After a summer in beta, Riot Games has officially launched free-to-play shooter Valorant on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles.
It’s the first time the League of Legends developer has released a live service game on consoles.
Valorant will feature cross-progression and shared inventory between PC and console players. And console players will receive patches and content updates at the same time as PC players. However, console players and PC players cannot play games together “to maintain Valorant’s renowned standard for competitive integrity,” according to the press release.
It’s a stark contrast from many online games that let everyone play together, increasing the overall player pool. However, for highly competitive first-person shooters, PC players using mouse and keyboard are typically at an advantage over a controller. It makes sense to keep them separated.
“We’ve received so much valuable feedback from players during Limited Beta, and feel confident to deliver on our gameplay promise for console players,” said Arnar Gylfason, production director, Riot Games. “Whether it’s hitting that perfect shot, executing a flawless team play, or wiping out the enemy team, we look forward to seeing console players experience the same gameplay thrill as VALORANT PC players.”
Valorant is a team-based, Counter-Strike-meets-Overwatch online multiplayer shooter set in a near-future world. Players play as Agents with unique abilities, and customize them with weapons. As with League of Legends, Riot Games hosts an active esports circuit for Valorant.
Valorant is free-to-download on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles. It’s rated T for Teen.
