Ultimate Guide to All Valorant Game Modes [12+ Modes]

Valorant has been expanding the game modes, such as their agent selection and the map pool. During the beta phase and Episode 1, Valorant had only five modes: competitive, unrated, deathmatch, training, and custom game mode.

So far, Valorant has introduced twelve game modes such as unrated, competitive, spike rush, escalation, deathmatch, custom mode, training game mode, and more as of Episode 8. In Episode 9 Act 3, only ten game modes without including Replication or Snowball Fight modes.

If you are new to the game and have no idea about these game modes in Valorant, then you’ve come to the right place. In this Ultimate Valorant Game Mode Guide, we will help you figure out what these game modes are, what you can expect, what you would get from playing them, average match durations in each game mode, how many rounds it has, how to win, what agent selection looks like, who should and shouldn’t use the game mode and more.

Current Game Modes

Valorant has a lot of game modes, which sums up to twelve total game modes, but not all of them are included in the game. Some are taken off to add another game mode or to improve the game mode.

Unrated

• Type – Plant/Defuse
• Match Duration – 30-45 minutes
• Rounds to Win – 13 Rounds
• Overtime – Yes
• Weapon Buy – Yes
• Agent Selection – As the Player Likes
• Daily Quests – 25% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – Yes
• Affect Rank – No

This is the general game mode, and you can play this game mode with up to 5 of your friends. If there is no one, you can play unrated solo and be put into a team of five random players.

Once you get into the game, you would need to win 13 total rounds to win the game, just like in a competitive match. Each half has 12 rounds, but if one team wins, 13 rounds will win. If the score gets to 12-12, an additional round will be given, and the team that wins the round will win the unrated game.

You would have to manage your economy, play with your teammates for the win, get your thrifties, win some, lose some, force buys, light buys, and full buys, everything you can experience in a ranked game but without affecting the rank.

So, the Unrated game mode in Valorant is perfect to test your aim, learn about maps, positions, agent selections, the buys, and everything in a competitive game setting, or have a practice match against real players before a competitive game.

Competitive

• Type – Plant/Defuse
• Match Duration – 30-45+ minutes
• Rounds to Win – 13 Rounds
• Overtime – Yes
• Weapon Buy – Yes
• Agent Selection – As the Player Likes
• Daily Quests – 25% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – Yes
• Affect Rank – Yes
• Who Should Play This – For anyone looking to play with the best players in their elo, win against them and rank up.

Competitive games in Valonant are plant and defuse mode games that will affect the Valorant rank. It is the same as unrated but more competitive. Your rank is affected in this mode, so give your best effort. To play this mode, you need at least a Level 20 account and play 5 placement matches to get your rank according to the MMR ranking system in Valorant.

After getting a rank, you will gain or lose your RR (Rank Ratings) based on your performance in competitive matches. This can range from 8-30, including the performance bonuses, but if you are placed in the right Elo in Valorant, it would be from 12-25 RR for each match whether you lose or win.

To win the game, you need to win 13 rounds; if the score were to reach 12-12, you would have overtime, where you need to win two more rounds in a row to win the match. The option to draw the game would also be available after the first overtime if the score reaches 13-13.

Spike Rush

• Type – Plant/Defuse
• Match Duration – 10-15 Minutes
• Rounds to Win – 4 Rounds
• Overtime – No
• Sudden Death – Yes
• Weapon Buy – No (Automatically Selected)
• Agent Selection – As the Player Likes
• Daily Quests – 50% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – Yes
• Affect Rank – No
• Who Should Play This – Anyone who wants a casual game to cool down, have a fast-paced, fun game

An extremely casual game mode, way different from any other game modes in Valorant. You can select an agent at the start, but the weapon selection will happen automatically in each round. Agent abilities will be activated in each round; hence, you don’t need to buy them.

Multiple orbs will be on the map, with different effects, such as ultimate, paranoia, healing orb, damage orb, and more. You would need to plant or defuse to win a round. The first team to win 4 rounds wins the Spike Rush, but if the score gets to 3-3, an additional round will be given, and the winner will win.

Spike Rush game mode suits someone looking for a quick game or wanting to cool down after an extensive battle on a competitive match. This can also be used to figure out how a new agent works if you have unlocked them.

