The essentials of VALORANT remains the same no matter where you play, but some significant differences are found between PC and console.
VALORANT is still the game you know and love, whether you play on PC or console. The first-person shoot does have some differences between the two versions. The game looks and feels mostly the same, but Riot Games had to make some major changes for it to fit on console systems.
Let's go over the biggest differences so you know what you're getting into if you want to jump between the two at any time.
Biggest differences between VALORANT on console and PC
You can still one-tap, hit your clips, and plant the Spike just as you would no matter which version of VALORANT you're playing. A decent handful of things are different, though, due to Riot making the game essentially from the ground up.
Your rank is not the same
The first thing you may notice when switching over to VALORANT on console from PC is that your rank is not the same. Crossplay is not enabled for competitive integrity reasons, thus it calls for separate ranks in the different versions of the game.
You will still need to complete placement matches, no matter which platform you're on. This is your chance for some fresh MMR if you've decided VALORANT with a controller is more your style than with a keyboard and mouse.
Ability placement could affect your lineups
A big part of lineups in VALORANT are where the abilities are located on your screen. Well, to fit with button layouts, the placement is different between VALORANT on PC and console.
If you have lineups that deal with the mouse button or even the sides of an ability on your screen, it may no longer work. You'll have to jump in and see exactly how you need to line up your Sova Recon Arrow or Viper Snake Bite from now on.
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The menus have different layout
Because you're navigating with different controls, the menus of VALORANT on PC and console are dissimilar. There is no specific Play tab like there is on PC for console. You actually have to press a button to exit the menus and enter matchmaking.
Even the Buy Menu in a match is different, with everything you can buy swapped around. You might need a bit of time to get used to it, but definitely expect some things to look out of place if it is your first time trying the game on console.
Patches/updates differ between VALORANT PC and console
This is perhaps the biggest difference between VALORANT PC and console. The two versions are on the same patch schedule, but Riot deploys different changes across them.
One example is the Iso buff. They quickly reverted some of it to keep him in check, but the changes did not arrive on the console version until a patch after the PC version. This can make maps, Agents, and overall gameplay vastly unalike.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news and VALORANT coverage.
