Valorant

 PC
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 42
  3. Negative: 1 out of 42
  1. GAMINGbible
    Jun 18, 2020
    70
    Valorant is a lot of fun to try and master though a little tricky to pick up at first. The gunplay feels as precise as any shooter on the market and the cast of agents add to the erratic nature of unique gameplay situations. The game has only just come out of beta, so improvements and additions are likely to be made in the future. Valorant is very good right now, but it has the potential to be truly great.
  2. GameSpot
    Jun 12, 2020
    70
    Overall, Valorant has a strong foundation in its gameplay, and of course, that's the most significant part for an FPS of this style to succeed. Although it doesn't break new ground, the dynamic of sharp gunplay and Agent abilities would make Counter-Strike and Overwatch proud. Valorant easily captures the competitive highs of a good, intense match at the risk of pigeonholing you in a bad one. But outside of the standard demolition-style mode and the modified Spike Rush, it's quite barebones. It is important to note that these types of games are always evolving. Regardless, Valorant's in a good state--it's not great, but it certainly can be.
  3. Gameblog.fr
    Jun 11, 2020
    70
    After League of Legends, Riot Games has seemingly succeeded in creating a competitive tactical FPS game with a real identity. The game stands on solid ground at the state of its launch, which broke a record on Twitch. The question is whether the players will keep playing the game long-term with new content, and how the success will translate in esports.
  5. Destructoid
    Jun 4, 2020
    70
    As a hardcore shooter fan since the '90s, Valorant feels very well designed, and provides me with a rush I haven't gotten out of so many other big genre games in the past five years. But Valorant feels like it was meticulously designed in a laboratory to fault. It's fitting given that Riot has over a decade of data and esports experience, but the sterile feel of it does impact my decision to play it more regularly.
  6. MMORPG.com
    Jun 10, 2020
    60
    Honestly, I do love the gameplay. But literally everything else tangential to and surrounding the core gameplay experience is a genuine pain. What’s worse, these pain points have been solved so easily by the games Valorant is so clearly inspired. It’s a damn shame that these existing easy solutions were simply ignored. A veteran team with the experience and containing the caliber of talent like Riot should simply know better. I cannot overstate just how much this frustrates me.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
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In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Eurogamer
    Jun 29, 2020
    Riot Games delivers a masterclass in competitive integrity, soulless precision and zealous, life-consuming obsession. [Eurogamer Recommended]
  2. Polygon
    Jun 18, 2020
    Valorant may still be more promise than reality in some ways, but what already exists is strong enough to bring in players and keep them there while Riot refines the experience. Valorant, as of this writing, is at a fantastic starting point, and there’s every reason to believe it’s only going to get better from here.
  3. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jun 3, 2020
    Valorant’s gunplay feels just as weighty and precise as CS:GO’s, with a structure that hits all the same highs and lows. Abilities sometimes let you outsmart people rather than simply outshoot them, and I’m excited about playing in a squad of friendly and coordinated pals. If and when they fall away, though, I expect I will too. Riot say they’re taking toxicity seriously, and this is good to see. But they acknowledge they’re fighting an uphill battle, and I’m not at all convinced they’ll be able to foster a competitive environment that doesn’t routinely make me miserable. This launch week, though? When my friends are playing, and the game isn’t dominated by people with far more experience than me? I’m going to have a blast.

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Best PC Game of 2020
4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3892 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,501 out of 3892
  2. Mixed: 436 out of 3892
  3. Negative: 1,955 out of 3892
  1. time4b
    Jun 2, 2020
    0
    Slow, boring, smooth yet somehow clunky, the guns feel janky, honestly it could have been made better in Gary's mod... I hope they fix it.
  2. BoltarCavanaugh
    Jun 2, 2020
    0
    I was very confused in the first few matches: The game looks and feels completely unfinished, very raw. The animations are a joke, theI was very confused in the first few matches: The game looks and feels completely unfinished, very raw. The animations are a joke, the graphics, the movement, the shaders and textures.. everything reminds me strongly of freeware shooters from 2007.

    I expected a refined, fine tuned team based shooter. In reality this is nothing but a paid twitch hype.

    The games style is very childish, its a Team Fortress ripoff. The menus and settings are very nice and should be like this on every game. But the game itself.. wow. I cant believe people are playing this over ANY other current multiplayer shooter.

    I still am doubting that this is the finished product everyone was so hyped about. The maps are TINY, extremely simple, the whole thing feels like a first draft. A proof of concept, made by 3 dudes to show their boss some ideas, using dummy shooter game.    … Full Review »
  3. moondog255
    Jun 2, 2020
    0
    As a CSGO player with more than 3000 hours on the game that grew tired of the broken state of CSGO, I was excited for Valorant because it wasAs a CSGO player with more than 3000 hours on the game that grew tired of the broken state of CSGO, I was excited for Valorant because it was offering a cheater free experience. Sadly, Valorant is absolute garbage and it made me miss getting spin botted on CSGO.… Full Review »
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