VALORANT is one of the best and most popular PC games in recent years, and it's easy to see why Riot Games's 5v5 first-person tactical shooter continues to be a success, but console-only players are wondering if there are any plans to bring the game to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
While Riot hasn't announced anything official about a console release, various leaks and rumors suggest that VALORANT will be getting a console version, so let's take a look at the latest updates about it.
Is VALORANT coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S?
It looks like the console version of VALORANT is coming, if data-mined details and and new job descriptions are anything to go by.
As Valorleaks pointed out back in February 2022, Riot Games released 2 job postings for Senior Game Designers for VALORANT. It's worth noting that these job postings are specified for console game designers.
A dataminer also found strings in VALORANT's files that make reference to PSN and Xbox Live. According to VALORANT leaker Shiina, the strings were added to the game's files for "backend purposes," suggesting that the console version is still in the testing phase.
On May 2, Riot Games' Amelia tweeted about the open roles on her team, hinting their plans for a VALORANT console release:
When will VALORANT get a console release?
In June 2020, Riot revealed that they're “prototyping” a console version of VALORANT, but didn't promise because the developer believes that “there’s a way to experience this game that we’re not entirely sure translates completely to console play.”
Riot's job postings specifically for developing VALORANT's console version suggest that things have been progressing well, so it's likely that the studio has major plans to release the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. One of the biggest questions now is when VALORANT will arrive on these consoles.
As of October 2022, we don't have an exact release date or release window yet as Riot hasn't announced any official news for a console release, but it's clear that Riot Games has a plan of expanding its brand and business across all platforms. Wild Rift's adaptation of the popular MOBA game League of Legends was Riot's first mobile experience, and it turned out to be a success.
When Riot Games updated VALORANT's homescreen in October 2022, some players speculated that this change could mean that a console version is coming soon.
Will the VALORANT console version be available for crossplay?
Riot hasn't announce any crossplay plans for the console version of VALORANT, but according to VALORANTMobileN, we "might" get to see crossplay between the console version and the mobile version of VALORANT.
Are there any other news for VALORANT's console release?
Riot's biggest games heading to Game Pass!
In June 2022, Riot Games and Xbox announced that Riot's major titles are coming to Game Pass this winter, bringing together two of the biggest communities in gaming onto one platform. The games include League of Legends, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Legends of Runeterra, Teamfight Tactics, and of course, VALORANT.
Players will receive bonus experience across select games:
This could help Riot's plans to bring VALORANT to Xbox, but nothing has officially been confirmed yet.
Sony x VALORANT Partnership
On June 28, it was announced that Sony INZONE is the official headset partner of the VALORANT Champions Tour.
Could this be a sign that VALORANT will get a PlayStation 5 version soon? It's hard to believe that nothing more will come out of this partnership, but this is all speculation for now.
If you're craving for a similar tactical FPS experience, you can check out NetEase's "VALORANT clone", Hyper Front.