Good news for Aussies and Kiwis: if you missed out on decent pings for Riot’s new competitive shooter, you won’t have to wait much longer.
Riot Games has confirmed to Kotaku Australia over email that the Oceania servers will be the first servers to go online when Valorant launches today, with the launch to kick off in just under an hour. After everyone down under gets access, we’ll be followed suit by Japan and South Korea, with most of Europe to join in around six hours later.
LAUNCHING —
In 12 hours – Korea, Japan, and most of Asia-Pacific
In 18 hours – Europe, Turkey, MENA, Russia, and CIS countries
In 25 hours – North America, Latin America, and South America
EPISODE 1: IGNITION. pic.twitter.com/mXmXw86zRQ— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) June 1, 2020
The rolling release means Australians won’t have to wait until June 3, as is often the case with international launches. Our timezone means that games tend to unlock on Steam a day after the rest of the world, so Australia and New Zealand typically end up well behind.
That said, there won’t be any races to the top of Valorant‘s ranking system just yet. Riot has confirmed that the game will launch without a ranked mode, much like the closed beta. The idea is to focus on a smooth and stable launch first, before adding competitive matchmaking.
Users will still generate MMR for their unrated games, however, and it’ll give everyone an opportunity to learn the new map and Reyna, the new duellist shown off over the weekend.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/05/riot-reveals-new-valorant-agent-reyna/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/iro7qeqqbgen9vjzjzj1.jpg” title=”Riot Reveals New Valorant Agent, Reyna” excerpt=”The official Valorant Twitter account released a short teaser today showing off a new character being added to the game. Her name is Reyna and she reminds of someone…”]
For more of a grounding into Riot’s new shooter, and the things you need to get started, see our handy guides below.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/05/valorant-guide-beginners-new-players/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/04/valorant-gameplay-1-410×231.jpg” title=”Tips For Playing Valorant” excerpt=”Described as a mix of Overwatch ultimates with the mechanics of Counter-Strike, Valorant has been one of the most popular shooters since its closed beta launched. It’s hugely technical, with lots of traps, mechanics and elements that you need to know before jumping in. So before the game’s official launch on June 2, here’s everything a new player needs to know.”]
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/05/valorant-character-guide-rankings/” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/04/valorant-background-1-410×231.jpg” title=”Valorant’s Characters, Ranked” excerpt=”The Valorant closed beta continues to be one of the most watched games online, and before Australians officially get access the community is already formulating the most optimal team compositions for Riot’s shooter. If you’re just getting into the game recently, or looking forward to it when Oceanic servers officially go online, here’s the characters you’ll want to consider using first.”]
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