action you already love. How Shotcall Works Participating in Shotcall is simple and interactive:more

The North American Game Changers scene just got a little more interesting! 100 Thieves, one of the region's most popular esports organizations, just announced their first-ever GC roster, spearheaded by former-pro-turned-popular streamer Lydia "lidyuh" Wilson. Meet the 100 Thieves Game Changers Roster For their first GC roster, 100 Thieves has put up a squad that is not without its fair share of competitive experience. First up we have the former YFP X duo of Emily "melya" Khan and Jina "marceline" Kim, with the latter having competed in VALORANT since 2022. Next up we have Presley "Slandy" Anderson and Jasmine "Jazzyk1ns"more

Riot Games has announced that VALORANT Champions 2026 will take place in Shanghai, China. This marks the first time that VALORANT Champions will be hosted in China and the second time that the region will host an international tournament after VALORANT Masters Shanghai 2024. Building on Past Successes Shanghai is no stranger to the global VALORANT spotlight. Just last season, the city hosted Masters Shanghai 2024 at the iconic Mercedes-Benz Arena. That event drew very high viewership, a packed venue,more

The current no.1 Chess player, Magnus Carlsen, has won the inaugural Chess Esports World Cup by defeating Alireza Firouzja in the Grand Finals. With the win, Magnus has won $250k for himself and 1000 Club Championship points for Team Liquid. Chess at EWC 2025: A Recap The EWC 2025 Chess action kicked off with the LCQs featuring 16 players. Only five of them made it through: Nihal Sarin Javokhir Sindarov Levon Aronian Anish Giri Andrey Episenko These joined the 11more

Approximately two months ago, North American VALORANT talent Sean Gares released a video exposing the NA Challengers circuit, alleging the existence of betting rings, match-fixing, and more. In response to Sean and other community members' allegations, Riot Games announced a thorough investigation into the claims. Last night, Riot Games announced the completion of their investigation, revealing they found no conclusive evidence to substantiate any violations of competitive integrity. Sean Gares’ Exposé and NA Challengers Allegations On May 25th, approximately a week after his initial statements, exposing alleged violations of competitive integrity within NA Challengers. The core allegations were: Match-fixing andmore

Riot Games has launched their most playful summer skin bundle yet with the SplashX collection, bringing water gun warfare and pool party vibes to VALORANT alongside the brand new Unreal Engine 5 major deployment. This colorful, fun-themed bundle transforms your weapons into aquatic toys perfect for battling through the summer heat. The bundle maintains full compatibility across all VALORANT platforms, including PC and console versions. The water effects and animations perform consistently regardless of platform, ensuring all players can enjoymore

Today, VALORANT celebrates a major technical milestone: the official upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.3. While longtime players might not notice drastic changes at first glance, this foundational update paves the way for a new era of innovation and smoother gameplay in the years ahead. A New Engine for a New Era After years on Unreal Engine 4.27, VALORANT has now migrated to Unreal Engine 5.3. This switch is a future-proofing move by Riot Games, enabling the developers to take advantage of enhanced graphics, more flexible content creation, and streamlined patching systems down the line. Players won’t see major visual changesmore

The International Olympic Committee has officially confirmed that the inaugural Olympic Esports Games will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027. The announcement comes almost one year after the 142nd IOC Session took place in Paris on July 2024, where members unanimously voted to create this new Olympic competition. IOC Decision and Timeline The IOC made history when it decided to create the Olympic Esports Games during its session held alongside the 2024 Paris Olympics. Initially planned for 2025,more

The Chess EWC 2025 is on the horizon. The event will officially introduce chess into the esports scene, bridging the gap between a traditional board game and modern PC gaming. The inaugural tournament will be played on Chess.com and will act as the CCT conclusion. It will also bring some of the biggest names in the Chess world to the esports stage. Let's take a look at what the tournament has in store for us. Format and Players The Chessmore

In the world of top-tier esports, hardware matters. Every fraction of a second, every pixel, and every click can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Professional players in CS2 and VALORANT are some of the most discerning tech enthusiasts, relying on only the best mice, keyboards, and headsets. Drawing on detailed data from their current setups, this article highlights the most popular choices and what makes them stand out among elite competitors. Disclaimer: All peripheral usage statistics and pro player gear data featured in this article were sourced from prosettings.net as of July 2025. Peripheral popularity and player preferences can changemore

