If you’re in the middle of a ranked grind to hit that long-coveted Ascendant rank, or holding out for the next battle pass full of fancy skin lines, you’ve probably asked when is next Valorant act dropping at least once in the last few weeks. Riot’s consistent release schedule makes it easy to plan ahead, but there are always little details that slip through the cracks for casual and hardcore players alike. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about upcoming act timelines, expected content, how to prepare, and what mistakes to avoid before the current act wraps up.
When Is Next Valorant Act Expected to Launch?
Valorant follows a strict, predictable release schedule that Riot has stuck to for almost every act since the game launched. Each act runs for exactly 60 days, with three acts making up one full episode, which runs for roughly six months total. Valorant acts almost always run exactly 60 days, barring unexpected technical delays that push releases back 1-2 days at most. You can check the exact end date of the current act right in your Valorant client, on the battle pass tab, where a countdown timer shows exactly how much time you have left to unlock remaining tiers.
Riot usually teases the next act’s content about two weeks before launch, dropping hints about new agents, maps, or game mode changes across their social media channels. The official release date is always announced one week before launch, along with full patch notes that list every balance change, new feature, and bug fix coming with the update. Downtime for the act update usually starts at 8am UTC for most regions, and lasts between 3 and 5 hours, so you won’t be able to play ranked or unrated matches during that window.
If you’re playing in North America or Europe, the new act usually goes live around midday local time on launch day, while players in APAC regions typically get access in the late afternoon or early evening. Riot never releases major updates on weekends, so you can always expect the next act to drop sometime between Monday and Thursday, usually Tuesday or Wednesday.
What Content Comes With Every New Valorant Act?
Every new Valorant act brings a fresh slate of content for casual and competitive players to dig into, so you never have to worry about the game feeling stale for too long. Every new act includes at least one major content drop, either a new agent, new map, or major game mode rework. Episodes usually launch with a new map, while the second and third acts of an episode usually bring a new agent, though Riot mixes this up occasionally to surprise players.
Along with the big headlining feature, you can expect all of the following standard content with every new act:
- New battle pass with 50 tiers of free and premium cosmetics, including weapon skins, gun buddies, sprays, player cards, and 1000 Valorant Points for premium pass holders who complete all tiers
- Full soft rank reset for competitive play, with 5 placement matches required to get your new official starting rank for the act
- Balance changes for underperforming or overperforming agents, guns, and map mechanics, based on data from the previous act’s competitive play
- Limited-time event content that runs for the first 2-3 weeks of the new act, with exclusive rewards you can’t get anywhere else
Premium battle passes always cost 1000 Valorant Points, which is roughly $10 USD, and as mentioned earlier, you earn enough points back from the pass to cover the cost of the next one if you finish all 50 tiers. That means if you grind consistently, you only ever have to buy one battle pass to get every future pass for free. Free pass holders still get access to a handful of cosmetics every few tiers, plus the new agent if they grind enough to unlock it before the two-week exclusive window ends.
The soft rank reset means you won’t lose all your progress from the previous act. If you ended last act at Platinum 2, for example, your placement matches will almost always put you somewhere between Gold 1 and Platinum 1, depending on how well you perform in your placements. Soft rank resets mean your past performance always carries weight, even if you don’t play placement matches for the first week of the new act.
How to Prepare for the Next Valorant Act Before It Launches
There are a few simple steps you can take to make sure you get the most out of the current act before it ends, and start the next act off on the right foot. Finish your battle pass at least 3 days before the act ends to avoid missing out on limited rewards you’ve already grinded for. I learned this the hard way a few acts back, when I was one tier away from a Vandal skin I’d been grinding for all month, and a last-minute server outage kept me from logging in to finish it. Don’t make that same mistake.
If you’re a ranked player, push for any rank upgrades you’re close to in the final week of the act. Your end-of-act rank is permanently displayed on your career profile, and it’s the main number Riot uses to calculate your starting rank for the next act. Even winning one more game to jump from Gold 3 to Platinum 1 can make a huge difference in where you land after placements, so it’s worth putting in the extra few hours if you’re close.
Save up at least 8000 Kingdom Credits before the act launches if you want to unlock the new agent day one. New agents are only available for purchase with Kingdom Credits or Valorant Points for the first two weeks after launch, before they’re added to the free agent unlock pool for all players. If you don’t have enough Kingdom Credits saved, you’ll either have to spend real money to get the agent early, or wait two weeks to play it in ranked matches.
You should also clear out any unclaimed rewards from ongoing events before the act ends, because those rewards won’t carry over to the new act. Check your event tab a few days before the act ends to make sure you’ve claimed all the sprays, gun buddies, and credits you earned during the event. Finally, if you’ve been holding out for a specific skin to show up in your daily store, the act reset will refresh your store rotation, so you might get lucky and see the skin you want right when the new act goes live.
Common Myths About New Valorant Act Releases Debunked
After playing Valorant for every act since launch, I’ve heard a lot of wild rumors spread about new act releases, most of which have no basis in fact. Let’s break down the most common myths so you don’t waste time or money on false information.
The first big myth is that the new act will reset all your owned skins and cosmetics. That’s 100% false. The only things that reset when a new act launches are your battle pass progress, your competitive rank, and any ongoing event progress. All the skins, gun buddies, sprays, and agents you’ve unlocked permanently stay in your account forever, no matter how many acts pass.
Another common myth is that you have to buy the premium battle pass to get the new agent. That’s not true either. You never have to spend real money to access new playable agents in Valorant, even on act launch day. You can buy the new agent with 8000 Kingdom Credits, which you earn completely for free by playing matches and completing daily and weekly challenges. If you don’t want to spend your credits, you can also unlock the agent for free after the two-week exclusive window ends, just by progressing through the free battle pass tiers.
A lot of players also think that Riot always releases new acts on Tuesdays, so you don’t need to check for official announcements. While most acts do launch on Tuesdays, Riot often shifts launch dates to Wednesdays if there’s a major holiday, esports tournament, or unexpected bug that needs extra fixing time. Always check the official Valorant social media channels or the in-game countdown timer for the exact launch date, instead of relying on the day of the week.
The last myth I see all the time is that placement matches in the new act don’t count if you lose them. That’s completely wrong. Every placement match, win or loss, impacts your starting rank for the act. Throwing placement matches because you think they don’t matter will only make you end up at a lower rank than you deserve, and you’ll have to grind even more to get back to your actual skill level. Take your placement matches seriously, even if you’re playing with friends for fun.
At the end of the day, knowing when is next Valorant act coming lets you plan your grind, get all the rewards you’ve worked for, and go into the new content feeling prepared. Riot’s consistent schedule makes it easy to track launch dates, but it’s always worth double-checking the in-game timer or official announcements for any last-minute changes. Whether you’re a casual player who just wants to play the new agent, or a competitive grinder looking to climb to a new rank in the next act, a little bit of preparation goes a long way. Don’t forget to finish that battle pass early, and good luck with your placement matches when the new act drops.
