Valorant 1.01

Counter-Strike has been a staple in the FPS genre for years now, and its unique style of gameplay has set it apart from all its competition. However, it's strange in that other than some inferior versions made in Asia, there hasn't been a true competitor to it in its genre. Valorant by Riot Games aims to change that by changing its core formula just enough to be unique amongst all the other tactical shooters.

To install Valorant, you need a Riot Games account. Simply run the installer after you have one.

This game plays very similarly to CS:GO in terms of gunplay. What sets it apart is the abilities that each character has. Much like Overwatch, every character has their own unique blend of skills that, on paper, sound like they don't belong in a tactical shooter. For example, Phoenix's ultimate lets him ignore death once, and also throw flashbangs that will curve around corners, stopping him from needing to put himself in any kind of danger to get a great flashbang off. Sova's various arrows lets him do a ton of things, from tracking enemies through walls and simply fire a global laser that lets him ignore walls. Or how about Reyna, who can turn invisible, untouchable, and even heal herself?

However, this game prevents these abilities from being an issue by having finely tuned ability timers and tightly designed maps that prevent any one ability from getting too overwhelming. These abilities also have some pretty clear counterplay. For example, you can shoot Sova's recon arrows to stop them from reporting your position constantly, and you can also shoot out Cypher's cameras and tripwires to stop him from being completely in your way. If this sounds like something you'd like to play, you should definitely give it a shot with this Valorant game download!

All of the maps are also unique. While the structure itself can feel a little samey at times - the chokes and general layout all follow the same general design philosophy - each map also has its own gimmick.

Bind's gimmick is that there are two one way teleporters. This lets the attacking or defending team rotate nearly instantaneously, but the teleporter is very noisy and only has one exit - taking it at a bad time will leave you a sitting duck.

Haven's unique gimmick is that it has three bomb sites, forcing the defending team to spread out further to deal with the attackers.

Split's unique gimmick is that there are various areas with ropes that let you rappel up and down quickly and quietly. There are some hilarious vertical gunfights on these ropes.

Ascent's gimmick is that there are armored doors that can be opened and closed using a switch. These doors can be broken, but it takes precious ammo and time to do so.

Icebox's unique gimmick is that there are horizontal ropes that work the same as Split's, except...horizontally, and there are two tiered planting sites, meaning that you have a low ground option and a high ground option when you're on the attack.

As you can see, there is a ton of differences that give each map a unique flavor. If you want to give it a shot, go ahead and use this Valorant game download to get started right now!

There are also a bunch of other tiny bit of nuanced changes that will be welcome for long time CS:GO players. You can request your allies for a gun and your allies can similarly purchase them for you directly from the buy menu. Another change is the ping system, letting you wordlessly give information to your allies.

Really, the worst part about this game so far is that the map design is incredibly claustrophobic and tight, making each map feel samey. If they fix that, though, then Valorant can definitely be a contender to CS:GO. Check it out right here with this Valorant game download!