Swift Play

• Type – Plant/Defuse
• Match Duration – 15-20 Minutes
• Rounds to Win – 5 Rounds
• Overtime – No
• Sudden Death – Yes
• Weapon Buy – Yes
• Agent Selection – As the Player Likes
• Daily Quests – 25% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – Yes
• Affect Rank – No
• Who Should Play This – Anyone who wants a casual game or has a small version of an unrated game

This game mode was added back in 2023, and it is similar to an unrated game. But as the name suggests, this is swift, meaning that this will only last around 15 minutes, half of the time played on unrated.

The economy is updated in this game mode to increase your credits every round, so you don’t need to worry about managing your economy like in unrated. You only need to win 5 rounds in a match to win; if the score reaches 4-4, then a sudden death round will be given, and the winning team of the round wins the match.

This game mode is perfect for those who don’t have the time for an unrated or test the abilities of an agent, learn the maps in a short time, or just test lineups work without spending a lot of time in an unrated game.

Escalation

• Type – Plant/Defuse
• Match Duration – 5-10 Minutes
• Rounds to Win – Complete 12 Weapon Cycles
• Overtime – No
• Weapon Buy – No (Automatically Selected)
• Agent Selection – Automatic
• Daily Quests – 50% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – No
• Affect Rank – No
• Who Should Play This – Anyone who wants a casual and fun game

Escalation is another 5v5 game mode added to the Valorant in 2022. In this game mode, the player must go through 12 weapon cycles by getting kills, including some abilities such as Shock Darts, Raze’s Showstopper, or Paint Shells. Also, no agent abilities will be involved, like in a death match.

As in a deathmatch, a health pack will drop on an enemy once you kill them. You and your team need to get kills to advance to the next weapon cycle, and the team that completes the 12 weapon cycles wins the game.

Escalation mode on Valorant suits players looking for a fun yet fast-paced match with teammates or solo queuing. It’s also good for players looking to cool down after a competitive game.

Deathmatch

• Type – Deathmatch
• Match Duration – 10-15 Minutes
• To Win – 40 Kills
• Overtime – No
• Weapon Buy – Yes
• Agent Selection – Automatic
• Daily Quests – 25% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – Yes
• Affect Rank – No
• Who Should Play This – To train your aim, movement, and game sense

Deathmatch is a casual free-for-all game mode used by Valorant players mostly to warm up before competitive games. This can also be used for training with real people instead of bots in the range, and it does help you improve your game sense, maps, aim, trigger discipline, and more.

This game mode doesn’t allow you to pick your agent, and there will be no ability usage. You can buy the preferred weapon whenever you spawn, and if you kill a player, a health pack will be dropped for you to heal.

Deathmatch is an amazing game mode for you to train your aim and discipline using strategies like the Miyagi Method. Players also prefer it after testing the aim in the range for a while.

Team Deathmatch

• Type – Deathmatch
• Match Duration – 10-15 Minutes
• To Win – 100 Team Kills
• Overtime – No
• Weapon Buy – Yes (in three phases)
• Agent Selection – Yes
• Daily Quests – 25% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – Yes
• Affect Rank – No
• Who Should Play This – This will kill the aim, trigger discipline for most players, only suitable if you want to have fun with your teammates

The newest addition to the Valorant game modes was introduced in June 2023 during Episode 6. It’s basically a deathmatch but with more fun things, such as agent abilities, the ability to select the preferred agent, weapon-spawning orbs, healing orbs and the ultimate orbs. From what you can see, it combines Deathmatch and Spike Rush.

In a team deathmatch, to win, you and your team would have to get 100 kills before the enemy team. You would go through four weapon cycles, which start from the pistol stage and end with the rifle phase. Getting kills will advance you to the next phase, where you can select one out of two or three weapon options.

This game mode is more fun than the deathmatch mode, but it is not recommended before a competitive game since it can sometimes affect trigger discipline and overall aim.

Premier

• Type – Plant/Defuce
• Match Duration – 45+ Minutes
• To Win – 13 Rounds (more if Overtime)
• Overtime – Yes
• Weapon Buy – Yes
• Agent Selection – Yes
• Daily Quests – 25% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – Yes
• Affect Rank – No, But Increases Premier Placement Toward Playoffs
• Who Should Play This – A team who is looking to perform in a tournament

Premier is the first tournament mode added to the Valorant and was added during Episode 6 in 2023. It’s a 5v5 tournament game mode, the same as the competitive game mode, but it has a different ranking system, which lasts a whole act.

Like in Valorant tournaments like VCT Masters, players need to form a team of 5, where 2 more slots are available for substitutes. Premier mode includes map banning, side selecting, and every perk in the tournaments.

