VALORANT Ranks Explained
Released in 2020, VALORANT has amassed a huge fanbase consisting of millions of players. Players from all sorts of genres have tried and loved VALORANT. The exciting blend of a classic hero-based shooter like Overwatch 2 with the strategic appeal of a tactical shooter like CS2 makes VALORANT a game worth giving time to, and just like any competitive shooter, VALORANT also has a ranking system. The VALORANT ranks can be a little bit confusing to understand, so we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the ranks and the ranking system in VALORANT.
All VALORANT Ranks in Order
The VALORANT ranking system consists of nine main ranks, each divided into three tiers (ranging from 1, the lowest, to 3, the highest):
- Iron
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Ascendant
- Immortal
- Radiant
Note that Radiant is reserved for the top 500 players of their region. Radiant is not divided into three tiers like the other ranks are.
How To Unlock Your Rank in VALORANT
All new accounts must reach level 20 to unlock ranked mode. This is put in place to prevent smurfing and to give new players a chance to get familiar with the game. Leveling up is quite easy; just keep playing the game. Once you reach level 20, you can queue for your first placement match.
VALORANT Ranked System Explained
Placement Matches
Once you unlock Ranked, you can start queuing for your placement matches and start your journey through the VALORANT ranks. You don’t start with Iron I as your rank. Instead, you play 5 matches where Riot determines your skill level and places you in your deserved rank. This is why it is important to perform well in your placement matches so you start with a good rank right off the bat.
How To Rank Up
After you have been given a rank, getting to the next rank is quite simple. All you need to do is win matches and gain RR (Ranked Rating). Each rank or division is separated by 100 RR. For example, if you need to get from Silver III to Gold I, you will need to get 100 RR.
You earn Ranked Rating (RR) when you win a match. Subsequently, losing a match will cost you some RR. The amount of RR you gain or lose depends on a few factors.
First, there’s obviously your performance in the match. This includes your kills, assists, utility usage, and economy management throughout the game.
Secondly, your gained RR might differ depending on the skill level of your opponent(s). If you are placed in a higher-ranked lobby, winning will get you more RR, whereas losing will not cost you much. Your hidden MMR decides which players you come up against, and we’ll elaborate on that in a bit.
Lastly, the score by which you win or lose also impacts your RR. Winning a 13-0 game will secure a lot of RR, and the opposite is also true.
Playing well in a match also earns you a performance bonus. If you see a star next to your RR after a match then it means you received a performance bonus. This is not a set amount but depends upon the skill of your team and enemy.
Hidden Matchmaking Rating
MMR (matchmaking rating) is a hidden number representing your skill level. It affects how much RR you gain or lose per match. Nobody knows their MMR except for Riot, as this is hidden from the player.
If your MMR exceeds your displayed rank, you’ll gain bonus RR per win until your rank matches your MMR. So MMR dictates the pace at which you climb the ladder. If you often find yourself placed in higher-ranked lobbies, it probably means you have a high MMR.
Acts, Episodes, and Act Rank
Episodes are the seasons of VALORANT. Each episode is broken into three Acts; Act I, II, and III. At the start of each episode, your rank is set to unranked, and you have to play 5 placement matches to earn it again. This is only at the start of the episode, meaning Act I. In Act II and III, you will only need to play one placement match in order to get your rank back.
Act rank is your overall ranked performance in an act. After an episode ends, you are gifted a gun buddy that represents your highest Act Rank in that episode. You can easily check out your current Act Rank in the Career tab.
Double Rank Up
If you have been consistently performing well in matches, you will get a double rank-up. For example, if you have been constantly destroying in Silver II you can get a double rank up to Gold I.
Ranked Queuing Types
There are four ranked queue options:
- Solo queue
- Duo queue
- Trio queue
- Five stack queue
You can’t do a four-man queue, it is prohibited. According to Riot, the reason for this is to avoid the odd man out situation, where 4-stacks kick or otherwise bully their 5th player.
VALORANT Rank Limitations When Queueing
A rank can only queue up with the rank above or below it. For example, Gold can only queue with Silver or Platinum. You cannot queue with a Diamond player if you are in Silver, as Diamond is more than one rank away from Silver.
Five stacks do not have rank limitations when queueing.
VALORANT Ranking System After Ascendant
Once you hit Immortal I the ranking system works differently. You will start with 10RR. From here, you will earn RR by winning matches, but in order to move up to Immortal II you need to cross a certain RR threshold. This threshold differs from region to region. For example, in NA, you will need 80 RR to get to Immortal II and 200 RR for Immortal III right now.
To unlock Radiant, you need to be one of the top 500 players in your region. These top 500 have the highest RR in your region, and as such the RR requirement for Radiant is always changing. Once you reach Radiant, you will need to keep playing to keep your RR high, or other players will get ahead of you.
VALORANT Rank Distribution
According to tracker.gg, the VALORANT ranks do not follow a perfect bell curve. If you’re in high Gold, it would be tempting to think you’re just average, but in reality you’re already better than the majority of VALORANT players. Players who are Diamond or above are rather rare in VALORANT and only 0.03% of players are Radiant, making this a very prestigious rank to achieve.
Grind Grind Grind
Now that you are accustomed to VALORANT’s Ranked system, you can start your grind to Radiant. Of course, getting to the highest rank takes a lot of practice and dedication to the game. Understanding the ranked system is your first step towards this journey. Check out our best settings for VALORANT, taken from the pros, to give yourself a head start.
