Valorant Beta is now available on PS5 and Series X|S
Exciting news for Valorant fans, including myself, as Riot Games' tactical shooter Valorant Beta is now available in open beta on home consoles. Anyone with a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S can join in the fun.
Prior to this announcement, the only way to play Valorant on consoles was through a closed beta phase that players had to sign up for. In a series of tweets on the official Valorant account on X, the studio clarified that console players would not be able to play with PC players. However, Xbox and PlayStation players will be able to join each other’s games.
Valorant Beta: A New Experience on Home Consoles
There will also be cross-progression between PC and console, giving players full access to everything they’ve purchased, with all progress toward the Battle Pass counting toward both platforms. Those subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will automatically unlock all customers. The open beta is currently only available in the US, Canada, Europe, Brazil, and Japan.
Bringing Valorant to consoles took a lot of work. As a post on Xbox Wire explained, the standard way to shoot on PC was to shoot from the hip. This didn't transfer well when it came to consoles, so to combat that, Riot created a new shooting mode called Focus that works like shooting from the hip but with less accuracy.
The Valorant Beta is an important opportunity for players to try out the game before its official launch, and it also helps developers gather feedback and improve the game before its full launch. Many new features and improvements have been added to the Valorant Beta on home consoles, including the new Focus aiming mode that provides a smoother and more accurate gaming experience.