If you’re aspiring to reach Radiant glory or just giving competitive Valorant a try for the first time, understanding the ranked system is your first step toward progress. Climbing the Valorant ranks in Riot’s high-stakes, tactical shooter isn’t just about sharp aim. In this guide, we’ll break down how Valorant ranked system works, how to unlock competitive mode and how to rise through the ranks. We’ve got all the essential insights.
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Valorant has 25 ranks, divided into 9 tiers from Iron to Radiant.
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You can play ranked after reaching level 20 and completing 5 placement matches.
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There’s no rank decay, but placement matches are required after a long break.
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As of Act 3, Silver is the most common rank (21.86%), followed by Gold (21.55%) and Bronze (16.63%).
TABLE OF CONTENT
What are Valorant Ranks?
Valorant ranks are a way to showcase your prowess in the game and compete against other players. Your Valorant rank represents your game achievements and where you stack up against other competitors.
To even become eligible to play in competitive ranked mode you have to earn level 20 on your account. Following the achievement of that step, you’ll need to win further five competitive matches to unlock your first rank.
Once the preliminary placement matches have been completed, most players will be deposited within the Iron or Silver ranks. If you’re an exceptionally skilled player and your placement matches are something special, you may find yourself boosted up to Gold or Platinum straight away.
How to Unlock Ranked Mode in Valorant
To unlock Valorant’s Ranked Mode, also known as the Competitive Mode, you must first reach account level 20. This means you’ll have to play Valorant’s unranked game modes to earn experience points after completing a match.
Reaching level 20 usually takes around 20 to 30 hours of gameplay, depending on how often you play and how well you perform in these matches.
This level requirement exists to ensure players have enough knowledge and familiarity with the game’s mechanics and agents before diving head first into the ranked environment. Such a system is a necessity to create a more enjoyable experience for all ranked players.
How Your First Rank Is Determined
Once you finish the tedious task of hitting account level 20, you will be eligible to queue for your first ranked match. However, you will be placed in an “Unranked” status, meaning you don’t have your rank yet.
To get your first rank, you must complete five placement matches. During these matches, the game will evaluate and assess your current skill level based on your performance, win/loss results, round difference, and other undisclosed factors.
By playing well in your placement matches, you can skip multiple ranks and immediately start with one to be proud of. However, don’t get discouraged if you place lower than expected! Your rank will adjust as you continue to play and improve.
Typically, new players start in the range of Iron to Silver, which are three of the lowest ranks in the game. If you land on Gold or Platinum for your first rank, you’re definitely doing something right!
All Valorant Ranks
Like many other competitive titles, the Valorant ranked system is relatively easy to understand and digest. It consists of eight tiers that are subdivided into three ranks per tier. This only differs at the highest rank, Radiant, which boasts a ‘one and done’ subsystem.
If you’re going to work your way up from the top to the bottom of the Valorant ranks, you’ll transition through the following Valorant ranks in order:
| Ranks | Est. RR Range | % of Players |
|---|---|---|
| ⚫️ Iron 1 | 0–100 | ~0.91% |
| ⚫️ Iron 2 | 100–200 | ~1.93% |
| ⚫️ Iron 3 | 200–300 | ~2.82% |
| 🟫 Bronze 1 | 300–400 | ~5.82% |
| 🟫 Bronze 2 | 400–500 | ~6.05% |
| 🟫 Bronze 3 | 500–600 | ~4.96% |
| ⚪ Silver 1 | 600–700 | ~8.63% |
| ⚪ Silver 2 | 700–800 | ~7.39% |
| ⚪ Silver 3 | 800–900 | ~5.94% |
| 🟡 Gold 1 | 900–1000 | ~8.88% |
| 🟡 Gold 2 | 1000–1100 | ~7.20% |
| 🟡 Gold 3 | 1100–1200 | ~5.36% |
| 🔷 Platinum 1 | 1200–1300 | ~7.24% |
| 🔷 Platinum 2 | 1300–1400 | ~5.21% |
| 🔷 Platinum 3 | 1400–1500 | ~3.59% |
| 💠 Diamond 1 | 1500–1600 | ~4.67% |
| 💠 Diamond 2 | 1600–1700 | ~3.38% |
| 💠 Diamond 3 | 1700–1800 | ~2.29% |
| 🟩 Ascendant 1 | 1800–1900 | ~3.02% |
| 🟩 Ascendant 2 | 1900–2000 | ~1.95% |
| 🟩 Ascendant 3 | 2000–2100 | ~1.15% |
| 🔺 Immortal 1 | 2100+ | ~1.18% |
| 🔺 Immortal 2 | 2300+ | ~0.28% |
| 🔺 Immortal 3 | 2500+ | ~0.13% |
| 🟨 Radiant | Top 500 | ~0.03% |
This list is based on the latest distribution data from vstats.gg.
Valorant Rank Distribution
When you’re just starting out, it might be difficult to see where you currently stand in the ranking system compared to everyone else. Valorant’s ranking system is designed to match players of similar skill levels, but the distribution of ranks isn’t even. Let’s get a clearer picture by understanding the average rank in Valorant.
