If you’ve just upgraded to a sleek 21:9 or 32:9 ultrawide monitor for immersive gaming, the first question you probably fire up before loading your favorite competitive shooter is does Valorant support ultrawide. I’ve tested Valorant across three different ultrawide displays over the past two years, from a basic 2560x1080 100Hz panel to a high-end 5120x1440 240Hz curved model, so I can walk you through exactly what works, what doesn’t, and whether making the switch is worth it for your ranked grind. You don’t have to waste hours testing weird config edits or third-party tools to get a solid experience, but there are a few key limitations you should know about before you adjust your settings.
Official Answer: Does Valorant Support Ultrawide Monitors?
Riot Games has offered native support for ultrawide aspect ratios since Valorant’s closed beta, so you don’t have to mess with unauthorized mods or hidden file edits to get your display working. Valorant only supports ultrawide ratios up to 21:9 natively, though. If you have a super ultrawide 32:9 display, you’ll get black bars on the left and right of your screen by default, and there are no allowed workarounds to remove them.
This limitation is entirely intentional, built to protect competitive integrity across all player hardware. You will not get a competitive FOV advantage by playing Valorant on an ultrawide monitor, which is a deliberate choice to keep ranked play fair for all users regardless of their hardware budget. I was frustrated by this at first, because I switched to ultrawide for games like Elden Ring where the extra view makes exploration feel way more immersive, but I get why Riot made the call for a tactical competitive shooter. The last thing anyone wants is for players with more expensive monitors to have an inherent edge in gunfights.
How to Set Up Valorant for Your Ultrawide Monitor
Setting up your ultrawide display for Valorant takes less than two minutes, and you don’t need any special tools to do it. First, make sure your monitor is set to its native resolution in your Windows display settings before you launch the game, to avoid missing resolution options in the Valorant menu. Then once you’re in Valorant, head to the Video tab in Settings, and look for the Resolution dropdown. Select the native 21:9 resolution for your monitor (usually 2560x1080 or 3440x1440) from the list, and set the display mode to Fullscreen for the lowest input lag.
If you have a 32:9 super ultrawide, you can choose to play in a stretched 21:9 mode or keep the default pillarboxed view, but stretching will distort character models and make hitting consistent headshots harder, so I don’t recommend it. Follow this step-by-step process for the most reliable setup:
- Confirm your monitor’s native ultrawide resolution is enabled in Windows display settings
- Launch Valorant and open the Settings menu, then navigate to the Video tab
- Set Display Mode to Fullscreen to minimize input lag and stutter
- Select your monitor’s native 21:9 resolution from the dropdown menu
- Save your settings and test a quick deathmatch to make sure crosshair placement feels natural
If your native resolution doesn’t show up in the dropdown, restart both Valorant and your PC, and make sure your graphics card drivers are up to date. I ran into this issue once after a major Windows update, and a quick driver refresh resolved it in 10 minutes. You don’t need to adjust any other default video settings to make the ultrawide view work, unless you want to tweak brightness or frame rate limits to match your personal preference.
Pros and Cons of Playing Valorant on Ultrawide Displays
Even without the extra FOV benefit many ultrawide users hope for, there are still real perks to playing Valorant on a 21:9 display, as well as a few downsides to consider before you make the switch. The biggest benefit is immersion, even for casual play. The wider screen makes the game feel more enveloping, especially when you’re playing unrated matches or spike rush modes with friends, and the less cramped feel makes longer play sessions more comfortable.
UI elements on 21:9 displays are spaced further apart, so your central view of the map feels less cluttered with health bars, ability icons and the minimap sitting on the edges of the screen instead of crowding your line of sight. Another pro is that if you use the same monitor for work or streaming, you can have your chat or OBS window open on the side of your screen without having to tab out of Valorant if you play in windowed borderless mode.
There are clear downsides too, of course. Some players report that the wider aspect ratio throws off their crosshair placement muscle memory if they’re used to playing on 16:9 displays. I took about a week to adjust when I first switched, and my rank dropped a full division before I got used to the new view and started climbing again. Super ultrawide 32:9 displays are also basically wasted on Valorant, since you’ll be stuck with black bars or distorted stretched visuals no matter what settings you use. And if you’re upgrading your monitor solely to get a competitive edge in ranked, you’ll be disappointed, since you get no extra viewing area over 16:9 users.
Is an Ultrawide Monitor Worth It for Valorant Players?
The answer depends entirely on what you prioritize when you play Valorant, and how you use your monitor outside of the game. If you’re a hardstuck ranked player who only grinds competitive matches to climb as high as possible, you’re better off sticking with a high-refresh 16:9 1080p or 1440p monitor. They’re cheaper, you won’t have to adjust your muscle memory, and you’ll get the exact same viewing experience as every other competitive player, with no learning curve to work through.
But if you split your gaming time between Valorant and other single-player or non-competitive multiplayer games, an ultrawide monitor is a great investment. Even for casual Valorant play, the more immersive feel and less cluttered UI make the game more fun to play for long sessions. I’ve kept my 3440x1440 ultrawide as my main display for two years now, even though I grind ranked Valorant for 10+ hours a week, because I love how it works for all the other games I play in my free time.
If you already have an ultrawide monitor, you don’t need to buy a new 16:9 one just to play Valorant, the native support works perfectly well once you adjust your settings. A lot of pro players actually use ultrawide monitors too, they just set them to run 16:9 with black bars if they prefer that view, which is totally optional. You can easily switch between 16:9 and 21:9 modes in the Valorant settings menu in 10 seconds if you want to test both and see which you prefer.
At the end of the day, if you’ve been wondering does Valorant support ultrawide, the answer is a clear yes for all 21:9 displays, with native support that requires no complicated setup to use. The lack of extra FOV might be disappointing for some users, but it’s a choice that keeps the game fair for everyone, no matter what hardware they can afford. If you already own an ultrawide monitor, go ahead and test the native settings for a few matches to see if you like the feel. If you’re thinking of buying one just for Valorant, make sure you factor in how much you’ll use it for other activities before you spend the extra cash. At the end of the day, your skill and game sense matter far more than your display aspect ratio when it comes to winning matches.
