2XKO executive producer Tom Cannon, who made the original announcement of the team’s shrinking, explained that the decision was due to the game’s momentum not hitting the levels where the original team size could be feasible in the long term.

“I want you to know that the decision wasn’t made lightly. As we expanded from PC to console, we saw consistent trends in how players were engaging with 2XKO. The game has resonated with a passionate core audience, but overall momentum hasn’t reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term,” he explained.

2XKO will be handled by a smaller team that will focus on making “key improvements” to the game. The company’s plans to support the competitive scene in 2026 haven’t changed. Partnerships with tournament organizers and local communities will continue.

“With a smaller, focused team, we’re going to dig in and make key improvements to the game, including some of the things we’ve already heard you asking for. We’ll share some of our plans soon,” Cannon continued.

The workers impacted by these layoffs will receive full support from Riot Games, with the company offering a minimum of six months of notice pay along with severance pay. They’re also being encouraged to explore new opportunities with other teams at the company.

“I know this update will raise questions and concerns. That’s understandable. We’ll continue communicating about how things are progressing,” acknowledged Cannon. “In the journey so far, we’ve been humbled and dazzled by the energy and passion you’ve brought to the 2XKO community. That energy matters, and it will help fuel us into this next chapter as we improve the game.”

2XKO was released on PC as an Early Access title in October 2025. January saw Riot Games attempting to further its reach by bringing the fighting game to consoles as well. The fighting game had been in development for quite some time, and was originally known simply as Project L before eventually getting its official title in February 2024.

With 2XKO, Riot Games hopes to attract a more casual audience to fighting games while still maintaining the depth and complexity that the genre is known for. You can learn more details about it in our review, where we gave it a score of 9 out of 10 thanks to its beginner-friendly gameplay, tutorials, and netcode. We did point out our concerns about its potential monetization, as well as the fact that much of its roster starts out locked.

In the meantime, Riot Games has also been working on its own MMORPG. No details about the project have been revealed, however.

An emotional message from Tom Cannon, the executive producer for 2XKO, highlights how the game’s console debut, while managing to appeal to a core audience, failed to provide the momentum needed to sustain the large team working on the title over a longer period.

“We saw consistent trends in how players were engaging with 2XKO. The game has resonated with a passionate core audience, but overall momentum hasn’t reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term.”

However, impacted Rioters (as they’re known internally) do have the benefit of a generous severance package and notice pay in the event they’re unable to find a new role within the studio. Cannon was quick to acknowledge their talent, painting the move to cut down the team’s size as a strategic one. He also emphasized that the new team would continue to follow the roadmap set down for the title’s 2026 Competitive Series and that exciting things were on the horizon for fans who have been enjoying 2XKO’s entertaining combat loop.

“With a smaller, focused team, we’re going to dig in and make key improvements to the game, including some of the things we’ve already heard you asking for. We’ll share some of our plans soon.”

Although it is disheartening to hear of more downsizing at a turbulent time for the gaming industry, we remain optimistic about 2XKO continuing to be a worthy addition to the competitive esports space. Time will tell if the new team can sustain the game’s success, but as far as 2026 is concerned, 2XKO is poised to come out swinging.

2XKO is, at its heart, a tag fighter. While it does offer some options in this regard—and we’ll get into that later—every match starts out with both sides picking two characters. Depending on the kind of “tag” bonus you pick, your second character could be for little more than just using assist moves, or it could be one that you can switch to mid-combo. Regardless, a round is won when all fighters on one side have been defeated, and each match is made up of a total of 3 rounds. Importantly, it’s built around 2v2 duo play: you can pilot both champions yourself, or team up with a friend and split control, which adds a layer of coordination you simply don’t get in most traditional tag fighters.

Right from the get-go, it’s quite obvious that 2XKO is hiding quite a bit of its depth. One of the biggest ways the fighting game sets itself apart from titles like Guilty Gear Strive and Street Fighter 6 is by simply not featuring any motion inputs. This means that iconic actions like the down+forward+punch motion that results in Ryu throwing out a Hadouken simply isn’t present. Rather, players have dedicated S1 (Special 1) and S2 (Special 2) buttons, each of which is responsible for certain specials depending on their characters. These keys can then be paired with either the light, medium or heavy attack button to pull off a stronger move at the cost of your Super meter. Hitting S1 and S2 at the same time will use up three levels of your Super meter to pull off a high-risk, high-reward move.

