

Released in June 2020, “Valorant” from Riot Games is the relative new-kid-on-the-block when it comes to competitive online shooters. A 5-v-5 tactical first person shooter with a wide selection of maps and an emphasis on creativity, Valorant certainly has the potential to carve out a niche in a crowded market.
In fact gamers, esports professionals and esports fans are already paying close attention to Valorant – and you should be too! The reason? Developer Riot Games are also behind the insanely successful esports title League of Legends (LoL).
Released in 2009, League of Legends is arguably one of the most popular esports games in the world – in part thanks to Riot Games’ commitment to supporting the LoL competitive scene with official leagues and tournaments.
Riot Games have wasted no time building a similar roster of official Valorant esports events – and some of the biggest names in esports are already moving across to Valorant. The stage is well and truly set for Valorant to become a significant player in esports and esports betting. So check out our Valorant betting guide for you everything you need to know about Valorant betting, including our selection of hand-picked Valorant betting sites.
Valorant is a free-to-play, character-based tactical shooter. Players party-up into teams of 5 and take on another team over the course of up to 25 rounds.
Teams alternate playing as the Attacking team and the Defending team. The attacking team are tasked with planting and detonating a “Spike” at one of the specific planting locations on each map. The defending team are tasked with preventing the Spike from being planted and detonated. Either team can also win the round by eliminating all of the opposing teams players.
In the Valorant mode that casual gamers will play, the first team to be victorious in a total of 13 rounds wins the game. In competitive Valorant, a team must win by a margin of two. So if the score is tied 12-12, teams will alternate playing rounds of attack and defense in overtime until one secures a two-match lead and claims victory.
Gameplay takes place on a number of themed maps and players play as one of 15 “agents” – a selection of characters each with different strengths, weaknesses and abilities. Players use traditional weapons alongside “ability charges” to eliminate opposing players and plant the spike.
The first major official Valorant esports tournament was Valorant First Strike. Taking place at the end of 2020, First Strike gave us an insight into the huge potential of Valorant esports. Regional qualifiers and finals were held across 8 regions over the course of 3 months – and Valorant had no trouble attracting 2million hours of viewing from eager fans, with a peak viewership of 300,000.
Riot Games plan to have around 4 big esports “beats” each year for Valorant, including standalone regional tournaments and a champions tour. Here’s what they have already announced for 2021:
The Valorant Ignition Series is a calendar of competitive Valorant tournaments hosted by a variety of official Valorant esports partners across the globe. These standalone tournaments do not directly help players qualify for the Valorant Champions Tour, but with prize pools of up to $50,000 – they are likely to be highly competitive tournaments in their own right.
The Valorant Champions Tour is the centerpiece tournament for Valorant esports. Players will rise through the ranks from open qualifiers all the way through to the Valorant Champions finals and the end of the year. The three main stages are:
Challengers – Challenger events are regional events held by Riot Games and selecter partners, much like the Ignition Series. The top teams in each region will qualify for the masters.
Masters – Masters events are international events and will feature teams from all over the world. A total of 16 teams will battle for prizes and points that will count towards qualification for Valorant Champions.
Champions – The conclusion of the Champions Tour: a two week long tournament featuring the best 16 Valorant teams on the planet.
Like traditional sports betting, a good gambling site will offer a number of betting markets when you bet on Valorant online, including popular options such as:
Match Winner – A bet on which team will win the current match.
Map Winner – A bet on which team will win the current map.
Correct Score – A bet on the correct match score (remember that Valorant can be played to at least 25 rounds, more if the score is tied 12-12, so there are a vast number of potential scores).
Total Maps Played – This is an over/under bet on how many maps will be played across the duration of a match.
Outright Winner / Tournament Winner – A bet on which team will win the current tournament outright.
Live / In-Play Bets – Live betting options will allow you to be on markets such as match outcomes, correct scores and total maps played while the match is still in progress.
We’ve made it easier than ever to choose the best Valorant betting sites. Check out our selection of hand-picked esports betting sites below – each with fantastic introductory offers.
Here are some key factors to consider when choosing the best Valorant betting site for you:
New to Valorant Betting? Look for a betting site which offers a variety of markets.
If you’re just starting out betting on Valorant esports, it makes sense to choose a bookmaker that can offer you a wide variety of markets to bet on. This will help you to try different types of Valorant betting and find the markets you prefer to bet on.
Do you place regular Valorant Bets? Look for a betting site which offers the best Valorant odds for your preferred markets.
A betting site may offer a vast array of Valorant betting options – but if you are only interested in bets for match outcomes and tournament winners, it’s more important to choose the betting site which offers the best betting odds for those markets.
Betting Big Money? Look for a betting site with the best offers and rewards.
Of course – you should never bet more than you can afford. However if you are placing bigger bets on Valorant esports then it might make sense to choose a site which offers the best rewards, free bets and incentives for depositing more funds.
Despite an impressive first year, Valorant is still a relatively new esport, so here are some tips for betting on this fast-growing shooter:
Watch & Play Valorant – As always, we highly encourage you to watch Valorant. Both the events in the Ignition Series and Champions Tour will be extensively live streamed, so why not watch the action and increase your knowledge of the game at the same time? Alternatively, if you want to experience Valorant for yourself, Valorant is free-to-play and available now on PC.
Monitor which star players are migrating to Valorant – Leading esports players from Counter-Strike, Overwatch and more have been switching to Valorant in the last 12 months. Keep a lookout for more big names and champions moving to Valorant, as they may well bring their success with them.
View leaderboards & standings – Riot Games provide an at-a-glance overview of the Champions Tour standings, making it easy for you to assess past scorelines, spot patterns and identify future champions.
Check out the official standings HERE
Practise Responsible Betting – Always remember that betting should be fun. You should never bet more than you can afford. See more at BeGamebleAware
Dates below are for the largest remaining tournament stages of the Valorant Champions Tour as well as the Ignition Series. The full Valorant esports schedule is available on the official Valorant Esports Website