July 29 Is Going to Be a Huge Day for Valorant Players

July 29 is going to be a great day for Valorant players, as that’s when developer Riot Games will release the Unreal Engine 5 upgrade to the popular hero-shooter. Valorant is about to get a significant enhancement that Riot had promised a few months ago without giving a specific date, and now players finally know exactly when the update will be rolled out.

Valorant is a free‑to‑play tactical hero‑shooter available for PC and consoles, inspired by massively popular classic shooters like Counter‑Strike. The game features precise gunplay along with heroes who have unique abilities that bring a whole new strategic layer to the usual FPS mechanics. Valorant came out in 2020 and, true to Riot's style, it has evolved quite a lot since then, with the developer expanding the game’s roster and introducing major quality-of-life updates—like improved anti-cheat measures, new modes, and an advanced matchmaking system—aiming to build a fair esports ecosystem. And now, with the upcoming switch to Unreal Engine 5, Valorant is entering a new era.

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By Megan Lorich

Riot Games announced that it is skipping over Valorant’s patch 11.01 in order to prepare for the anticipated Unreal Engine 5 switch in patch 11.02, releasing on July 29. In a brief blog post on the game’s website, Riot’s Kenny “Karnifexlol” Cameron explained that any changes to the game will be included in patch 11.02, along with Valorant’s Unreal Engine 5 upgrade. This update will represent arguably the biggest change ever experienced by the game.

Valorant Unreal Engine 5 Switch Will Happen on July 29

Riot Games had previously noted that the patch would be quite large, bringing changes to improve framerate performance and make future patch downloads faster. Besides informing players when Valorant would join other games using Unreal Engine 5, Riot also recently made a rather controversial announcement regarding a new sponsorship.

In June, Riot told players that Valorant and League of Legends will now allow betting sponsorships in order to help these games’ long-term sustainability. The program also aims to help teams earn more through sponsorships, though Riot’s goal is to set clear rules to protect esports integrity. In addition to this, Riot had also promised some exciting features, like the long-awaited replay system coming in September.

Valorant keeps evolving in 2025, with upcoming changes adding to the long list of patches rolled out during the year. Despite some controversies, Riot Games has shown a commitment to addressing some of the game's long-standing issues and is now gearing up for one of the most significant updates Valorant has seen since its release in 2020.

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