Valorant is a brand-new game. Riot Games’ new esports IP was released in June and has already managed to captivate tons of players across the globe. The viewership stats on Twitch have gone down, but it was only logical following the end of the game’s beta phase. However, there are still many players enjoying it. As for its esports scene, it didn’t get the initial push everyone thought it would, but it still appears fairly popular. There’s already a bunch of smaller events with hefty prize pools, which must be the main reason why how to go pro in Valorant is such a popular term these days…

If you came here looking for answers to the above-mentioned question, you’re at the right place! How to go pro in Valorant is the focal point of this piece… but it won’t be just another going pro in Valorant guide. There’s already a handful of those available, giving readers only surface-level information that can’t really help players who don’t know where to start.

If you’re interested in things that actually matter for people who want to go pro in Valorant; if you’re interested in the best practices, and events that could give you the much-needed exposure and land you the initial pro player contract with a tier-B team, keep on reading and you might just find make it!

First things first, let’s address the big fat elephant in the room!

You see, chances of you actually making it as a pro Valorant player are really slim. I’m not trying to discourage you, I’m just stating the facts. There are many players who are, just like you, fantasizing about becoming a professional Valorant player. But it’s not as straightforward as most people think.

Only the crème de la crème, the best of the best, the 0.001% of players can play consistently at the highest professional level. And, let’s face it, the highest professional level is what you should aim at – that’s where the money is!

That said, you have to understand that the odds aren’t in your favor. Chances are you’ll get stuck somewhere in Diamond – the lucky ones will have a trial session with a tier-B team… and that’s about it. The vast majority of players will never earn more than a couple of hundred bucks from this game… And if you’re spending 10+ hours a day honing your in-game skills and not getting any money in return, perhaps it’s time you take up something else. Depending on your age, you can either find a job (jobs in the esports industry are plentiful, believe it or not), or continue with your formal education.

This Reddit post perfectly explains the fact of the matter here. It’s worth checking out if you’re having second thoughts on whether or not you should try to go pro in Valorant!

What I’m basically trying to say here is that you shouldn’t put all your hopes into becoming a Valorant pro. If it happens, awesome – you’ve made it, congratulations! If it doesn’t, you’ll need a plan B! Make sure you have something ready in case of an emergency!

Now that we’ve addressed the elephant in the room, it’s time to turn our attention to the fun stuff!

Here are five steps that can help you increase your competitive rank and potentially help you go pro in Valorant:

The first thing you have to do in order to go pro in Valorant is set yourself up with some solid gaming gear. And by that, we’re not just referring to gaming peripherals but a proper system that can run Valorant at higher than 120fps. 120+ fps are of crucial importance since we’re talking about a 128-tick game here. The more the merrier, you know how they say…

But, even if you do find a rig that can run Valorant at 120fps, you’ll need a monitor that can support 120 frames per second. And trust me, 120fps does matter, especially in fast-paced FPS titles such as this one. It can and will give you a slight competitive edge over opponents playing on good old 60fps.

There’s no need to go any further than that here since we already have a budget Valorant setup guide. It sports all the necessary information you’ll need to buy a beefy Valorant rig on the cheap.

Once you’re all set in terms of gaming equipment, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get some practice in. The aim will be your biggest concern right off the bat. If you have prior experience with competitive first-person shooters like Rainbow Six, Overwatch, or CS:GO, you’re bound to have an easier task getting your aim settled in. If not, the in-game practice range is a good starting point for honing your mechanical aim. If that’s not good enough for you, if you feel you need something more complex, third-party solutions such as AimLab ought to help you out.

For more info on this subject, please refer to our Valorant gameplay guide. It tackles the nuance of the game’s core gameplay mechanics in much more details, making it a worthy read for players of all skill levels.

After mastering your aim, learning all agents and their abilities, finessing the best angles, and grasping on the key tactical and strategical approaches, it’s time to showcase what you’ve learned. Find yourself a group (this part can be a bit tricky if you don’t have any friends playing Valorant) and join a small/local Valorant event.

In this day in age, you won’t find any local LAN events due to pandemic restrictions. However, there are plenty of online qualifiers new teams can join. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s important to get the experience of playing against other competitive sides. Remember, even if you don’t win, you’ll develop as a player and, who knows, perhaps a bigger team recognizes your qualities and invites you for a trial.

Playing on smaller events is one way of getting that much-needed exposure. If you want more, and you’ll definitely need more if you are to go pro in Valorant, you’ll have to find other ways to reach wider audiences.

One way of doing exactly that is to start streaming your gameplay. Being a streamer and being a pro player are two completely different things, but streaming at the start of your career is a great way to get recognition. Once people realize you’re doing the right things and winning matches in high ELO, it’s only a matter of time before you get a trial invitation from an up-and-coming team.

That’s about it, fellas – that’s pretty much everything you need to go pro in Valorant. It’s easier said than done, though. Remember, it takes perseverance to make it in the harsh esports waters. It takes months of practice, hard work, dedication, and money (for equipment and coaching) for a slim chance of making the cut in a top-tier Valorant team.

Once again, only 0.001% of players will make it to the pro waters. Even though it might not seem so at the first glance, the difference between Immortal and pro players are massive. Pros are not only mechanically perfect but they also know the ins and outs of the tactical gameplay and have the ability to play well off their team. Teamwork means everything in Valorant… and until you sign for a team, work is all you can do! Sorry, that was a terrible pun, I’ll stop right here!

We aren’t done just yet! There are several questions we need to answer before wrapping things up. We’re referring to the most popular bunch that gets asked around Reddit and forum threads revolving around becoming pro in Valorant.

There’s really no minimum required age for becoming a pro in Valorant. However, you do need to be sixteen or older to download the game legally, so I guess that’s the magic number we’re looking for here.

However, other esports aren’t that strict. Fortnite, for example, requires players to be at least twelve to download and play the game. That’s why many Fortnite professionals are basically kids, aging twelve and up. Take Faze H1ghSky1 as the perfect example – he turned thirteen just recently.

The chances of becoming a pro in Valorant are rather slim. Once again, I’m not trying to discourage you here, I’m just telling you the facts, no matter how harsh they are. And it’s the reality, really – Valorant is already a saturated ecosystem as far as professional players are concerned. Many pros from other games (mainly CS:GO) traversed to the Valorant scene, and they’re coupled with up and coming prospects.

This is a rather tricky question since there are lots of people offering Valorant coaching services. On Fiverr, you’ll find all sorts of listings ranging from $5 to $50 for a single hour of coaching. If you seriously want to go pro in Valorant, then I’m afraid you’ll have to spend big time for premium service, especially if you’re taking your first steps in the world of FPS esports.

If you’re serious about going pro in Valorant, you’ll have to dedicate a lot of time, effort, and money to fulfill your goals. It’s basically a job, nothing more and nothing less. It can be an entertaining job, one that you have fun doing. But, then again, being a professional esports player is a stressful career. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure. But, if you already have your mindset for trying to make a name for yourself, we can’t help but wish you the best of luck.

May the odds be in your favor, young padawan!