"Right from the get-go, it’s quite obvious that 2XKO is hiding quite a bit of its depth."

2XKO also offers an optional auto-combo option called Pulse Combo. When it’s enabled in champion select, repeatedly pressing a single attack button will chain into longer sequences (and can even spend meter for Supers). For those looking to move beyond just mashing buttons, however, the fighting game also features bespoke combos that can be used through combinations of the three attack types, as well as directional inputs and even tag and assist moves.

Speaking of which, the core combat of 2XKO feels fantastic. It’s clear that the team behind the game has quite a bit of experience in developing fighting games—as could be seen with Rising Thunder. Everything from the ground game where you’re dashing around to aerial moves feels responsive, and things like jump arcs are fantastically predictable. Still, the core of the combat here largely revolves around the neutral game—how you and your opponent can close the distance or keep each other away, as well as how you start off your combos. On the defensive side of things, you can block, sacrifice your assist cooldown for a push block, and tech throws (throw escapes) with the right timing. There’s also a Break meter that fills up over the course of a match, which you can then expend to get an assist-based escape from any combos you might have gotten caught in. Breaks don’t refill fast, and you will likely get to use one or maybe two in each round, so you’ll need to be careful with how you use it. You’re not going to get much else in the way of defensive options beyond system mechanics like Parry (which is available to everyone, but costs meter), unless your chosen champion also brings extra defensive tools.

Despite all of this, 2XKO never really feels chaotic. Sure, the combos can often be flashy, and every character’s level 3 Super is basically a small cutscene if it hits, but things always remain readable thanks to the clear art direction and visual design that exaggerated some characters’ features, like fists or weapons, to let you properly observe their moves and keep an eye out for what they might do next. Even at its most hectic, where both sides are making multiple tags in and out as part of longer combos, 2XKO remains perfectly legible, even to those who may not have seen a fighting game before.

"Despite all of this, 2XKO never really feels chaotic."

Speaking of tag-based chaos, there are a few options for how you want to set up your team, referred to in-game as Fuses. Aside from the more traditional tag-styled gameplay similar to titles like Blazblue Cross Tag Battle or Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 available through the Double Down Fuse, players can also opt to simply focus on a single character by picking the Juggernaut or Sidekick Fuses. While this means that you don’t have backup if your character’s health is low, it offsets this by giving you more base health to begin with. Along with this, getting down to less than 30 percent health also gives you a defense bonus. It is worth noting that, except for the Juggernaut Fuse, you still have your second character that can come in for assist moves.

The other Fuses—2X Assist and Freestyle—all revolve around tag-based play, giving you different options for assists and tag combos depending on your play style. 2X Assist, for instance, allows you to pull off multiple assist moves before your second character goes back in cooldown. Freestyle, on the other hand, allows for multiple Handshake tags in a single combo, letting you get various hits in with both characters. While this might sound like too many options, don’t worry; some of the more advanced Fuse styles—namely 2X Assist and Freestyle—have to be unlocked through tutorials, which also has the beneficial side effect of teaching you how these Fuses work.

Because of the general nature of these Fuses—especially Juggernaut—and other gameplay elements, no match in 2XKO ever feels completely hopeless. Regardless of how low your health might be, or even if you’ve already lost your tag partner, there are gameplay elements that you can combine with strong fundamental knowledge like knowing when to block and when to strike that can bring you back from the brink of death. Pair this with even some auto combos being able to take down large chunks of a health bar, and you get a game that, while it doesn’t swing too wildly, will still keep you at the edge of your seat.

"It is worth noting that, except for the Juggernaut Fuse, you still have your second character that can come in for assist moves."

One of the most important aspects of any fighting game tends to be its roster, and 2XKO has come out of the gate swinging with how varied and interesting its characters look and feel right off the bat. There are currently 12 characters to choose from, and while this number might seem small, it is worth noting that every single one of them feels different in meaningful ways. Depending on your play style, you might be drawn to the zoning capabilities of Caitlyn, and pair her up with Teemo to cause extra headaches for players who dare to venture too close to you thanks to the latter’s mushroom mines. If you prefer getting up close and personal, you might find yourself playing a combination of Warwick, and pair up his rushdown-centric gameplay with Blitzcrank’s hard-hitting grapple moves.

