VALORANT Console Limited Beta releases next week
Riot Games has officially announced the expansion of its hit tactical shooter, VALORANT, to console platforms.
Starting June 14, 2024, a limited beta for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation®5 will be available to players in select regions, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan.
This announcement was made during the 2024 Summer Game Fest event by VALORANT’s Executive Producer Andy Ho and Production Director Arnar Gylfason.
“We believe there are millions of players that would love to play VALORANT, but currently can’t, and we hope to change that with bringing VALORANT to consoles. We aim to provide them the joy of the VALORANT experience and all it entails.”
-Arnar Gylfason, Production Director of VALORANT
A Global Beta Rollout
The initial beta phase will be confined to specific regions, with a potential expansion to other global regions shortly thereafter. Players eager to participate in the beta can register their interest and check regional eligibility at www.Beta.PlayVALORANT.com.
VALORANT Console Xbox gameplay (Image Source: Riot Games)Maintaining Competitive Integrity
To ensure the transition from PC to console does not compromise VALORANT’s competitive integrity, Riot Games has developed custom-built gameplay for both Xbox and PS5 formats. The company has emphasized that there will be no cross-play between PC and console players. This decision seeks to preserve the precise and balanced competitive environment that defines VALORANT.
“We achieved this through multiple iterations, analyzing how problems were solved by other games and most importantly, getting player feedback–a lot of player feedback. We were also very excited to create the best competitive experience for controllers. This required changes to the game to ensure that it feels right and fair on consoles, so we included new features like Focus where needed, adapted agent abilities, and many others to deliver that goal.”
-Arnar Gylfason, Production Director of VALORANT
However, players on all platforms will benefit from a connected, shared inventory and gameplay progression tied to their VALORANT account. This means simultaneous platform releases for all live patch balances, new agents, maps, premium content, and additional live service features will be available.
Introducing Console-Specific Features
One of the standout new features for consoles is the "Focus" shooting mode. Riot Games has worked diligently to replicate the PC experience where hip-fire is the primary shooting mode. And aiming down sights (ADS) is a secondary, supporting mode.
On consoles, however, hip-fire did not provide the same range of possibilities or the same level of gameplay expression as on PC.
Focus mode is introduced to address this gap. It behaves essentially like hip-fire but with reduced sensitivity. Thus allowing players to maintain speed when moving their camera or aiming (such as peeking corners and dodging utility), while providing greater precision when needed (for landing headshots).
This adaptation ensures that console players experience a shooting mechanic familiar to them from other shooters, all without losing the added value of VALORANT's ADS.
Upholding the Core Experience
Gylfason also highlighted the rigorous standards maintained in adapting the game for consoles.
"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 Gylfason. He added that the team was ready to abandon the project if they couldn’t make the gameplay feel natural on a controller.
VALORANT PS console Keybindings (Image Source: Riot Games)
VALORANT Xbox console Keybindings (Image Source: Riot Games)
VALORANT is a free-to-play game that emphasizes precise skill, high stakes, and strategic team play. The game pits two teams of five players against each other in round-based, attackers vs. defenders matches. With the objective to win the best-of-24-rounds gunfight. This core gameplay experience will remain unchanged in the console versions.
With this expansion, Riot Games aims to broaden its reach and offer a wider audience the chance to engage with VALORANT’s intense, competitive gameplay, setting a new milestone in the franchise's growth.
Featured Image Source: Riot Games
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