Aspiring pro players, now’s your time to shine! Riot Games is introducing a way to bridge the gap for players who are interested in building a path to being a pro with Premier as well as creating opportunities for players all around the world. So it’s time for you and your buddies to team up and challenge yourselves to be one of the best!

On April 25, VALORANT is launching the Global Open Beta for Premier. Premier is VALORANT’s team-based competitive system that will allow you to build a team and compete across a set of pre-scheduled matches.

All About Premier

Premier is essentially VALORANT’s version of the League of Legends Clash. In Premier, you will be able to create or join a team of 5-7 friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and go against teams of a similar skill level. After building a roster, your team will be placed in a division where you’ll play weekly matches. If your team wins enough matches in Premier, you will earn the opportunity to battle it to in a Playoff Tournament to be one of the top teams in your skill division. 

In the future, Premier will be the path to the VCT Challenger Leagues. Players who excel will get a shot at Challengers and playing against pro teams. From the Challenger Leagues, players can promote into the International Leagues and potentially get to Champions, the biggest stage in VALORANT. Riot is still evaluating details of how Premier will integrate as the Path to Pro within the current VALORANT esports ecosystem. Of course, each region and league are unique, which is why the Riot team is still finalizing the future structure of the Challenger ecosystem. VALORANT announced and completed the Alpha version of Premier for players in Brazil in In October and November 2022.

GLOBAL OPEN BETA

-The Premier Global Open Beta will launch April 25

-There are 3 requirements to play in the beta :

• 1. SMS verification,
• 2. Completion of a ranked placement during any Act
• 3. team of 5-7 players which you can either form on your own or join.

-Once the roster is set, the owner enrols the team and selects your zone – the zone determines what servers you’ll play on and also decides your match schedule.

-Players will be seeded into one of 20 Divisions based on the average MMR of their team’s top 5 players.

-Each week, players play up to two matches – each match earns points towards a Premier score that determines whether they qualify for the playoff tournament.

-On the last day of the Global Open Beta, tournament matches will take place and will use a map pick-and-ban system similar to pro matches.

-Teams will start in the main bracket, with winners being crowned Champions and earning a unique Player Card and Title.

-Losing teams will move to a Consolation bracket to compete for third place.

-All players that play at least one match will earn an In-Game Title and Player Card.

-The next phase of Premier will return in July with the full launch planned for just after VCT Champions 2023 in August.

Want more details? Well, we’ve got you covered on that!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

GENERAL 

How long is the Premier Global Open Beta?

• Apr 25–May 23
  • Enrollment period: Apr 25–28
  • Weekly Matches: Apr 29–May 20
  • Playoff Tournament: May 21

Is this the final version of Premier?

• This is a test version of Premier before we get to the full launch. We’ll share more details around what changes you can expect when Premier releases later this year.
  • For example, the Beta is using a shorter schedule then what we have planned for launch, where Premier stages are designed to last the duration of a regular VALORANT Act.

Will anything transfer from the beta?

• Match and team history will not transfer to the full Premier release.

Where do I find Premier in the client?

• On launch, a full-screen takeover will feature Premier
• Homepage nav should have Premier as an entry, second in the list under Play
• An explanation modal will pop up when you visit the Premier Hub for the first time\

What is the Test Tournament?

• On May 3, we’ll be holding a test tournament in all Zones (you can find it in your schedule)
• This is a technical test! We want to make sure our services are ready to go for the Playoff Tournament at the end of Open Beta
• The structure is the same as the Playoff Tournament—best of 1, with Consolation bracket—but this time all Premier Teams are eligible to participate
• This tournament does not impact your standings, Premier Score, W/L record, or eligibility for the Playoff Tournament
• Winning the test tournament won’t unlock any rewards

When will I get my rewards?

• You’ll unlock your Premier Beta participation banner and title after completing your first Premier match by logging in on the next day
• You’ll unlock your Premier Beta Champions banner and title after winning the Playoff tournament by logging in on the next day
• Visit your collection to equip!

ENROLLMENT &  ZONES 

How do I become eligible for Premier Beta?