I personally found myself ultimately playing the bruiser Illaoi, who can summon tentacles to help her get control of the arena, along with the quick and hard-hitting Vi, whose boxing-styled combos and aerial grapples proved essential for when I faced players who preferred aerial attacks. Most of the archetypes you’d expect from a fighting game are represented in the roster here. Interestingly, in my time with the game, I saw quite a few players drawn to Yasuo, who is a bit of an all-rounder, likely thanks to his cool samurai aesthetics and the surprisingly long reach afforded to him by his medium attacks.

Since much like most modern fighting games, 2XKO is primarily an online multiplayer game, its online systems require quite a bit of scrutiny, and so far, my experience with it has been tremendous. Aside from some hiccups during the first few days after launch, the multiplayer experience has been fantastic. At least for the time being, lobbies are quite well populated throughout casual and ranked modes, and it doesn’t take more than a minute or two to find a match. The game makes use of rollback netcode, which means that even if you happen to get quite a bit of latency, the game never stops feeling fluid. Once you get into a fight, the menus largely tend to stay out of the way, and even rematches are quick to get back into.

"I personally found myself ultimately playing the bruiser Illaoi, who can summon tentacles to help her get control of the arena"

Of course, since this is a fighting game, competing to be the best comes with the territory. The Ranked mode supports this quite well by making use of systems that we’ve seen working well in other competitive multiplayer games. You can access Ranked mode once your account has hit level 3, which means that you’ll be spending time and learning the game in Casual mode. After this, you get assigned a rank based on your performance across five placement matches.

Depending on how well you’ve done, you’ll be placed into one of 11 tiers, with Aspirant being the lowest rank, all the way up to Challenger, which is where the best of the best play. Winning Ranked matches earns you Ranking Points, with tier advancements coming in at every 100 of these points. It might take you longer than you think to get higher in ranks, however, since each tier is above Aspirant and under Grandmaster – the second-highest tier – is further split into 3 distinct ranks. Reaching Silver I, for instance, needs you to earn 100 Ranking Points in Bronze III. Accumulating losses, on the other hand, will end up with you dropping down the ranks.

Console players should keep in mind that crossplay only allows matchmaking with other console players. This means PS5 players can match up with those on Xbox Series X/S. PC players, on the other hand, are restrained to their own matchmaking pool. If you would like to keep switching between a console and PC, 2XKO also supports cross progression, which means that all of your progression and unlocks carry over across all platforms as long as you’ve linked your Riot Account to the appropriate platform.

"The Ranked mode supports this quite well by making use of systems that we’ve seen working well in other competitive multiplayer games."

Unfortunately, if you’re not going to play multiplayer, 2XKO simply doesn’t have much to do. Aside from local matches with bots or perhaps another person, you’re largely limited to the tutorials and character-based combo trials, which are essentially more in-depth ways for you to learn how a character works. There isn’t anything like an arcade or story mode, so those looking for single-player content won’t really find what they’re looking for here.

With all of that out of the way, it’s time to talk about presentation, and 2XKO knocks it out of the park. Thanks to its use of high-contrast colors and vibrant character designs, along with smooth animations that seemingly flow into each other without much difficulty, each match feels like you’re watching a high production-value animated show. Hits are punctuated with crunchy sound effects that really emphasize the impact that these attacks might have, and character call-outs also go a long way in letting you know if you should be worried about an incoming assist from your opponent, or if they’ve managed to use Break to get freed from your combo.

The major downsides of 2XKO largely revolve around its monetisation tactics. While it has everything you would imagine a free-to-play title might, ranging from character skins to cosmetics for your online lobby avatar, you also start out with quite a few characters locked. Now, it is entirely possible to unlock these characters simply by playing the game and getting unlock tokens and other in-game currencies, you can also choose to unlock these characters instantly by spending some real-world money.

"The major downsides of 2XKO largely revolve around its monetisation tactics."

Of course, it also doesn’t help matters that 2XKO has quite a few currencies that further muddy the waters. There are three distinct types of currencies: KO Points, Champion Tokens, and Credits. The last one of these can be earned over the course of regular play, and is limited to 12,000 in total per account. KO Points are what you need to get if you want to spend some real-world money. Among other things, these can be used to unlock characters, cosmetics, and even the premium track of the Battle Pass. Both of these can be spent on Champion Tokens, which straight up allows you to unlock a Champion.