The "PMID Problem Generic" error in VALORANT is a payment-related issue that prevents players from purchasing VALORANT Points (VP) or Radianite Points (RP) through the game's store. This error message appears when Riot Games' payment system encounters problems with specific payment methods or experiences internal technical difficulties that affect transaction processing. What Is the 'PMID Problem Generic' in VALORANT? PMID stands for Payment ID, a crucial component of VALORANT's payment infrastructure that manages in-game transactions. When players see the "PMID Temporarilymore

The Esports World Cup Fantasy Game allow fans to interact with the world's largest esports tournament. For the first time in the tournament's history (EWC 2025), spectators can actively participate in the competition beyond just watching, creating a more immersive and engaging experience. What is EWC Fantasy? EWC Fantasy is a free-to-play fantasy sports platform that allows fans to create virtual teams using real professional esports players and compete for cash prizes. Developed in partnership with Genius Sports, the platform features a massive $200,000 prizemore

VALORANT has entered a groundbreaking era with the introduction of a comprehensive map pool overhaul and its historic transition to Unreal Engine 5, marking the most significant transformation in the game's five-year history. These dual announcements signal Riot Games' commitment to evolving the tactical shooter while maintaining its core competitive integrity. Fresh Battlefield: The New Competitive Map Pool The current competitive map pool for VALORANT Season 2025 Act 4 features seven carefully curated battlegrounds that have reshaped the tactical landscape.more

The Esports World Cup has returned for its second year with even more games and prestige on the line. With all the excitement of major titles as League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and VALORANT to name a few participating, as well as well-established organizations such as T1, Sentinels, and Team Liquid in attendance, the EWC has become a collecting centre for esports fans to enjoy all their favorite titles in one extravaganza. Recently, Strafe Esports sat down with Fabianmore

The Indonesian controller-main Aaron "mindfreak" Leonhart has decided to explore his options outside Paper Rex. Mindfreak is now a restricted free agent, concluding a five-year relationship that started in 2020 with Counter-Strike. Pacific's Best Mindfreak, along with the rest of Paper Rex, transitioned to VALORANT in February 2021. Quickly rising up the ranks, they qualified for Masters 2021 Berlin. They couldn’t get past the group stage and later failed to qualify for VALORANT Champions 2021. The squad made their namemore

On one of the biggest stages of the year inside Riyadh’s STC Arena, two EMEA titans - Fnatic and Team Heretics - clashed for more than just the $500,000 prize. At stake was pride, legacy, and redemption. While Fnatic came in as favorites, it was Heretics who stole the spotlight, defying expectations to clinch a dramatic 3-2 series win and claim their first-ever trophy at the inaugural Esports World Cup. Team Heretics 3-2 Fnatic: From Collapse to Control Team Heretics’more

The group stage of EWC 2025 featured 16 teams clashing in four groups to survive the competition. After the intense double-elimination brackets, we have the eight remaining teams that will move on to the single-elimination Playoffs stage. Let's find out what the upcoming stage has in store for us. Teams and Format The eight teams qualified for EWC 2025 VALORANT Playoffs are: Group A Paper Rex Karmine Corp Group B BBL Esports Sentinels Group C NRG Team Heretics Group Dmore

VALORANT’s newest map, Corrode, has been out for just over 2 weeks now, and understanding of the map continues to evolve the more exposure we gain on it. When first released, the map appeared incredibly defender-sided, with powerful positions for multiple defenders to decimate rushing attackers. This has shifted dramatically in the last week, and the map is now one of the most exciting to play tactically. Let’s break it all down in our guide to Corrode. General Map Layoutmore

VALORANT’s newest map, Corrode, is still in its early days, but the meta is quickly taking shape. While ranked data points to popular picks like Reyna and Clove, higher-level compositions are already gravitating toward agents that can control mid, pressure both spike sites, and thrive in close-quarters combat. Based on competitive pick and win rate data, plus a breakdown of agent utility, here’s an analytical look at what team comp is emerging as the strongest on Corrode. Note: All data andmore