Valorant Ranks: Ranking system, tiers and whether ranks reset in Valorant explained
Everything you need to know about the ranking system in Valorant.
Ranks in Valorant are how you mark your success in the game's Competitive Mode.
As your Valorant skill grows, you'll find yourself progressing through the ranking system, including the various ranks and tiers it consists of.
One of the main goals in Valorant is to achieve the highest rank possible, so it's also important to know whether your rank will reset.
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How to unlock Competitive mode in Valorant explained
If you want to compete in Valorant's Competitive Mode you must first complete 20 Unrated matches in the aptly named Unrated mode.
These matches will have no effect on your ranking, but will give you the chance to learn how the game works, experiment with different agents and try out new tactics.
Competitive Mode will unlock after you've played those 20 Unrated matches and you can start climbing the Valorant ranks. You can, however, continue to play in Unrated mode if you prefer, as this mode will always be available in Valorant.
Ranks in order and tiers in Valorant explained
Once you've unlocked Competitive Mode, you can begin to climb the Valorant ranking ladder.
There are eight ranks in Valorant and, aside from the highest rank, each one consists of three tiers - numbered one, two and three.
Going from the lowest to the highest, the ranks in Valorant are:
- Iron
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Immortal
- Valorant
When you join a Competitive match in Valorant, you'll be paired with opposing player parties that are within two ranks of your current rank. If you're Silver rank, for example, this means that you could face opponents from the Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum ranks.
The matchmaking system also takes into account the number of players in your party, so you don't find yourself outnumbered.
If you don't compete in any Competitive matches for 14 days in a row, then your rank will no longer be displayed. It won't, however, decay while you're away. Instead, it will remain hidden until you complete your first Competitive match. This means that you can take a break from Valorant without having to worry about losing your progress.
How to climb the ranking system in Valorant
Winning matches in Competitive Mode is the main method you'll use for climbing up the ranks in Valorant.
The game, however, also pays close attention to how exactly you win those matches. This means that dominating a match from start to finish or managing to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat increases your chances of climbing a rank or tier.
For the early ranks, such as Iron and Bronze, Valorant also takes your personal performance into account; the better you play, the more likely you are to climb a tier. Personal performance becomes less important, however, as you progress through the ranks, until, when you reach the highest levels, it doesn't count in your evaluation at all.
Once you reach the Valorant rank - the highest rank in the game - the only factors that matter in your rank evaluation at the end of each match is whether you've won and how that loss or win was achieved by your team.
Valorant is here! Our handy Valorant tips and tricks page is a great place to start. Otherwise check out the first season's Battle Pass skins and our Valorant agents tier list and best Valorant guns list to help you climb the ranks. If you're looking for technical advice, make sure you fit the required, minimum, recommended and high end specs and know how to solve any Valorant error codes.
Do ranks reset in Valorant?
Currently, the only players who will have their rank reset are those who partook in the closed beta rank. If you're one of these players, you'll discover that the rank you achieved during the closed beta has now vanished and you now need to raise your way back through the ranks.
As previously mentioned, if you don't play Valorant for more than 14 days in a row, then your rank will no longer be displayed. It won't, however, decrease while you're away and you simply have to complete one Competitive match to have it reappear.
It's yet to be seen whether there will be another event, such as the start of a new season, that causes the player ranks in Valorant to reset.