The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

VALORANT Agent 16 'Grenadier' - Leaked Abilities, Name, Release Date, Gameplay & Everything We Know


This article contains information about the 'release-date' of either a movie, game or product. Unless stated explicitly, release dates are speculative & subject to change. See something wrong? Contact us here

VALORANT Agent 16. Although Riot Games has not officially announced the character, a few details have already been teased about the new agent, including the agent's code name, and how their abilities could affect the match.

click to enlarge
+ 6
Credit: Riot Games

VALORANT Agent 16 Codename, Abilities, Possible Lore & Dev Comments

click to enlarge
+ 6
Credit: Riot Games

On May, data miners found the codename "Grenadier" buried in a file that came with one of VALORANT's previous updates.

Grenadier gives us some hints as to what kind of role Agent 16 might play and possibly where he fits into the lore of VALORANT. In military history, grenadiers were typically strong soldiers who sieged forts using throwable grenades and assult weapons. It's likely that the new agent will be able to throw some type of explosive or charged device. It's also possible that grenadier alludes to a connection with Brimstone, who's known to be Kingdom's chosen leader in the Valorant Protocol. After all, he dons a military outfit and refers to his military experience in his voice lines. His utility kit that includes Molotov launcher, artillery, and smokes fits with someone you might consider a grenadier. Perhaps Grenadier and Brimstone will have some history.

At the end of May's State of the Game blog post, VALORANT character producer John Goscicki teased the following:

"This is an Agent whose utility can create moments where you must rely on your gunplay. The new Agent is coming soon enough, and we're looking forward to seeing what you think when they finally say hello!"

Perhaps the new agent will have the ability to disable enemies' utility. The new agent may have an EMP device that they can throw to break utility such as Cypher's trapwires, Killjoy's turret, or Sova's arrows. Or the new agent might be able to bring out a shield or force field that makes them invulnerable from abilities, and his enemies would need to shoot with guns to break that shield.

Based on the hints we have so far, it's safe to assume that Agent 16 will be an Initiator type. Other Initiator agents are Sova, Breach, and Skye, so if Riot wants to even out the agent types in the game, it's likely that the next two agents will be either an Initiator or a Sentinel since there are currently already four Duelists and four Controllers.

VALORANT Agent 16 In-Game Teasers & Summer Game Fest Teaser

click to enlarge
+ 6
Credit: Riot Games

Following a recent update, Riot has placed in-game teasers hinting at Agent 16's imminent arrival while offering clues about their unique abilities.

As you can see above, there's a new signage below the portal above Breeze A site that reads "arrival immenent."

click to enlarge
+ 6
Credit: Riot Games

In Breeze, players also discovered a knife stuck in one of the Radianite boxes, and it appears to be sparking. Could it be that the Grenadier throws knives that could disable other agents' abilities?

On June 10, the Summer Game Fest live event premiered a teaser featuring a robot booting up while its head activates in a nearby table. Earlier that day, Killjoy took over the official VALORANT Twitter page and shared mysterious images.

Her first image shows a selfie at a concert, and her second image reveals an Alarmbot being disabled. Its caption reads, "Variable removed. Alarmbot down". This could be a hint that the new agent has the ability to disable other agents' abilities

Agent 16 Release Date: When will Grenadier be released in VALORANT?

click to enlarge
+ 6
Credit: Riot Games

Riot has been releasing either a new agent or a new map on each VALORANT episode, so we're pretty certain that Agent 16 will be released on the next episode.

Act 1, Episode 3 will launch on June 22, 2021, which is a day after the current battle pass expires. On the June 2 blog post, Riot hinted at the date which featured the subheading "New Agent?" and the banner image shown below.

click to enlarge
+ 6
Credit: Riot Games

For more articles like this, take a look at our Esports page.