This essentially echoes the monetisation from League of Legends, and while 2XKO is also a free-to-play game, the health of its competitive playerbase in the long term will depend on its cadence of new roster additions, how they are priced, and whether the game will provide enough free-to-play currency in the meantime to make sure that you never miss out. While balance is generally fine for the time being, the fact that new characters can be bought also has some negative implications for future game balance in case an overpowered character is released.

2XKO is off to a rather strong start. Even without motion inputs for special moves, the fighting game offers plenty of depth for seasoned fighting game players thanks to how varied its Fuses are. At the same time, it is also incredibly beginner-friendly, giving players enough onboarding support to get comfortable with its systems quickly. Throw on top in-depth tutorials that teach you just about every gameplay mechanic, as well as a strong training mode that gives more advanced players tools to understand minutiae like frame data, and you have an incredibly strong fighting game in your hands. Since it’s a free-to-play game, it’s an easy recommendation to anyone that might be curious about the world of competitive fighting games. The only thing Riot Games needs to maintain this momentum is to keep an eye on how it monetizes future character releases while also ensuring that they’re as varied and interesting as the base roster is.

This game was reviewed on PS5.

What the Heck is League of Legends?

In short, everyone’s favorite MOBA. The basic hook of 2XKO is seeing its iconic Champions collide in a fighting game. So if you just want to get into the action, then it’s well worth a look, especially because…

This is Free?

Say what you will about Riot Games titles. The wonky balance patches – the fact that they’re free is a huge bonus. 2XKO follows suit, and you won’t have to worry about future Champions, stages, modes and whatnot costing money.

Who Are You People?

Any fighting game is only really worth as much as its roster, and with over 170 Champions in League of Legends, you would think this is bursting at the seams with options. Unfortunately, 2XKO only has 11 – yes, 11 – fighters to choose from. On the bright side, Ahri, Jinx, Vi, Warwick, Yasuo, Ekko, and other iconic figures are here (alongside Teemo) and the first post-launch additions.

2v2 Tag Battles

But what kind of fighter is 2XKO? If the name and gameplay didn’t give it away, this is a tag fighter where teams of two square off. Due to its unique mechanics, however, you can just as easily have 1v1 battles as 2v1s. If you want to play 2v2 with each fighter controlled by a different player and get that authentic “blaming your teammate” League experience, that’s also possible.

Point and Assist

The starting fighter is known as the Point, while the second is the Assist. Anyone who’s played a tag fighter – will know the drill: Call in the Assist, and they’ll perform a specific action (or a Super move if you have the meter). A Handshake Tag allows tagging the Point out, and the Assist in, but you can also perform this during an assist action, thus keeping your opponent guessing. And for the Killer Instinct veterans, Assists can perform Breaks, interrupting an enemy’s combo if you’re in dire need.

Arcade Mode, Versus, Casual and Training

There are three core modes to leap into, starting with Arcade Mode – the industry standard, where you fight a fixed number of AI opponents. Versus Mode is about battling other players locally and is available offline, while Casual Mode allows competing online. You can also create a custom Private lobby or enter Training, which offers a variety of options for customizing AI difficulty, counter hits, ultimate meters, and even Champion-exclusive mechanics.

Ranked Mode

The sweatiest mode, available after reaching level 3 on your account, Ranked Mode requires completing five placement matches to receive a rank. It then follows the usual structure of a competitive mode – win to earn Ranked Points and ascend to the next tier, or lose and eventually face demotion. There is some protection against the latter, including forgiveness matches, where the amount of RP lost is lessened on seldom-played heroes.

Critical Strikes and Fury

As a fighting game, there are the usual mechanics from light, medium and heavy attacks to dashes, air dashes and Special attacks that vary for each character. What sets it apart are Critical Strikes, which serve as charged heavy attacks, and Fury, which grants damage reduction, increased damage dealt, faster health regen and more for a period when down to your last character (and after activating Break, which becomes Fury Break). It’s a comeback mechanic that allows for a few risks, like canceling attack recoveries to execute more combos.

Push Assists and Parries

The best offense can be a good defense at times. Push Assist, which calls in your teammate to push an opponent back while you block, is helpful in that regard, and you can also use a Retreating Guard when you need some breathing room. You can also Parry, which consumes one Ult meter bar to stun an opponent and hit back even harder. Successful parries refund the Ult meter bar, which is great for landing a world of hurt, but mess it up, and it’s gone.

