Is Valorant Cross-Play on the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S?
by John Uke Last update: October 7, 2024
💡 Highlights
- Riot has recently made Valorant cross-platform.
- Valorant console crossplay is available separately from PC.
- Valorant crossplay is not supported between PC and consoles.
- In June, there was a beta test of the Valorant console version, which was highly praised by the community.
- The release of the console version of Valorant took place in August 2024
Valorant is a highly popular first-person shooter with a huge audience of both casual players and professionals. However, until recently, Valorant was only available for PC players, which was somewhat limiting for fans who prefer to play on consoles (like me, to a certain extent). So, what’s now, is Valorant cross-platform on PC and PS5? Well below, I will tell you everything you need to know about Valorant crossplay and cross-platform features and Riot Games’ plans.
Is Valorant Cross Platform?
Yes, since July 2024 Valorant is cross-platform and, therefore is available on PC, Xbox Series S|X, and PS5. Those gamers who wonder if Valorant is cross-platform will be happy to know that Riot Games held a limited beta test for Valorant on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in June 2024, where selected lucky players were able to try out the game. After many positive reviews, Riot released Valorant for some regions on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S later on. So now players from United States and Canada, Europe, Japan, and Brazil can finally play their favourite Valorant agents on consoles.
Console Limited Beta is on its way. Sign up today for your chance to play.
— VALORANT (@VALORANT) June 7, 2024
📝: https://t.co/4qdXRyKvXD pic.twitter.com/GxLUhwCTYi
Is Valorant Crossplay Between The PC, PS5, And Xbox Series X?
No, Valorant doesn’t support cross-play between PC and consoles. However, Valorant is crossplay between PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. This way, console players can play with each other, regardless of the brand of console they prefer. Although PC players can only join parties with other PC users.
Is There Cross-progression In Valorant?
Yes, ever since Valorant became multiplatform game, there is a cross-progression between platforms, and players can use their Valorant ID to transfer all of their achievements from PC to console. That is, your skins, game progression, purchases, and achievements can be freely transferred from one platform to another and back soon.
What The Community Has To Say
The community has welcomed the console version of Valorant very warmly. Most players’ impressions of the beta have been positive, and they are very excited. Other gamers say that despite the difficulties with aiming, using a controller instead of a keyboard and mouse feels like something new and completely different. Therefore, Valorant on PC and consoles are like two different games that bring a fresh sensation. It looks like Riot is doing a good job bringing their game to consoles.
The Potential For The Future Changes
According to Riot, the console versions of Valorant feature “custom-built gameplay,” and there will be no crossplay between the console and PC for competitive balance. This topic always raises a heated discussion in the gaming community, which also happened this time. However, the developers want to ensure a fair experience across all platforms. This decision is understandable since the whole point is in the differences and nuances of the control schemes on the gamepad and keyboard with the mouse. Who knows, maybe in the future, Riot will implement the input-method matchmaking and enable Valorant console crossplay.
Cross-Region Play And Its Complications
Regional restrictions in Valorant are an attempt to improve the gaming experience, but they segment the community. On the one hand, this provides better game quality and reduced latency, but on the other hand, players are limited to game servers in specific regions. Regional blocking can be easily bypassed using a VPN, allowing players to access servers in other regions. However, this approach will come with certain challenges, such as potential latency issues that will negatively impact the game.
Tired Of Looking For Valorant Teammates? Try GameTree
While Valorant console crossplay is not integrated, you can only play on PC. If there are no PC users among your friends, and you don’t want to play with total strangers, I recommend that you find Valorant players on GameTree. Using the built-in player matchmaking, you can select players who match your rank abilities, are in a suitable region, and want to play with you. The process takes just a couple of minutes! GameTree makes finding partners to play with much easier, and when Valorant becomes crossplay, the player base will expand even more.
Final Thoughts
The release of Valorant on consoles is a long-awaited event, and I don’t think it will be a big deal that PC and console players will play separately. In any case, the game must first be released without significant bugs, and the presence of cross-progression will solve half the problems. Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the date when Valorant becomes cross-platform and to the opportunity to play it on PlayStation 5 with my friends!
