If you’ve ever logged on to Valorant ready to grind, only to get a text from your friend who just picked up the console version asking to queue up, you’ve probably wondered can pc play with console on valorant, and whether the experience is balanced enough to be fun. Riot Games launched console support for Valorant in 2024, and crossplay functionality was one of the most requested features from the player base in the lead-up to launch. The rules around cross-platform play aren’t always obvious, especially with Riot’s input-based matchmaking system adding an extra layer of complexity to lobbies. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about playing Valorant across PC and console, from eligible queues to balance tips for mixed-input lobbies.
Can PC Play With Console on Valorant: Official Crossplay Rules
The short official answer from Riot Games is yes, PC and console players can queue together for most Valorant game modes. You don’t need any special settings enabled to play with friends on other platforms, other than adding each other to your Riot friends list using your universal Riot ID, rather than platform-specific usernames. Crossplay is enabled by default for all players, though you can toggle it off in your game settings if you only want to match with other users on your same platform. There are a few queue restrictions to keep in mind, depending on what game mode you want to play:
- Unrated, Swiftplay, Spike Rush, and Deathmatch queues are fully open to crossplay groups with no restrictions
- Competitive ranked queues allow crossplay as long as your group’s rank range falls within standard ranked party limits
- Custom game lobbies have no platform or rank restrictions, making them perfect for private scrims or casual games with friends of all skill levels
- Premier mode supports crossplay for pre-made teams, as long as all players meet the eligibility requirements for the current Premier season
If you’re asking can pc play with console on valorant in competitive queues, the only extra caveat is that your lobby will be placed in a matchmaking pool that accounts for both rank and input method. You won’t be placed in a lobby full of high-skill mouse and keyboard players if your group has multiple controller users, for example. Riot also blocks crossplay for any limited-time game modes that have specific balance rules, though these are rare and usually announced ahead of time in patch notes. Custom games are the best low-pressure space to test crossplay with friends before jumping into public queues, since you can adjust settings like aim assist and damage values to fit your group’s preferences.
How Input-Based Matchmaking Shapes Crossplay Lobbies
Riot uses input-based matchmaking (IBMM) for all Valorant queues, not just crossplay lobbies, to keep matches as fair as possible across different control methods. The system tracks what input device you’re using for each match, and prioritizes matching you with other players using the same or similar input types, regardless of what platform they’re playing on. That means a PC player using a controller will be matched with console controller users more often than mouse and keyboard players, even if they’re playing on PC. Console players using a controller will be matched almost exclusively with other controller users unless they’re queuing with friends who use mouse and keyboard on PC or console.
This system is specifically designed to make sure anyone wondering can pc play with console on valorant doesn’t have to worry about being placed in wildly unfair lobbies. Aim assist is also adjusted based on the mix of inputs in your lobby to prevent unfair advantages. Controller users get full aim assist when they’re in lobbies with only other controller users, but the strength of aim assist is reduced by roughly 30% when there are mouse and keyboard users in the same lobby. Riot has tweaked this value multiple times since console launch based on player feedback, and they continue to adjust it regularly to keep crossplay balanced. I’ve noticed that when I queue with my friend who plays on Xbox with a controller, the enemy team almost always has at least two other controller users to balance out our group’s input mix, so matches rarely feel one-sided unless there’s a big skill gap between teams.
Pros and Cons of Crossplay Between PC and Console Valorant
For players who only care about playing with friends, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to the question of can pc play with console on valorant. The biggest benefit by far is that you can play with friends no matter what platform they own, so you don’t have to miss out on grinding just because someone doesn’t have a gaming PC. Crossplay lobbies also have much shorter queue times for off-peak hours, especially for lower rank brackets or less popular game modes like Replication, since the pool of available players is much larger across all platforms. You also get to play against a wider variety of play styles; controller players tend to have much smoother movement and better close-range tracking than mouse and keyboard players, so playing against them can help you improve your own game.
On the downside, there’s no getting around the fact that mouse and keyboard has an inherent precision advantage for long-range gunfights, even with adjusted aim assist for controller users. If you’re a console controller player queuing with a group of high-skill PC mouse and keyboard players, you might find yourself getting picked off from across the map before you even have time to react. Crossplay also can’t be disabled if you’re queuing with a friend on another platform, even if you have it turned off in your default settings. That means you might end up in lobbies with players from other platforms even if you usually prefer to only play against other PC users. A lot of players also complain about toxic behavior from users who make fun of other players for their platform or input method, though Riot has been cracking down on that sort of harassment in recent months.
Tips for Balanced, Fun Crossplay Lobbies for PC and Console Players
If you’re planning to queue up with a mix of PC and console players, there are a few simple tips you can follow to make sure everyone has a good time, regardless of their platform or input method. First, if you’re a console controller player queuing with PC mouse and keyboard friends, practice with slightly higher sensitivity settings to improve your turn speed for close-range fights. Most controller players use a sensitivity between 40 and 60 in Valorant, but bumping it up to 65 or 70 can help you keep up with the faster reaction times of mouse and keyboard players in close-quarters combat.
PC players can also make adjustments to keep lobbies fair. If you’re a much higher rank than your console friends, consider picking agents that support the team rather than those that rely on long-range picks, like Sova or Jett, to avoid making the game feel unbalanced for the enemy team or your friends. You can also agree to stick to close-range weapons like shotguns or SMGs for a few rounds to level the playing field. If you’re finding public crossplay lobbies too frustrating, stick to custom games where you can adjust settings to fit your group’s skill level, or queue for more casual modes like Swiftplay or Spike Rush where the stakes are lower. If you’ve been on the fence about trying crossplay because you’ve heard horror stories about unfair lobbies, don’t let that stop you from testing out whether can pc play with console on valorant works for your group. Remember that the point of playing with friends is to have fun, not to grind rank as fast as possible. If the lobbies feel too unbalanced, you can always switch to a different game mode or split into separate queues if that works better for your group.
At the end of the day, can pc play with console on valorant is a clear yes, with very few restrictions stopping you from playing with your friends no matter what platform they use. Riot’s input-based matchmaking and adjusted aim assist rules do a surprisingly good job of balancing lobbies, even with the inherent differences between mouse and keyboard and controller inputs. Crossplay has made Valorant much more accessible for casual players who don’t want to invest in a high-end gaming PC to play with their friends, and it’s brought a whole new wave of players to the game. Next time your friend on console asks you to queue up, don’t hesitate to hit accept – you might even learn a new trick or two from playing with people who use a different input method than you.