Light the Fuse

Which brings us to the most unique mechanic in 2XKO – Fuses. Think of these as gameplay styles that twist the 2v2 tag fighter format in near-unpredictable ways. 2X Assist, for example, lets you use another assist action when calling in your partner. Juggernaut, on the other hand, restricts you to a single character but with more health, damage reduction past a certain HP percentage, two bars of meter, and Fury Break available at the start. As unorthodox as it all sounds, Fuses mix up each match in unique ways.

Mastery Levels

For those committed to certain heroes, there’s a Mastery system with unique objectives to complete, separated into progressively more difficult tiers. Still, the rewards can be worthwhile, from new customization items for that character to a unique Chroma, player cards, and taunts. You’ll need to purchase them with Credits once they’re unlocked, however.

Missions

2XKO, like many titles, offers a Battle Pass, and what better way to earn XP for it than through Missions? These are about what you’d expect, like using Assists and Specials in matchmade games. Daily and Weekly Missions are available and even dispense Credits for unlocking other Champions, outfits, and more. Don’t worry, though – you can also earn Credits by just playing the game, with wins bestowing more currency.

Top-Tier Rollback Netcode

It’s a good time to be alive when every major modern fighting game ships with rollback netcode, but the one utilized in 2XKO is especially great. How it will perform on consoles remains to be seen, as always, but fun fact: Executive producer Tom Cannon and tech lead Tony Cannon created GGPO rollback netcode and also founded the EVO Championship Series. Suffice it to say that their experience is paying dividends for the online experience, with very few complaints from PC players.

Cross-Play and Cross-Progression

If you’ve been playing on PC thus far and plan to make the jump to consoles, there’s good news. 2XKO will support cross-progression with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, so you can retain all those Mastery Levels and unlocks. Of course, there’s also cross-play. Even if you’re planning on staying with the PC version, the active player base should see a pretty nice bump (so be kind to the newbies).

Cosmetic-Only Microtransactions

I mean, are you surprised? It’s Riot Games, which has microtransactions in every single one of its major free-to-play titles. They’re cosmetic-only, but also not quite the most player-friendly. For example, if you like Arcane and want the skins for characters like Vi, Ekko and Jinx, there’s no option to buy them separately. No, you’ll have to pick up the Ultra Starter Edition for $100. Whether this will be available on consoles (and made cheaper) remains to be seen, but for now, it’s pretty hefty if you’re a fan of the fashion game.

2XKO currently offers ten playable characters, but the roster encompasses some pretty heavy hitters, including Ekko, Ahri, Jinx, Yasuo, Darius, Braum, Vi, and, as recently revealed, Warwick. Alongside Casual and Ranked Play, you can also engage in combo trials and unlock new cosmetics as part of the Season 0 Battle Pass.

The question is: What’s next? While Season 0 concludes by the end of this year, five more seasons, each lasting about 10 weeks, are planned for 2026. They’ll add even more cosmetics and new playable characters. Riot Games is also looking to improve placement matches and provide a way to access Training Mode while queued for Ranked.

Console versions are also in the works, but there’s currently no release window. As always, stay tuned for more details and updates on 2XKO in the meantime.

Waylay will be joining the roster of Valorant as part of Act 2 of the game’s 2025 season, which will be going live on March 5.

Her set of abilities revolve around darting around the battlefield thanks to the fact that she can turn into light. The introductory cinematic shows these capabilities well, while the gameplay trailer showcases how her abilities will play out in an actual match.

As is the case with all Valorant agents, Waylay will have access to four key abilities: Refract, Light Speed, Saturate, and her ultimate, Convergent Paths.

Refract allows Waylay to create a beacon of light on the floor. Players can then instantly travel back to this beacon from anywhere else on the map, all the while being completely invulnerable as they travel.

Light Speed gives Waylay her signature burst movement, allowing her to dash forward twice at the speed of light. Players can also dash upwards with the first of the two dashes, and the ability can also alternately be used to dash forward only once.

Saturate acts like Waylay’s grenade ability, allowing her to throw a cluster of light that explodes when it hits the ground. Enemies caught in this explosion suffer from slowed-down movement and weapons.

Her ultimate, Convergent Paths, allows Waylay to create an afterimage that projects a light beam. After a delay, it expands as Waylay gets a speed boost while also hindering opponents caught in the area.

Alongside Waylay, the seasonal update will also bring the new Cyrax collection, with skins for the Vandal, Ghost, Guardian, Stinger, and Fanblade. Available on March 6, the new collection offers players a crystalline look for their weapons of choice.