According to the latest distribution data from vstats.gg (Episode 9, Act 3 – May 2025), the most common Valorant ranks are:
- Silver (21.86%),
- Gold (21.55%),
- Bronze (16.63%),
with over 60% of all players placed in these three brackets.
Iron holds 5.59% of the player base, while Platinum accounts for 16.13%, Diamond for 10.42%, and Ascendant for 6.18%, rounding out the mid-to-high skill tiers.
At the very top, Immortal represents just 1.62% of players, while Radiant is extremely exclusive, with only 0.04% reaching the highest rank.
Based on this data, the average player currently sits in Silver, and a full breakdown of the rank distribution — from Iron 1 to Radiant — is available in the table above.
How Valorant Rank Rating (RR) Works
Rank rating is a way to represent your current standing in a certain rank. It goes from 0 to 100 points, and you will gain or lose points depending on your performance. Your in-game performance, win/loss records, and leave rate will impact how much points earn or lose in your rank. If you consistently win games you can expect to gain more and more points rather quickly.
Here’s how your Rank Rating in Valorant is calculated:
- Winning /Losing has the highest impact on your rank and will always win or lose you a base amount of points.
- Round difference in your match impacts how much you win your lose. If you win 13 – 2 you will gain more points than winning 13 – 9.
- Individual performance and your personal K/D/A and damage dealt will further impact how much your rank will improve.
- The strength of your match lobby will determine how much you will gain on lose when comparing the relative strength of all players in the game and their ranks and ratings.
While your first few matches in a rank may earn you only 10 points, winning are game or two will adjust the amount of points you earn and you may gain 20 or more points for each win. The opposite is also correct if you are on a losing streak and keep performing badly.
Once you reach Immortal, your rank rating cap will no longer be 0 to 100, but instead become an open ended count going from 0 to “infinity”. For each milestone reached (100, 200, 500 RR) you will climb a certain rank in Immortal or eventually Radiant.
How do you rank up in Valorant? Rank Progression and Climbing Difficulty
To rank up in Valorant, you earn Rank Rating (RR) by winning matches. By performing well, you’ll receive more RR than the average player after every win. Each rank requires 100 RR to advance to the next tier. However, the climb gets noticeably slower and more difficult as you go up the ladder.
This is because opponents become tougher, and the system expects more consistency to reward RR gains. While each rank equally requires 100 RR to advance, that doesn’t mean climbing higher ranks is as quick or easy as lower ones. You will often see higher-ranked players earn less RR per game than players in the lower ranks.
At the same time, remember that losing matches or performing poorly can cause your RR to drop below zero, resulting in a derank. Maintaining your rank requires steady performance.
When it comes to Valorant esports, almost every professional, competing players will be sitting in Radiant or Immortal – no less. That’s a little indicator as to how tough it really is to get up there.
Credit: PlayValorant
Rank vs Act Rank, What’s the difference?
In Valorant, your Rank reflects your current competitive standing based on your recent activity and matches. On the other hand, your Act Rank displays the highest rank you’ve achieved during the current Act, which is essentially a ranked season.
Your Valorant peak rank is essentially shown on your Act Rank, which is the peak level of skill you’ve reached in that specific season. The Act rank consists of your best 50 games in terms of rank, and is a true representation of how strong you really are. The more games you play at the highest rank you achieve, the better your Act rank will be. In some cases, your Act Rank may reflect your journey through the ranks in Valorant.
You will get a triangle added to your pyramid each time you win. Your best win at your highest rank achieved will always be at the top. Your ACT rank will always consider the majority of triangles earned as your established rank for competitive play.
Valorant Ranked Rewards
When every Episode wraps up, all players will be issued a ‘gun buddy’ that matches their highest act ranks. Also, depending on the player’s activity, they will also be issued a ‘border’, which ranges from rank 1 to 5. This will be displayed on their profile and it helps to identify the skill level of any given player.
Valorant Episode 3 Act 2 Rewards (example)
Five Tips to Instantly Improve Your Valorant Rank
For the most professional player, there are thousands of tips and tricks to give out. To finish off this guide to the Valorant ranks, we’re going to give you the top five tips you’ll need to succeed early on in your Valorant journey.
Here are our top tips to improve your rank in Valorant:
- Communication is key. Learn the call-outs and get comfortable using a microphone.
- Always practice at the Shooting Range before starting your daily matches.
- Use the mini-map. Valorant has a lot of information packed in your top left-hand corner.
- Sound is important, learn how far your footsteps sound travels and where sound queues originate.
- Watch a Valorant stream or YouTube videos to learn spots and tricks.
Valorant Matchmaking Rules
Historically, the Valorant matchmaking system has suffered from more than a few flaws. Since the game first launched the competitive matchmaking system, we’ve seen issues like desync, unbalanced latency, and peeker’s advantage present in the game. However, Riot, the developer behind Valorant, has worked hard to fix these issues.
It’s a constant and ever-changing process, with Riot attempting to provide a balance in the Valorant matchmaking system as often as possible. With that being said, there are a few niggling issues that cannot be resolved overnight. For instance, the European region faces an issue with server division. This can prove to be a blocker, particularly where in-game communications are concerned.
