Pre-registration for Valorant Mobile is now live, but it's only available in China. Since its release in 2020, the popular free-to-play 5v5 shooter from Riot Games has been available only on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A mobile version has been rumored for several years, and it's finally here, but only one country will be able to play at first. 1tut

Heading into its 2025 season, Valoranthas revealed its newest playable character, Tejo, the game's first Colombian agent, whose abilities focus on explosives and area-of-effect. Initially launched in 2020, Valorant has proven to be a massive success for Riot Games, and is, so far, still the studio's only ongoing game that isn't associated with the League of Legends brand. With the start of the game's new season just a few days away, Riot has revealed gameplay for its 26th agent.

The success of Arcane was a groundbreaking moment for video game adaptations, blending stunning CG animation with emotional depth and masterful storytelling. Drawing heavily from anime's rich visual techniques and story tropes, Arcane managed to appeal to both gamers and anime fans worldwide. Its bold aesthetic choices and character-driven plots proved that Riot Games could create compelling television content rooted in gaming lore.

After years of establishing itself as a highly competitive PC title, Valoranthas officially come to consoles. With heavy inspiration from Counter-Strike and a hefty dose of the hero shooter gameplay that first rose to major prominence via Overwatch, Valorant has carved out an interesting niche for itself, proving ever-popular since it was first released in 2020. Releasing on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S is a new frontier for the FPS, though, and it comes with the potential tribulations of implementing crossplay between platforms with wildly different input methods.

Valorant's continued success on PC is likely, at least in part, thanks to it being free-to-play. Live-service, or freemium, games have proven incredibly popular, and especially lucrative for developers and publishers that can produce a hit. The barrier of entry is incredibly low, only requiring the correct hardware, the F2P live-service games usually offer a variety of enticing ways for players to spend their money. It works especially well for online-only titles like Valorant, and Riot Games isn't looking to change its approach with the PlayStation and Xbox versions.

We're close to the release of Valorant's newest agent, Iso. A new duelist with a penchant for 1v1s, Iso occupies a space that at first glance appears extremely similar to a much-maligned character in Reyna. In practice, however, Iso's kit is much more modern - and, perhaps, the latest indication that Reyna needs a rework - with useful tools, flashy abilities, and an ultimate that has drawn justifiable comparisons to opening a Domain Expansion in Jujutsu Kaisen.

The introduction of Valorant's newest map, Lotus, has brought a decidedly different tactical question to the game's players. Previously, only Haven existed as a three-site map in the game's competitive pool. Lotus represents a second try at one of Valorant's coolest map design elements, and map designer Joe Lansford is keenly aware of that fact.

A new icy skin line for Valorantcalled Cryostasis has been announced, and in a recent interview with Screen Rant a developer for the game revealed it just might come with an extra benefit for some players. Skins are a large part of player identity in Valorant, and provide unique weapon effects and designs for fans of the game. Alongside releasing maps and Agents, Valorant unveils new skin lines frequently, each with different themes.

Hero shooter Valorant will soon receive an icy new set of skins called the Cryostasis line just in time for the winter season. Weapon skins are an important part of Valorant for players, allowing them to express themselves and diversifying the experience beyond what agent they choose to play. Alongside their unique appearances, Valorant skins also come with special animations and effects, in the past featuring things like flames or colorful lights.

New Valorant Agent Harbor was made available during a preview period, and the immediate takeaway from the addition is that he will further increase the value of a certain type of philosophy: team composition over specific Agent roles. Valorant is a hero-power tactical FPS that launched with four defined roles for its various characters: Duelist, Initiator, Controller, and Sentinel. Even at launch, these roles were flagged as being more of guidelines rather than strict instructions on how to design each Agent, but that philosophy has really been hammered home in recent Agent launches.