Summary
Riot Games has announced that its mega-popular free-to-play shooterValorantwill finally land on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S this year, and interested console players can try out the game very soon. Rumors ofValorantcoming to console platforms have been circulating for years, and Riot finally made it official during the Summer Game Fest ceremony.
Released in 2020,Valoranthas quickly ascended the ranks among enthusiasts of competitive first-person hero shooters. The game’s free-to-play accessibility, massive roster of characters, and somewhat interesting lore has helped it cultivate a sizable fanbase, albeit exclusively on PC. However, that will change soon, as thelong-rumored console ports ofValoranthave been revealed.
Valorant’s Gameplay on Console Has Apparently Been Harmonized with PC
As far as console optimization goes, Riot claims that the coreValorantexperience will maintain parity with the PC version in terms of content and balance updates, but crossplay will be permanently turned off, possibly due to the precision disparity between controllers and keyboard/mouse. Cross-progression will be supported for players who intend to carry their PC profile over to consoles or vice versa. Amobile port forValoranthas reportedly been in the works alongside the console versions as well, but Riot has yet to offer any updates on it.
As one of the most popular PC-exclusive shooters, it’ll be interesting to see how console players take toValorant. Competitive hero shooters and PvP games likeOverwatchhave existed on consoles for years, butValorant’s control scheme and gunplay are heavily geared towards PC. In fact, Riot even acknowledged this, stating that it was “adamant” on makingValorant’s gameplay feel “natural” on controllers, and that it would’ve walked away if that balance couldn’t have been achieved. The player base is also an intriguing part of the equation, as a recentValorantupdates aim to weed out toxic playersfrom the game. In hindsight, toggling crossplay off for console players is probably for the best.
