I’ve been grinding Valorant ranked matches since the game first launched, and there’s one question I type into my search bar at least twice a month: when is the Valorant update. It’s easy to get frustrated waiting for new content, especially if you’re hyped for a new agent, a broken weapon balance fix, or the next battle pass drop. I’ve lost count of the times I stayed up late waiting for a patch only to realize I mixed up time zones, or the update got pushed back 24 hours for last-minute fixes. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about Valorant update schedules, delays, and how to stay in the loop so you never waste time waiting for a drop that isn’t coming.
When Is the Valorant Update: Official Standard Release Schedules
Riot Games follows a pretty consistent release cadence for Valorant content, and you can plan around it pretty easily once you learn the pattern. Standard bi-weekly patch updates drop every two weeks, usually focused on small balance tweaks, bug fixes, and minor cosmetic releases. These smaller patches rarely get delayed unless a major issue pops up at the last minute, so you can usually count on them hitting their scheduled date.
Episode and Act release updates are the bigger drops that happen every two months, on average. These bring new agents, new maps, full battle passes, complete competitive rank resets, and major meta overhauls. Exact release times vary by region, but the standard schedule is 11AM PT for North America, 8AM CET for European servers, and 4PM SGT for most APAC regions. If you’re still asking when is the Valorant update for your specific region, you can cross-reference the PT release time with your local time zone using any free time zone converter. You’ll want to adjust for your local time zone if you’re planning to jump into new content the second it drops.
One thing to note: Riot usually avoids dropping major updates on public holidays in North America or Europe, so if a scheduled update date lines up with a holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving, it will usually get pushed to the next business day. That’s a small detail most players miss, and it’s saved me from waiting around for a patch that was never going to drop on a holiday.
What Can Delay a Scheduled Valorant Update Drop
Even with Riot’s strict schedule, updates do get pushed back from time to time. These delays are almost always for good reason, and they’re meant to avoid ruining the player experience after the patch goes live. I’ve seen updates get pushed back anywhere from a few hours to a full 48 hours, and the causes usually fall into one of three common categories:
- Critical game-breaking bugs identified in final pre-release testing, such as agent skill glitches that let players clip through walls or one-shot enemies with no counterplay, which would break competitive match integrity
- Server infrastructure issues that would make the update unplayable for 20% or more of the global player base, such as routing problems for APAC or EU servers that would cause constant lag or disconnections
- Last-minute balance adjustments requested by the competitive esports team to avoid ruining ongoing tournament metas, especially if a planned weapon or agent tweak would give pro teams an unfair advantage mid-event
If an update is going to be delayed, Riot will almost always announce it at least 12 hours before the scheduled drop time on their official channels. They rarely pull an update without warning, so you don’t have to worry about showing up for a scheduled drop only to find it’s gone with no explanation.
But there are rare cases where a patch will roll out on schedule, but get rolled back a few hours later if a major bug is found after launch. That happened last year when a new agent’s ultimate ability let players crash entire lobbies, and the patch was pulled less than two hours after it went live. If that happens, Riot will usually re-release the fixed patch within 24 hours.
How to Get Early Notifications for Upcoming Valorant Updates
If you don’t want to check the Riot website every day waiting for update news, there are a few easy ways to get notified as soon as a new update schedule is announced. The most reliable source is always official Riot Games social channels, specifically the main Valorant Twitter and Instagram accounts. They announce every upcoming update at least three days before the scheduled drop, and they post immediate updates if there are any delays.
You can also turn on in-game notifications, which will pop up a banner on your main client screen 48 hours before a scheduled update. In-game notification banners will also tell you how big the update file is, so you can clear space on your hard drive ahead of time if you need to. I keep these notifications turned on all the time, because I often forget to check social media for update news, and the client reminders are hard to miss.
One tip I can’t stress enough: don’t trust random leak accounts for update schedules. I’ve seen hundreds of fake release dates spread by leak accounts that just want clicks, and half the time their info is completely wrong. Leaks can be fun for speculating about new agents or maps, but when it comes to actual release dates, only trust official announcements from Riot. I learned that the hard way when I took a day off work to play a new Act based on a leak, only to find the update wasn’t dropping for another week.
What to Expect From a Typical Valorant Update
Not all Valorant updates are the same size, and knowing what kind of update is coming will help you plan how much time and space you need for the download. Small bi-weekly patches are usually between 2GB and 5GB, and they only take a few minutes to install on a decent internet connection. These patches rarely change the meta much, so you don’t have to worry about re-learning the entire game after a small update.
Major Act and Episode updates are much bigger, usually between 10GB and 15GB, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough space on your drive before the drop. These updates almost always include balance adjustments for agents and weapons that can completely shift the meta, so it’s a good idea to read the full patch notes before you jump into your first ranked match after the update. I’ve made the mistake of jumping into ranked right after a big update, only to find my main agent got nerfed so hard I couldn’t win a single round.
Most updates also come with a short period of server downtime before the patch goes live. Downtime usually lasts between 1 and 3 hours, and you won’t be able to play any matches during that time. If you’re in the middle of a competitive match when downtime starts, Riot will usually not count the match towards your rank, so you don’t have to worry about losing RR because the servers shut down mid-game.
At the end of the day, it’s easy to figure out when is the Valorant update once you know Riot’s standard schedule and where to find official announcements. You don’t have to waste hours refreshing search pages or trusting random leaks to get the info you need. Just keep an eye on official Riot channels, enable in-game notifications, and remember the standard two-week patch cadence, and you’ll never miss a new content drop again. If you do run into issues with an update after it launches, you can report bugs directly through the in-game support menu to help Riot fix them faster for everyone.
