VALORANT continues on live content through Season 2026 Act 4 and Patch 13.01, while the Japan circuit is between splits after REJECT's undefeated VCJ 2026 Split 2 run and the July 25-26 Season Finals. Riot Games is also attached to a VALORANT session at the GALLERIA booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026 on September 20.
Live content has moved twice this year: Season 2026 Act 4 arrived on June 24 with the map Summit, set in a Radiant training academy in a mountainous region of China and featuring deployable walls that block sightlines and movement for the round, plus a 3v3 mode, Retake, built around post-plant scenarios with randomized loadouts. Patch 13.01 followed on July 15, adjusting Iso, Yoru, and the Outlaw, and adding a system that penalizes rank manipulation with suspension, demotion, and reward reversal. Discord integration went global on July 22.
The Japan competition wrapped its Split 2 Main Stage with REJECT at 7-0, the only undefeated team. That earned an offline place at the Season Finals on July 25-26 at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi and the right to pick their opponent; the Season Finals champion takes a spot in VCT Pacific Stage 2 Play-ins. RIDDLE's Minty, who played the VCJ 2026 Split 2 Season Finals show match on July 26, said afterward that his future is undecided but that he wants to keep playing VALORANT. Yuya Tegoshi is support supporter for VALORANT Challengers Japan 2026, and T.N.T.'s "RADIANT" is the cheer song.
VALORANT appears in a Grade 10 esports and digital literacy unit in the Philippine Department of Education's MATATAG Curriculum, which is being phased in from 2024 with full implementation by 2028. On the broadcast side, a travel edition of Vspo's Vspo GG runs at the GALLERIA booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, with a VALORANT session on September 20 at 15:00 supported by Riot Games and a Street Fighter 6 session at 12:30 presented by GALLERIA.
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Vspo! announced that a travel edition of its official program Vspo GG will run at the GALLERIA booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, which opens September 17. Two sessions are set for September 20: Street Fighter 6 from 12:30, presented by GALLERIA, and VALORANT from 15:00, supported by Riot Games. The booth also hosts a VRChat session and a Street Fighter League JAPAN 2026 cheering session.
Streamer Kato Junichi will face the senior pro gaming team Matagi Snipers in VALORANT on September 13 at 19:00. Kato proposed the matchup during his September 1 Twitch stream. His team currently includes Yuyuta, Koku-nii, and Daso, with remaining slots to be filled by beginners to balance against the seniors' Iron to Silver ranks. Matagi Snipers' players for the match are not yet announced.
RIDDLE's Minty, who participated in the special show match at the VCJ 2026 Split 2 Season Finals on July 26, said in an interview that his future is undecided but he wants to continue playing VALORANT. The show match, held separately from the main tournament, pitted the "2ND CAREER" team led by ZETA DIVISION's crow against the pro gamer team "TEAM VCJ," which included Minty. After losing in the tournament leading to the playoffs, Minty took about two weeks off from VALORANT, stepping away from the game during the off period. He resumed practice once his participation in the show match was confirmed, approaching the match while regaining his feel. Minty named REJECT as the team he is paying attention to, and Dep and BRIAN as notable players. He noted his closeness with BRIAN over the past one to two years, praising BRIAN's solid thinking about VALORANT and his reputation as an in-game leader. Minty described his own strength as being a "mood maker" who can lead the team when in good form and raise team spirits when not. He called this season "a very frustrating year," citing his role as an "older brother" to two younger teammates.
Joe Ziegler, game director of Bungie's extraction shooter Marathon, announced his departure from the studio on July 17. Del Chafe III will succeed him as game director. Ziegler, a former VALORANT director at Riot Games with a 12-year tenure there, joined Bungie in 2022. He stated he will move to a new role, with details to come. The Marathon development team will continue communication through its X account.
Riot Games released VALORANT Patch 13.01 on July 15, 2026. The update reduces vulnerability for Iso after Double Tap, extends Yoru's Gatecrash duration and makes Fakeout clone equip the last weapon. The Outlaw's rapid-fire interval and recoil are increased. A new system penalizes rank manipulation with suspension, demotion, and reward reversal. Discord integration launches globally July 22.
The Philippine Department of Education's MATATAG Curriculum includes a Grade 10 unit on esports and digital literacy. Recommended materials include Valorant, League of Legends, Minecraft, and Tekken. Students will learn competitive gaming skills, event organization, and online etiquette. The curriculum is being phased in from 2024, with full implementation by 2028.
REJECT finished first in the VALORANT Challengers Japan 2026 Split 2 Main Stage with a perfect 7-0 record, the only undefeated team. The win grants them an offline slot in the Season Finals on July 25-26 at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi and the right to choose their opponent. The Season Finals champion earns a spot in VCT Pacific Stage 2 Play-ins.
A retrospective on the 2023 VALORANT Masters Tokyo finals highlights FNATIC's back-to-back international win, Evil Geniuses' rapid rise with Demon1, and Paper Rex's top-4 run after losing their new ace to visa issues, relying on substitute CGRS for a dramatic playoff push.
Riot Games launched VALORANT Season 2026 Act 4 on June 24, adding the new map Summit set in a Chinese mountain radiant training academy. The map features deployable walls that block sightlines and movement for the round. A new 3v3 mode Retake focuses on post-plant scenarios with randomized loadouts. Summit is available in competitive queue immediately with reduced RR loss for losses in the first two weeks, and a Summit-only queue for seven days.
Riot Games revealed the Blackspire Collection, a new skin series for Valorant, on June 21, 2026. The collection includes the Phantom, Sheriff, Spectre, Ares, and a melee weapon called Divide. It will launch on June 25, 2026, at the start of Season 2026 Act 4. The skins feature a design that combines science fiction with mystical elements. Alongside the Blackspire Collection, a new Battle Pass will go live on the same day. The Battle Pass offers limited items: the Skyreaper Ghost weapon skin, the Recovery Squad Card player card, and the Forgotten Spray. The Blackspire Collection and Battle Pass are part of a larger Act 4 update that also introduces a new map, Summit, and a new game mode, Retake. Summit is set in a Radiant Training Academy in a mountainous region of China, associated with the agent Sage. It features deployable walls that block sightlines and movement. Retake is a 3v3 mode where the spike is already planted at the start of each round.
Yuya Tegoshi has been appointed support supporter for VALORANT Challengers Japan 2026. His band T.N.T.'s song "RADIANT" will serve as the tournament's cheer song and will be played at the Season Finals on July 25-26, where T.N.T. will also perform. Tegoshi wrote the lyrics, which include references to VALORANT.