How Does the New 'Valorant' Ranked Mode Actually Work?

Valorant has been Closed Beta for some time, but developer Riot Games is allowing it to progress a bit further, opening up more options for players currently enjoying the game. The latest addition is Ranked Mode, a way to play competitively against other, which is a way for would-be professional Valorant fans to test their skills against similarly gifted experts. Since this mode is still very much a new addition to the game, it might be a bit confusing as to how it works. 

If you're thinking about hopping into Valorant's Ranked Mode to see how you stack up to other talented players, read on to see exactly how it works, including ranks, and what you can expect to need to do to unlock the mode and begin your rise to the top. From there, you're going to need practice and determination. We can only help you so far, after all. The rest is going to have to come from you, so it might be prudent to keep playing and seeing where you can go from here. 

To unlock competitive matchmaking/Ranked Mode, you first need to complete 20 total Unrated matches. It doesn't matter if you win or lose, but they need to be finished. After that, you can jump into Ranked Mode. There are eight ranks from there, with three tiers apiece: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Immortal, and Valorant. To rank up, you need to win games. The better you do, the faster you'll gain ranks. If you lose games, you'll lose rank.

Your wins will be calculated by how much you stomped your opponents as well, so take notice. There's a point system in place that will match you with players of the same rank as well, which will also determine what kind of rewards you get. You can see your rank beneath your name, and watch it rise or fall in real time after completing games. This part is all pretty simple. 

Do well, and your rank will go up accordingly. Luckily, you don't have to play continuously to keep your rank. If you decide to take a break for a while, your rank will just be hidden if you're inactive for 14 days. You'll have it reinstated when you're back and complete a match. There's one other thing to keep in mind, though. Your rank will be completely reset when the closed beta ends, so you'll have to come back and do it all again if you're interested in playing. 

That's about all there is to know in terms of basics right now. There's nothing left but for you to jump right in and see how you stack up against the rest of the world. When the game officially releases, you'll be up against some very stiff competition, so spend all the time practicing that you possibly can right now to be sure you're prepared.