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Valorant Ranks Explained 2026: Your Guide to Competitive Levels

Sports Writer

Publish Date: 22/06/2024

Fact checked by: Mike McKean

Key Points

There are 9 divisions and 25 Valorant ranks in total
Play five Placement matches in Act 1 to get a ranking
Valorant ranks are adjusted ‘behind the scenes’ using MMR

Valorant is a tactical first-person shooter, where you battle for a top position as either an attacker or a defender. There are 13 rounds of Valorant in total and to encourage a sense of leadership and success, Valorant has introduced a well-defined player ranking system. Here, I’ll go through the Valorant ranks in detail to give you a better sense of how the game works, which you can use to your advantage.

Valorant Ranks

Valorant Ranks Explained

The Valorant ranking system consists of 9 divisions, which are named as follows:

Iron
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Platinum
Diamond
Ascendant
Immortal
Radiant

The first 8 divisions each have three tiers, while the topmost rank, which is Radiant, has just one. Together, they make up a total of 25 Valorant ranks. To level up you must have a high kill score and get placed high on the leaderboard. The overall idea is to advance through the tiers, with each bringing two main advantages: you get to compete against more astute players and also gain access to rewards, such as exclusive cosmetics.

Ranks	Number of Tiers	Rank Distribution
Iron	3	5.1%
Bronze	3	15.9%
Silver	3	22.5%
Gold	3	20.9%
Platinum	3	16.2%
Diamond	3	11.1%
Ascendant	3	4.8%
Immortal	3	2.0%
Radiant	1	0.05%

How Does the Valorant Ranking System Work?

You must be wondering now how Valorant assigns these ranks. Well, to unlock the ranked mode, you’ll need to reach account level 20. Then, you would need to compete in five Act 1 Placement Matches. The results of those matches determine your starting rank and skill level.

Moreover, Valorant uses a hidden ranking system known as MMR to assess all players in the ranking mode. A (hidden) number is assigned to each player and it gets adjusted over time based on your gameplay and performance compared to other players at the same rank. This hidden rank is different from your visual ranking. Valorant uses a complex algorithm to compare players with a low rank, but high MMR against players with high rank but low MMR to work out their rating. This is a continuous process. .

As a result, if you have a high MMR and you are placed against someone from a higher rank, your wins would be rewarded with a higher Ranking Rate (RR) and less for your losses. Notably, in Act 1, you must play five Placement Matches, whereas for Acts 2 and 3 you only need to play one. The reason being, that five matches gives a fair initial assessment.

Take pride in your Valorant ranking

Now that you understand the Valorant ranks, and most importantly, how your individual rank is determined, I’m sure that you can see the benefits. As well as having something to work towards and the rewards you’ll receive along the way, you’ll also get to compete against better players. In a game that was previously dominated by a relatively small percentage of players, the introduction of ranking has genuinely levelled the playing field and made Valorant a far more satisfying game to play for everyone.