VALORANT Patch Notes 13.06 VALORANT’s big update is here.

VALORANT players are diving into a substantial update that promises to reshape the game's user interface, introduce new ways to engage with agents, and offer a fresh competitive experience. This patch, a significant overhaul for the year, brings a unified home and lobby, a deep dive into agent progression, and a chaotic new game mode that blends familiar abilities with unpredictable twists.

The most immediate change players will notice is the consolidation of the Home and Lobby screens into a single, streamlined hub. This new interface aims to provide a clearer overview of in-game activities, from ongoing events and missions to the active map pool and leaderboards, all while keeping your party front and center. The developers have also enhanced global navigation, making it easier to move between different sections of the game and reducing visual clutter. New indicators will now highlight recently acquired content, ensuring players don't miss out on new items earned.

For the competitive scene, this patch introduces a suite of features designed to offer a more nuanced understanding of player performance and progression. The long-standing Average Combat Score (ACS) has been replaced by a new "Performance Score." This score, ranging from 0 to 500, aims to provide a more holistic view of a player's contributions beyond just kills and damage, factoring in a wider array of in-game actions. This new metric will be visible in Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay, and Premier matches, and will now determine MVP status and scoreboard rankings in these modes. Accompanying this is the introduction of "Accolades," which will track personal bests for various stats throughout an Act and across a player's entire career. These accolades, earned in Competitive and Premier modes, will be visible on the end-of-game screen and in a dedicated section of the Competitive Hub. The "Rank Legacy" feature adds a trophy-case-like element to the competitive journey, allowing players to see how many times they've achieved each rank throughout their VALORANT history.

Practice makes perfect, and now players can hone their skills while waiting for their next match. The "Practice Range in Queue" feature allows players to enter the Range once matchmaking has begun, offering a seamless transition from warm-up to gameplay. This feature is designed to be available for most queue times, though it may be temporarily unavailable during very short expected wait periods. The end-of-game experience has also been revamped, presenting a more comprehensive summary of match performance, rewards, and progress across new systems like Agent Mastery and Performance Score, all within a single, dynamic screen.

The headline addition for many will be the new limited-time mode, "Gauntlet: Glitched." This ambitious mode pits eight duos against each other in a series of 2v2 elimination rounds. What sets Gauntlet: Glitched apart is its unique "Ability Draft" system, where players select and upgrade abilities from a randomized pool, allowing for wild and unexpected agent combinations. As matches progress, weapons change, and the stakes rise with increased health loss per round. The mode also introduces "glitched" ability upgrades, which can cause familiar abilities to behave in unpredictable and chaotic ways, adding a layer of emergent gameplay. Players will battle across four new arenas that remix existing map aesthetics into unique combat spaces. A "Winner's Circle" awaits victorious duos, offering a space to spectate remaining matches or practice their aim.

Beyond these major additions, the update also includes ongoing efforts to combat account boosting, with the developers reporting significant numbers of banned accounts since the implementation of new detection systems. The client has also received updates to better indicate new items in a player's collection, ensuring a smoother onboarding experience for new content.

Looking ahead, the developers have teased further competitive enhancements, including "Map Rating" in patch 13.08 and "Competitive Flex" in patch 14.00, suggesting a continued focus on refining the ranked experience. The introduction of Agent Mastery, though not detailed in this specific patch note, is also a significant new system that players will be able to explore and progress through, likely offering new ways to engage with their favorite agents.

This extensive update signals a significant investment in improving the core VALORANT experience, from the moment players log in to the intensity of competitive matches and the thrill of new game modes. Players will need to familiarize themselves with the new UI, understand the nuances of Performance Score, and adapt to the unpredictable nature of Gauntlet: Glitched. The focus on player progression and competitive integrity suggests a future where VALORANT continues to evolve, offering deeper engagement and more rewarding experiences for its player base.