The last major addition to Valorant‘s roster was ballistics expert Tejo, who can use explosive abilities, as well as a stealth drone, to get control of the battlefield. Tejo was added to Valorant‘s roster as part of Act 1 of the game’s 2025 season.

Valorant is a free-to-play competitive shooter that is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It blends the tactical gameplay of titles like Counter-Strike, where a single headshot can be lethal, with hero shooter mechanics akin toe Overwatch, with each character having unique abilities.

For more details, check out our review of the PS5 release of Valorant.

“Oh yeah,” said Merrill when asked whether an MMORPG was still worthwhile for Riot. “And it’s probably the project I personally spend the most time on as well.”

Merrill went on to talk about the difficulties with making an MMORPG, especially since the market is largely dominated by juggernauts like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14. He describes Riot as the company best suited to take on the challenging task.

“Riot’s exactly the type of company that should go after those types of opportunities if we’re trying to make it better for the player,” said Merrill, mentioning that the world of Runeterra as envisioned in the several League of Legends spin-off titles, as well as hit Netflix series Arcane, was still a fan-favourite.

The last time we heard about Riot Games’ MMORPG was back in 2021 when the company had confirmed that it was recruiting more developers for the project. The company has maintained radio silence on the subject since then.

In the meantime, Riot Games is preparing to launch its fighting game based on the world of Runeterra. Dubbed 2XKO, the game will be free-to-play, and is in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The roster includes Champions like Jinx, Braum and Illaoi.

More details about Tejo’s abilities have been revealed thanks to a post on the Xbox Wire. Tejo will have four main abilities: Stealth Drone, Guided Salvo, Special Delivery, and his ultimate, Armageddon. The Stealth Drone can be activated to create a small sonar pulse to reveal enemies around it. The Guided Salvo allows Tejo to fire missiles at different parts of the map, which in turn explode twice. Special Delivery is a an explosive sticky grenade that can bounce off surfaces once. Armageddon allows him to bombard an area with a wave of explosions.

Tejo will be joining the roster of Valorant with the release of the first Act planned for launch in 2025. The character will be released on all platforms simultaneously, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to get the jump on unlocking him asap.

After having spent a few years available exclusively on PC, Valorant made the jump to consoles back in August 2024. For more details, check out our review of the game’s PS5 release.

Along with juggling opponents in the air with fireworks, Jinx also has some decent anti-air projectiles, which can temporarily shock them. Of course, her Ultimate is a screen-wide rocket that causes a huge explosion when it lands. Overall, Jinx looks like a solid option for those keen on playing keep away from their opponents.

2XKO is out in 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It features other League of Legends mainstays like Ahri, Ekko, Braum, Yasuo, Darius, and Illaoi. Though a concrete release date is pending, players can sign up for next year’s playtest, where Jinx is playable. Stay tuned for further details in the meantime.

Over four years since debuting on PC, it’s finally available for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Obviously, it offers more content than its original launch, from new Agents who baffle me with their strange creatures and devices to new maps and modes that cater to almost every type of player. However, the core of Valorant remains surprisingly compelling, coupled with addictive gunplay and a solid competitive experience…even if it’s not for everyone.

"Despite the fantasy names, guns in Valorant operate realistically, with recoil and spread to manage. Spraying full force up close may be ideal, but tapping the trigger at long range is better for precision…"

If you’ve played any multiplayer shooter at any point in your life, Valorant’s gameplay will look very familiar. The primary objective-based mode is Spike Rush – one team picks up the Spike and deploys it on one of several objective areas. Meanwhile, the opposing team must stop them, either by slaying every opponent or defusing the Spike in time. At the halfway point of a match, the teams switch sides, and the process repeats until there’s a winner.

It’s a simple, straightforward formula that can reward quick reactions and proficient aim as much as map knowledge and coordination. Further feeding into this is the ability to purchase weapons, armor, and whatnot before a round. Perform well, and maybe you can hang on to the reliable Vandal into the next round, thus saving money (and prioritizing other options like armor). Fail, and you’ll be left with the default pistol, though it’s possible to buy weapons for other players, helping the team shore up any shortcomings.

Despite the fantasy names, guns in Valorant operate realistically, with recoil and spread to manage. Spraying full force up close may be ideal, but tapping the trigger at long range is better for precision, especially headshots (though they won’t necessarily be lethal, depending on enemy health and armor). Nevertheless, mastering a weapon’s spread and recoil can make all the difference, adding that extra bit of depth to the responsive controls and aiming.

