Plant the spike on mobile soon.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you must be aware of Riot’s tactical shooter VALORANT headed to mobile. VALORANT Mobile, the handheld version of the game for Android and iOS devices, was announced in 2021 but still hasn’t been released.
So when does it come out? Esports.gg answers all your questions.
When will VALORANT Mobile release?
VALORANT Mobile will release some time in late 2024. However, Riot Games still hasn’t revealed a release date for VALORANT Mobile yet. It has been in development for more than three years now and is still not available. The game has been in Beta test in China for the past few weeks, which points towards a close release date for the game.
There have been VALORANT Mobile files added in previous updates, but there is no indication the mobile game is close to an actual rollout.
Earlier this year, Anna Donlon, the studio head for VALORANT at Riot Games, spoke about the game’s development in an interview with POPline. She said that the development of the mobile game has been “incredibly challenging.” Donlon added that the development has also been “slower than expected.”
It’s not surprising to hear Donlon say this. When Valorant Mobile was announced in June 2021 during the one-year anniversary of the PC version of the game, fans expected a beta at least in 2022. And now, 2023 is coming to a close and there are no signs of the game's release much less a Beta test for the game.
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Will there be differences to the game on mobile?
The main reason why VALORANT Mobile’s development is taking so much time is that Riot is working on a completely new game. VALORANT Mobile isn’t a simple port of the PC title. Instead, it's a game built from the ground up and optimized for Android and iOS tests.
Thus, it will not be cross-platform with the PC version. Riot hasn’t revealed anything about cross-progression yet.
Mobile gaming has been one of the most profitable business models for gaming companies. Players tend to spend more on average than their PC counterparts and it is much more profitable. However, building a game for mobile is a humungous task and Riot is tackling it with all due care and caution.
There have been some gameplay leaks of the game which show that the core experience is being conserved. The maps, weapons, and agents are almost identical. What players can expect a change in is the match timings.
A VALORANT game on PC lasts around 30 to 45 minutes. VALORANT Mobile, though, will likely last shorter than that with fewer rounds needed for victory. It’s unclear how many of these may be yet.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest esports news and updates.
