After a four-year wait, it’s actually happening – Riot Games is blessing FPS fans on console with a Valorant Xbox and Valorant PS5 port. Ever since Riot revealed it’s tactical shooter, a console port has always been on the cards. However, during Summer Game Fest 2024, the Valorant console version was finally confirmed.
While Riot has spent the last few years focusing on improving the hit FPS game on PC, there have been small but consistent murmurs from the developer about a console port ever since the early days of Valorant’s life. Now, in 2024, the time is finally upon us – lining up the best Valorant crosshairs and grinding to Radiant rank on PlayStation and Xbox has gone from being a dream to a reality.
Valorant Xbox and PS5 port release date window
The Valorant console port will fully launch on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 before the end of 2024, Riot has confirmed. However, players in some regions can play it right now, as it is currently in open beta.
This information was revealed during the Summer Game Fest 2024 opening night showcase with Geoff Keighley.
Now that we finally know when the Valorant console port is arriving and what platforms it’ll be on, let’s take a look at how we got here with a complete timeline of events that lead up to the Summer Game Fest announcement.
We got a sense earlier in 2024 that some kind of news would be arriving. During a press conference at the VCT Masters Madrid tournament in March 2024, a question was asked about whether a console version of the game was actually in the works. Riot’s overseer of the press conference directed the question to Valorant’s studio head Anna Donlon by saying: “Anna, do you want to talk about the console launch”. This was probably the closest anyone at Riot ever came to officially confirming PS5 and Xbox ports are actually coming before. Donlon’s answer was as follows:
“I think we’ve been open about the fact that we’ve been exploring other platforms and doing work and seeing if we could actually bring the great experience of the game onto different platforms, given different control schemes and stuff like that. I’m really hopeful that we’ll be able to give some really solid updates on that some time this year.”
But the references go back way further than that. Ever since Valorant’s initial launch, there have been sporadic comments from Riot about getting the game onto consoles. In a 2020 interview with GameSpot, Donlon said that Riot was “prototyping” a port. While she admitted at the time that it wasn’t a priority for the company and that there might be some elements of the game that don’t translate to console play, it at least planted the seed.
“If we feel we can deliver this experience on those platforms, we absolutely will,” she told GameSpot. “But we really want Valorant to stand for a certain type of gameplay and a certain type of experience.
During the PC version’s closed beta, Valorant’s lead designer Trevor Romleski also confirmed Riot was “open to exploring new opportunities for other platforms.” In June 2020, Felipe Romero, principal engineer, told Eurogamer that Riot believed “getting Valorant running at 120Hz on next-gen consoles [PS5 and Xbox Series X|S] is an achievable goal.”
Riot’s strong relationship with Xbox also gave fans encouragement that it would see its console plans through. Riot made a surprise appearance at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022 to announce that Game Pass subscribers could access certain rewards and character unlocks across its lineup of free-to-play competitive games, including Valorant. The game was also added to the PC Xbox launcher.
Despite being very PC and mobile-aligned, Riot’s console endeavors have picked up a bit of pace in recent years. While it sadly shut down its indie publishing label Riot Forge in early 2024, it had managed to launch titles like Ruined King and The Mageseeker onto Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo hardware. It’s upcoming fighting game, 2XKO (previously known as Project L), is also destined to launch on Xbox Series X|S and PS5. The 2XKO release date is set to arrive at some point in Riot’s broad “2025” window. Now, we finally know that Valorant is going to join those titles.
Valorant console beta
After a brief period in limited beta, the Valorant console beta is now fully open to Xbox and PS5 players in select regions. It does not require an invite code, and is free-to-play.
Note that the open beta is currently only live in the following regions:
- USA
- Canada
- Europe
- Japan
- Brazil
Valorant alternatives on console
Valorant has established itself as a top tactical shooter on PC, but while you wait for the console port to fully launch, we thought we’d put together a quick list of alternatives you can play right now, along with some new PS5 games and new Xbox games that could also offer a Valorant-like experience.
There are two hero-based shooters that immediately come to mind that you can play right now, and that’s Overwatch 2 and Apex Legends. While neither focuses on the same kind of tactical, round-based action of Valorant, their diverse rosters of characters, slick gunplay, and focus on team work all make them somewhat similar experiences. 2024 will also see a new hero shooter enter the ring in the PS5 exclusive Concord. The Concord release date will arrive in August of this year.
When it comes to having both a wide range of characters to choose from and having strategic, round-based gameplay, Rainbow Six Siege is probably the closest thing you’ll get to Valorant’s thrills. While stylistically it’s very different, Siege is great for hardcore shooter fans.
There are also loads of other excellent multiplayer games that scratch the FPS itch, even if they are far more distant relatives of Valorant. Xbox players have got Halo Infinite, there’s Embark Studio’s destructive arena shooter The Finals, or there’s Ubisoft’s XDefiant which feels like a throwback to the 2010’s era of COD.
If you’re looking for even more recommendations, then check out our guide to the best free shooting games. If budget isn’t an issue, then consult our lists of the best PS5 FPS games and the best Xbox FPS games. There’s plenty to keep you entertained while you wait for Valorant to fully arrive on Xbox and PlayStation.