However, there’s an additional wrinkle on top of all this – abilities. Each Agent has a role (four in total) and can perform tasks from blinding opponents – and their teammates, as I’ve unfortunately done many times – and blocking lines of sight to pinging enemies through walls or healing (don’t even get me started on Iso’s gulag). There are even Ultimates, and though they can heavily shift the momentum of a round, they’re not just insta-win buttons. For the most part, that is.

"Each map has its share of points of interest (including gorgeous aesthetics, like Ascent), but the overall emphasis is on navigating tight corridors, managing sightlines, and flanking the opposition."

Whether it’s Ultimates or abilities, you can’t toss them out willy-nilly throughout a match. They necessitate collecting ultimate charge orbs or even refilling them in the shop before a round. It adds another dimension to a team’s economy – do you opt for ability charges to support your team, ensure your survival with heavier armor, or trust in your gun skills and go with a weapon? Maybe you dump Credits into ensuring your team is outfitted throughout since teamwork makes the dream work.

Because of its format, matches in Valorant can take some time if you’re playing Unrated matches. As annoying as it can be when things don’t gel together, there’s some satisfaction to instantly nailing a killing blow or setting up your teammates for kills. Even if you’re on the losing side, the gunplay and movement feel tight. The tension of masking your footsteps while inching closer to the objective or waiting for someone to pop around the corner or in the window is also exciting, even if it’s slower-paced than what most FPS players would be used to.

The map design is also solid overall, though there are several outliers (which we’ll get into). Each has its share of points of interest (including gorgeous aesthetics, like Ascent), but the overall emphasis is on navigating tight corridors, managing sightlines, and flanking the opposition. Of course, you also need to consider the planting sites, their routes, how to exploit cover, who handles the Spike, and much more.

"There’s also the very nature of Valorant itself – it has a high-skill floor that demands practising and becoming competent at so many different things. On top of this, you need to coordinate and be mindful of your team to have a shot at winning."

For those who want quicker action, there’s Swift Play, which reduces the requirement of successful rounds to win in Spike Rush from 13 to 5 (while also upping the credits each round, thus encouraging more experimentation and aggressive plays). Team Deathmatch is also available for those who want to frag out without worrying about objectives, and solo Deathmatch focuses purely on gunplay without any abilities.

So the big question: Is Valorant fun on consoles? On PS5, I found performance to be steady without any major hiccups. Control settings range from adjusting hip-fire to focus and ADS sensitivity to adjusting inner and outer dead zones alongside one’s aim curve with several options. You can also customize movement dead zones, which is great considering how essential controlling your footstep audio is, and trigger dead zones.

The only real hang-ups are certain maps, especially the recent Abyss. While it isn’t too terrible to see some favor certain weapons more than others, Abyss feels especially egregious; its overall layout can feel a little unbalanced, depending on the side.

There’s also the very nature of Valorant itself – it has a high-skill floor that demands practising and becoming competent at so many different things. On top of this, you need to coordinate and be mindful of your team to have a shot at winning. As such, the experience can be draining given the length of Unrated matches, the tension, and the need to be firing on all cylinders (even if Deathmatch and Swift Play provide more instant gratifications).

"Whether it’ll convert you into a believer who wants to grind hours and hours to perfect their shooting or learn the ins and outs of every map or not, Valorant is a welcome option for console players."

There’s also the fact that new players won’t have all the Agents unlocked, and those available from the outset feel limited. You must play matches and complete Daily Missions to earn Kingdom Credits to unlock them or spend real money on Valorant Points. One free Agent Token is granted to new players for instantly unlocking a character of their choice, but otherwise, getting everyone else can be a bit of a grind.

Once again, Valorant isn’t for everyone, especially those who want more fast-paced, action with killstreaks or Overwatch 2’s team fights with Ultimates and abilities dotting the field. However, that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. If you can get into the groove, it’s a rewarding experience that blends tactical gunplay and an objective-based mode with fantastical solutions and strategy. It’s methodical at times and frustrating at others, yet the intricacies and depth of its systems make each round feel exciting.

Whether it’ll convert you into a fan who wants to grind hours and hours to perfect their shooting or learn the ins and outs of every map or not, Valorant is a welcome option for console players. Here’s hoping that the balance and overall support shake out to be as strong as the PC version.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.