Is Valorant Crossplay in 2024?
Valorant, Riot Games’ tactical first-person shooter, has taken the gaming world by storm since its release. Known for its strategic depth and competitive gameplay, the game has built a loyal following across various platforms. In 2024, one of the most pressing questions for Valorant players is whether the game will feature crossplay functionality.
In today’s gaming landscape, crossplay is a crucial feature. It allows players on different platforms to play together, breaking down barriers between consoles and PCs. For many gamers, this feature has become a standard expectation, especially for multiplayer titles. But does Valorant, a game that prides itself on maintaining competitive balance, allow players to team up across platforms? The answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no.
Riot Games has been very intentional about how it handles crossplay in Valorant, and the decision reflects the competitive nature of the game. By 2024, there are some opportunities for crossplay, but not in the way that players might expect. Understanding how and why Riot has structured crossplay this way is essential to grasp how the feature impacts gameplay.
Valorant’s Crossplay in 2024
As of 2024, Valorant supports crossplay between consoles but not between PC and consoles. This means players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S can team up or compete against each other in matches. However, if you’re on PC, you won’t be able to play with your console friends. Riot Games has been clear about this decision, citing the importance of maintaining balance between input devices. PC players use a mouse and keyboard, while console users rely on controllers with aim assist. Combining these two control schemes in the same competitive environment would create a disparity that could affect the fairness of the game.
Crossplay between consoles offers some flexibility for players who want to team up with friends using different devices. However, the lack of crossplay between PC and consoles may be disappointing to some. Still, it reflects Riot’s commitment to ensuring that Valorant remains fair and competitive for everyone, regardless of platform. Cross-platform competition can be a tricky balance in a fast-paced shooter like Valorant, where precision and reaction times are critical to success.
Riot’s Strategy for Competitive Integrity
Riot Games has taken a firm stance on ensuring competitive integrity in Valorant, and this is the key reason why full crossplay between PC and consoles is not available. The difference in control methods is the primary concern. On PC, players use a mouse and keyboard, offering more precise aiming and faster reaction times. On the other hand, console players typically use controllers, which often come with aim-assist features to level the playing field. Combining these input systems in the same matches would introduce an imbalance, giving PC players a notable advantage in certain scenarios.
This imbalance is not unique to Valorant; other competitive games face the same challenge when trying to integrate different platforms. Riot’s solution has been to keep console players competing only with each other, while PC players remain in their own pool. This allows for fairer matchmaking and prevents frustrations that could arise from mismatched skill sets tied to input methods. By separating these platforms, Riot is maintaining a fair, skill-based environment where players succeed based on their abilities, not the device they’re using.
While the lack of crossplay between PC and consoles may seem restrictive, it is a calculated decision to keep the game balanced and enjoyable for all players. Riot’s approach shows a clear focus on competitive fairness, which is crucial in a tactical shooter like Valorant.
Cross-Progression in Valorant
What is Cross-Progression?
Cross-progression allows players to carry their progress, achievements, and in-game purchases across multiple platforms. In Valorant, this means that if you start playing on PC and later switch to a console, you can continue where you left off without losing your rank, skins, or other items. This feature provides flexibility for players who use more than one platform, ensuring that their hard-earned progress is not lost.
Riot Games has confirmed that cross-progression will be available in Valorant in 2024, providing a seamless experience for players who switch between PC and console. This system makes it possible to share in-game purchases, such as weapon skins and battle pass rewards, across different platforms.
However, it’s important to note that some elements, like competitive ranks and matchmaking ratings, will still be platform-specific. This ensures that players don’t have an unfair advantage when switching between platforms, as competitive performance can vary greatly between PC and consoles.
How Cross-Progression Works
To enable cross-progression, players need to link their accounts across different platforms using their Riot Games account. Once linked, all unlocked content, such as skins, player cards, and other cosmetics, will be available across both PC and console.
This system is a significant win for players who want to switch platforms but don’t want to start from scratch. However, while inventory items transfer across platforms, competitive ranks and matchmaking ratings do not. This separation maintains the competitive integrity of Valorant, ensuring that each player’s rank is reflective of their skill on a specific platform.
Future of Crossplay for PC and Consoles
As of 2024, Riot Games has shown no clear signs of introducing full crossplay between PC and consoles. Their priority remains focused on maintaining a fair and balanced competitive environment. The difference in input methods—mouse and keyboard on PC versus controllers on consoles—creates a significant challenge. Riot has opted to avoid integrating these platforms to prevent any imbalance that might arise in competitive matches.
Although many players have called for full crossplay, especially those who want to play with friends across different platforms, Riot has been firm in its decision. The competitive nature of Valorant, where precision aiming and fast reflexes are critical, makes it difficult to justify combining these two platforms. In games where crossplay is fully enabled, developers often need to adjust the mechanics, such as increasing aim assist for console players, which can lead to frustrations from both sides.
While Riot hasn’t ruled out the possibility completely, they’ve made it clear that any future crossplay between PC and consoles would need to come with significant adjustments. For now, the focus remains on providing the best competitive experience for players on their respective platforms. However, as technology evolves and more solutions to balance different input methods are developed, it’s possible that Riot could reconsider its approach. But as it stands, full crossplay is not likely in the near future.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)
Can You Play Valorant with Friends on Other Platforms?
Yes, but only if you’re both playing on consoles. As of 2024, Valorant supports crossplay between PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. This means if your friends are on different consoles, you can team up without any issues. However, if you’re playing on PC and your friends are on console, crossplay is not possible. Riot Games has designed the game this way to maintain balance and fairness in competitive matches.
Does Valorant Support Cross-Progression?
Yes, Valorant fully supports cross-progression between PC and console platforms. Once you link your accounts through your Riot Games account, you can carry over progress like skins, player cards, and battle pass rewards across both PC and console. The one caveat is that competitive ranks and matchmaking ratings do not transfer between platforms. This helps to ensure that each player’s rank is reflective of their skill on the platform they primarily play on.
Will PC and Console Ever Get Crossplay?
It’s unlikely that full crossplay between PC and consoles will happen soon. Riot has consistently emphasized the need for maintaining competitive integrity, and crossplay between PC and consoles would require significant adjustments to keep the gameplay balanced. While Riot has not ruled it out entirely for the future, the current state of crossplay remains limited to consoles only.
Wrapping Up
Valorant’s approach to crossplay in 2024 reflects Riot Games’ commitment to maintaining competitive fairness. While crossplay between consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S) is available, crossplay between PC and consoles remains restricted. This separation is intentional, designed to avoid the imbalance created by different input methods—mouse and keyboard on PC versus controllers with aim assist on consoles.
