Valorant is announcing a new competitive game mode named Premier that will go "beyond ranked" in some very exciting ways. Riot Games' release of Valorant has always been primarily focused on high-level competitive play. As a direct competitor to Counter-Strike, Valorant has to constantly prove it's the best place for the world's top FPS talent. While Riot is confident in its ranked play, Premier is the next step toward normalizing peak Valorant competition.
The announcement of a new competitive game mode for Valorant is not entirely a surprise. In early 2022, Riot shared a glimpse at the future of Valorant's competitive offering and teased a new game mode. Riot wanted to offer players an even higher goal beyond its ranked mode's Radiant tier for its best players. As of right now, the only path forward from achieving Radiant in Valorant is to pursue a spot on a professional esports team. There's nothing else to be found in-game.
Premier is a new mode that will begin with an alpha test in Brazil before expanding based on future development progress. In Premier, players will be able to form teams of allies and then compete with those teams across a season of pre-scheduled matches. Each "season" lasts a few weeks and ends in a playoff of a division's top teams, resulting in a Division Champion. In effect, Premier creates structured league-play within Valorant without the need of a separate organizational body or any non-automated oversight whatsoever.
The announced beta for Brazil will focus on several key features for Premier, but is only a portion of what Riot has planned for the full release. Alpha features include team creation with logos and team colors, matchmaking, a scoring system for division ranking, and end-of-season Valorant tournament play featuring map picks and bans. Of course, the Alpha will also be testing Premier's servers to ensure a smooth launch.
The exact shape of Premier still needs to be fleshed out, but early Alpha details should make clear what Valorant players can look forward to. Players make a Valorant team of friends and acquaintances, they schedule weekly windows to participate in matchmaking, they climb their division's scoreboard, and potentially make the division's playoffs with an opportunity to win a Division Championship. The next season will then place the team among more similarly-skilled competition.
Valorant players will be able to use ranked play to prove their individual skill, while Premier will allow teams of players to prove their true competitive potential. It isn't just for Valorant's highest-level players, either. So long as players can form teams, everyone will be able to participate. It could be a major step forward not just for Valorant but for esports in general.
Valorant is available now on PC.