Let’s take an example – League of Legends hosts separate servers for Russia and Turkey. When you play Valorant, there’s every opportunity to be plunged into a match with Russian or Turkish players, which causes immediate issues where team play and communication are concerned.
Ultimately, it’s an unfortunate fact, but no multiplayer platform is perfect. While Riot tries its best to keep everything under control, you can’t always please everybody.
Recent Changes to the Valorant Ranked System
The Valorant ranks system is constantly being refined. Currently, it’s as good as it has ever been, with accommodations being made that better balance the game for both solo players and 5-stack aficionados. It’s relatively easier now for the lower-ranked players to climb up those bottom tiers, which means that, if you’ve come back from a break from Valorant, you may find yourself ranking higher, faster.
Previously, Riot had collapsed the Immortal rank into one, to match the Radiant rank. However, as of episode three, a three-rank split has been re-introduced to the Immortal rank, dividing the medal into Immortal 1, Immortal 2, and Immortal 3. This change aims to provide a more accurate representation of player skill at the higher levels, and makes players work more to reach that sweet Radiant rank.
Riot has introduced a refined smurf detection system to tackle one of Valorant’s biggest challenges. This system will identify players using secondary accounts to dominate lower-ranked matches. When an account is flagged for smurfing, Riot may either impose an immediate ban or intentionally increase the player’s RR gains, helping the account quickly reach the skill level of their main account.
Can I play Competitive Valorant with friends?
As an advocate for inclusive play, Riot has stated that they respect the fact that people enjoy playing Valorant with their friends. In fact, a statement from a Riot developer specifically backs up this claim:
“Having a solo queue can easily lead to that becoming the definitive test of someone’s skills and the primary way to play competitively. We’ve opted instead to allow players to play at any team size they prefer. We also think it’s valuable for players to search for good teammates now for competitive play, so when higher-stakes competition becomes available, they already have teammates they can rely on.”
However, given that we’re referring to a competitive, ranked landscape, there have to be considerations made for competitive integrity. For instance, Call of Duty’s ranked mode, League Play, can be terribly imbalanced, as the lowest-ranked player is free to queue in with three of the highest-ranked players. Alternatively, one highly-ranked player can queue in with three of the lowest-tiered players, giving that one player a clear and defined edge against the likely competition.
Image: Riot
In the Valorant ranking system, greater scrutiny has been placed on the ‘upper echelons’ of the ranks. While you can still compete alongside your friends, there are restrictions in place that prevent players of vastly different ranks from playing with one another. For instance, if you’re ranked at Diamond or above, you can only play with one other friend in the competitive queue.
As a rule of thumb, it’s better to play with a full squad that communicates well. Not only does this reduce the need to hope for good random players, but if you plan to advance up through the ranks quite quickly, you’ll be better off doing so with a well-oiled team. If you’re going to advance beyond the Platinum and Diamond ranks, you’ll almost certainly need to play with what’s known as a ‘five stack’. This is simply a squad made up of five players.
There have been many tweaks to the matchmaking system where ‘5-stacks’ are concerned. While you can still play competitive Valorant with your friends, some restrictions will be imposed. For instance, there are now reduced rank rating gain/loss penalties based on the build of your 5-stack. If everyone in your party is ranked between Iron and Diamond 2, no penalties will be issued. However, if even one player in your stack is Radiant, a 75% penalty will apply to all players.
Check out our full breakdown of what ranks can play together in Valorant?
FAQs
When do Valorant Ranks reset?
Valorant Ranks get a soft reset between each Act, and a hard reset between each Episode.Keep in mind, Riot still considers your previous Episode ranked performance when re-calculating your rank, so if you are stuck in Elo hell a rank reset won’t save your placement.
How to play Ranked in Valorant?
In order to qualify for Ranked play in Valorant, you need to reach Level 20 on your account. Each game awards you a certain amount of expirience when you play. Weekly and Daily quests add to this total. You will need to play approximately 100 games to reach Level 20.
What is the lowest rank in Valorant?
The lowest rank you can obtain in Valorant is Iron 3. If you end up in Iron, you should really consider improving your aim and practicing some movement and tactics.
Is there Rank Decay in Valorant?
There is no ranking decay in VALORANT and Riot Games will always remember your previous MMR. In case you stop playing for a few months, you will have to play your placements once again.
Can you skip ranks in Valorant Ranked?
Absolutely – and this is made possible by the nature of the system attempting to determine your true MMR. If you play exceptionally well in your early placement fixtures, you’ll skip several ranks straight off the bat. There’s even a chance that you’ll be boosted straight up to Gold or even Platinum, provided you play well enough.
What is the highest Rank in Valorant?
The highest rank you can obtain in Valorant is Radiant. After you reach it, you join an elite leaderboard containing all players that have achieved this rank. Keep playing to reach the #1 spot.
What is Valorant Peak Rank?
Your Valorant Peak Rank is the highest rank you have achieved in a specific ACT or Episode.Let’s say you promoted to Diamond 3 but got demoted back to Platinum for the rest of the season. Your peak rank during this Season was still Diamond 3 even though your icon border won’t represent it.