Valorant Ranked Mode next week: What took Riot so long?

Ever since Valorant got an official launch, fans had two primary questions in mind. When will the Valorant Ranked Mode come out? And how are they going to change the system from what it was during the closed beta?

It seems that these queries will be answered very soon as the ranked gameplay will be coming to Valorant sometime next week.

In a Twitter post, Valorant game director Joe Ziegler finally announced that the Competitive Mode for the game will "likely be out sometime next week". He added that they would take an extra week to make sure that everything is stable before they go ahead with the launch.

Hey everyone, It's been hectic, so I haven't had a lot of time to post. To answer the biggest question: rated (competitive mode) will likely be out some time next week. We're spending this week putting together that release and making sure it is good. =)

— Ziegler (@RiotZiegler) June 15, 2020

So, why did Riot wait so long to release the Ranked Mode?

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Why Riot took so long to release Valorant Ranked Mode

#1 Official Game Ranked will vary from Closed Beta Ranked

Although the closed beta had a Ranked Mode of its own, Riot decided not to make it available for the players when the game finally launched on June 2.

They wanted to change how the system works as it had received a lot of criticism from players and professional streamers alike.

As a result, they will be changing the way the tiers work and are aiming to bring in fresh new elements that were not there during the closed beta.

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#2 New players need to catch up to the game

Delaying the release of the Ranked Mode is a way for the devs to show the same courtesy to new players that the beta key holders received. During the closed beta, the competitive mode came out a month after the beta release.

So, they had a lot of time in their hands to learn crucial Valorant mechanics before attempting ranked games. With the ranked mode now getting delayed by almost three weeks, Riot is offering new players a chance to learn the game before having a go at the Ranked Mode.

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#3 Unranked Games will affect Ranked MMR

Unranked games are currently not just effective in helping new players learn the game but they also have a hidden MMR system, which will affect Ranked placements.

In a post on May 1, Joe Ziegler had said:

“Your required unrated games have an effect on who we place you against to determine rating. We then are able to quickly converge on the performance of your first few games in rated to determine your rank.”

There have been a lot of questions about how you are seeded in rated: Your required unrated games have an effect on who we place you against to determine rating. We then are able to quickly converge on the performance of your first few games in rated to determine your rank.

— Ziegler (@RiotZiegler) May 1, 2020

Therefore, your pre-ranked performance is going to be much more important in Valorant’s official game.