When you win a match, you get to climb the rankings in your category, and when a team gets 675 Points, they get to go for the playoffs, where four more teams will play against each other to go for the playoffs match.

This game mode is suitable for players looking for something more than competitive and go for battle with other teams in their region and their skill levels. Perks like banner names, cards and titles are given to the Premier participants.

Custom Game

• Type – Custom, All Game Modes are Available to Pick
• Match Duration – 1-45+ Minutes
• To Win – Depends on the Game Mode Selected
• Affect Rank – No
• Who Should Play This – Anyone who wants to train with their teammates to learn maps, agents, and the overall game.

Custom games are where you can set any game mode to your preference, which means you can use any game mode like unrated, spike rush, escalation, deathmatch, snowball fight, and so on with your friends on the account.

Competitive mode is not accessible in the custom game mode, but you can still use tournament mode to have a good competitive game with your friends without affecting the Valorant rank.

You can select any map in Valorant in a custom game. Playing a custom game usually requires two or more players, and having more than 10 players makes the game more fun as well.

Players usually prefer this game mode to test lineups and agent abilities, get to know the maps, learn new teaks made during patch nodes, sometimes find glitches, and so on.

Training

• Type – Training/Range
• Match Duration – Not Specific
• Affect Rank – No
• Who Should Play This – Anyone who wants to train their aim

Training mode is another game mode you can use to practice before going for a competitive but it is recommended to go to a deathmatch after hitting the range since it has proved to improve the aim by a lot.

The only map available for the training mode is the Range, and there are drones, bots, and ranges that you can use to practice and improve your aim without using Aim Labs or third-party programs.

There are even easter eggs like Brimstone’s Office that you can visit in the range. This game mode in Valorant is recommended to players who want to improve their aim or test agent abilities using the bots in the range.

Currently Removed Game Modes

Two more game modes were introduced to Valorant, and they have been removed from the game. These game modes are Snowball Fight and Drift; hopefully, Riot Games will again include them in due time.

Snowball Fight

• Type – Team Deathmatch
• Match Duration – 10-15 Minutes
• To Win – 50 Kills
• Overtime – No
• Daily Quests – 25% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – No
• Affect Rank – No
• Who Should Play This – Anyone looking for a fun, fast-paced game mode

This was introduced to Valorant in 2020, and it is almost a team deathmatch combined with escalation but with more fun orbs like grow ball, rapid-fire included. It’s a 5v5 game mode, and you need to get 50 kills to win the match, so it’s mostly short-lived.

There are no weapons, unlike in escalation and team deathmatch mode. Instead of weapons, you get a snowball launcher which shoots projectile-based snowballs. Each snowball deals direct damage of 150 HP.

Unfortunately, Valorant’s fun game mode was removed in 2020 and has not been added to the game. Hopefully, it will return to Valorant soon with a few tweaks made.

Replication

• Type – Plant/Defuse
• Match Duration – 10-15 Minutes
• To Win – 5 Rounds
• Sudden Death – Yes
• Weapon Buy – Yes
• Agent Selection – Player Votes
• Daily Quests – 25% of a checkpoint per round won
• Weekly Quests – Yes
• Affect Rank – No
• Who Should Play This – For anyone who’s up for a fun yet fast-paced match with teammates.

Replication appeared in Valorant just a couple of months after Escalation mode back in 2020. It has been in the game for more than six episodes. This game mode is a 5 vs 5 unrated game that has only 9 total rounds. To win in a replication game, the team must win 5 rounds before their enemy team.

The special feature of replication compared to other game modes in Valorant is agent selection. When you go to the selection, each of the five players in a team gets to vote on what player the team should play. Then, the system will randomly select an agent from the voted agents, and the whole team gets to play only that agent for the whole game.

The Team Deathmatch mode has replaced this game mode during Episode 7. However, we expect it to be readded to the Valorant in the future since it was a game mode that most players enjoyed.

The Conclusion

Valorant Game Modes has grown from six to twelve in the past three years. It started from unrated, competitive, spike rush, deathmatch, custom, and training mode and has undergone some changes over the years.

Currently, two modes have been removed from the game, Snowball Fight and Replication mode, and hopefully, they will be readmitted to the game in the future. Game modes differ in how they let you pick agents, map rotation, method to win, type of game, and other characteristics, which we have discussed here.

These game modes have their perks, like how they contribute to your weekly or daily quests and how they help you improve your game or just let you have fun. This Ultimate Guide into Valorant Game Modes has covered everything you need to know about Valorant game modes currently on the game and removed game modes.