Valorant 5.0 goes live real soon, kicking off a start to Episode 5 Act 1 that, among other things, will thrust agents into a brand-new map inspired by Portugal. As with any good Valorant page, new skins are a highlight as well, so we'll be sure to cover the lot down below.
Read on to find out not only when the new Valorant update will land, but what exactly it's set to bring to the table as well. We've touched on maps and skins alreayd, but there's a new CG trailer to tell the tale of the Valorant agent's first trip to Omega-Earth.
To kickstart a whole new season of the game, why not look into our pick of the best mouse for Valorant. There's no point trying to rank if you're rocking a travel mouse you picked up at the airport that one time, after all. And if you're a bit of a whale, you can find out how much you've spent in Valorant with that guide right there.
When Is the Valorant 5.0 Release Date and Time?
Valorant 5.0 Launch Time
Though we're being made aware of all the Valorant 5.0 details ahead of time, the patch won't actually go live until Wednesday, June 22. Previous updates have landed at 2pm BST / 6am PDT, so expect the same with this one until we're told otherwise.
How Big is the New Valorant Update
There's no word yet and how many gigabytes of space you'll need for the latest Valorant update or how long it might take to download on your connect. Expect that information closer to patch day.
Valorant 5.0 Highlights - What's New in Valorant Episode 5 Act 1?
New Map - Pearl
Inspired by Portugal - and actually partially crafted by local artists - Pearl is a brand-new map set on Omega-Earth. Its setting is a shakeup for the game's lore than the deeply invested will likely latch onto, but its complete lack of any real mechanics should be a point of interest for everyone.
Pearl sticks to a relatively simple three-lane setup, offering a shorter middle both or two longer flanks for Attackers and Defenders to decide upon when it comes down to planting at either of its two underwater city sites.
New Rank - Ascendant
Following the Valorant 5.0 release, a new competitive rank called "Ascendant" will sandwich itself between Diamond and Immortal. The creation of this new tier should help Bronze and Silver players move up without overpopulating the higher tiers of competitive play.
Because of its creation, the scheduled rank reset will allegedly feel less punishing this time around. Future resets that don't include a new rank will, however, go back to feeling like a kick in the teeth. It's a one-time thing.
New Valorant Battle Pass - Highlights and Skins
The new Valorant battle pass includes the usual host of cosmetic items split across free and paid versions of the pass. Here's what you can look forward to:
Free
- Shimmer Classic
- Operation: Vacation player card
- That's a Blowout spray
- Perfect Pattern gun buddy
Paid Highlights
- Task Force 809 Knife
- Task Force 809 Phantom
- Spitfire Operator
- Enter the Duelists Player Card
- Never Forget Leg Day Spray
- Cat Tactics Gun Buddy
Prelude to Chaos Skins
Pictured above, the new Prelude to Chaos skins come in a 8.7k VP bundle. For that price, they include unique transformation animations, visual effects, and a bunch of other showy visuals.
- Blade of Chaos Sword (melee)
- Prelude to Chaos Vandal
- Prelude to Chaos Operator
- Prelude to Chaos Shorty
- Prelude to Chaos Stinger
- Prelude to Chaos gun buddy
- Prelude to Chaos spray
It isn't clear if these can be purchased separately just yet, but don't hold your breath.
Valorant 5.0 Livestream
To hear the developers carefully go over and justify every little detail of the Valorant 5.0 patch, tune into the livestream set to release alongside these words.
That's about all there is to show and tell regarding the Valorant 5.0 update set to launch later this month. If you're thinking now's the time to jump in or finally take in the story details, Riot Games has a Valorant story primer just for that.