• You need to verify two conditions in order to be eligible to create or join a Premier team:
  • Identity – Through account verification via SMS verification 
  • MMR – By finishing your placements at any point in your account lifetime
• If you’ve already completed placements, you will automatically skip to the next step and  just see the option to “CREATE A TEAM”

Can anyone play in Premier Beta?

• Aside from the eligibility requirements outlined above, anyone with a VALORANT account in good standing is able to play during the Premier Beta period.

What happens if I un-verify my account?

• If you un-verify your account, the client will warn you that you will not be able to play in Premier until you go through the verification process again.
• Only one number is allowed per account, with a 6-month cooldown on used phone numbers. If you unlink a phone number from your account, you’re unable to use a different number on the account for 6 months. You can relink the original number at any time with no lock out.
• In case you are unverified and are on a team already, you will NOT be kicked from your team, but you will also be ineligible to queue.

Can I join more than one team?

• No, only one team per account.

Can I cancel team invites/remove teammates?

• Team Owners may cancel team invite requests and remove players from their team

Are there restrictions on who I can be on a team with?

• Nope! Feel free to join a team with your Bronze friend and your Diamond friend—we’ll find the best Division for your team based on the MMR of the top 5 players on your team
• There are restrictions once you enroll your team: You’ll be limited to only inviting other players that would not cause your team to change Divisions. 
  • If inviting a player would cause your team to change Divisions, the Team Owner will see an error message when attempting to invite: “This player is outside your team’s skill range and cannot be invited.”
• If Enrollment hasn’t ended, you can unenroll your team and are again open to invite anyone you’d like. Just make sure to re-enroll before the cutoff time!

Once the weekly matches begin, what can’t I change on my team?

• Once the weekly matches begins, you will not be able to change Rosters, within reason:
  • Only changes to roster that will not affect the division will be permissible.

Can I unenroll my entire team?

• If the team is enrolled the Enroll button converts to Unenroll button and your team will be able to opt out.

How do I know which Zone to choose?

• • You’ll see recommendations based on the top 2 pods with the lowest average latency (example, Central vs. Texas)
  • Latency is based on what the Team Owner (the only team member who can enroll the team) pings.
  • Players that choose zones with multiple pods should be matchmade as per our usual matchmaking heuristics (ping-based)During the enrollment process, the Team Owner will select a zone.

Can I change Zones?

• You cannot edit your zone once your team is enrolled, but you can un-enroll and re-enroll and select a new zone. If the team wants to unenroll in order to change Zones you’ll have to first unenroll your team and redo the team enrollment process.

My team missed enrollment. Can we still play?

• No, you will not be able to play if you miss the enrollment process.

Can I add a new player to my team after the weekly matches have started?

Yes! So long as the player being invited would not cause the team to change divisions.  If a player would cause your team to change divisions, the Team Owner will see an error message when attempting to invite: “This player is outside your team’s skill range and cannot be invited.”

Can I cancel team invites/remove teammates?

• Team Owner may cancel team invite requests and remove players from their team

TEAM HUB

Where can I see my team status?

The Premier Hub and Team Tab both show your team’s enrollment status.

Where can I view team standings?

• On the Standings tab, segregated by division, structured similarly to player Leaderboards but with TEAMS instead
• Sectioned by if teams made the qualification cut-off
• Standings are updated when Premier matches are completed

Where can I view the match history?

• The match history tab shows team-level match history where individual game participation still appears in player-level match history
• Team Match History contains a way to view past tournament match brackets and final team standings

What is the difference between a party leader and Team Owner?

• The Team Owner is able to invite players, customize the team logo, promote another player to owner, and/or delete the team entirely. (They can also leave the team – if they do, Team Owner will be passed to the player that’s been on the team the longest.)
• The party leader gets the team into queue when ready to play a Premier match, and is responsible for locking in choices during map pnb in tournaments.
  • The Team Owner doesn’t have to be present in order for a team to play a Premier match.

MATCHES & QUEUEING 

Where can I queue for my weekly matches?

• On the Premier Hub, there’s a button that will take you directly to the Premier lobby. When the queue window is open, you’ll be able to enter the queue when you have your party together.
• You can also go directly to the lobby using the Play button in the top nav, then clicking over to the Premier tab.
• We highly encourage you to queue as early in the weekly window as possible, as doing so at the last minute may result in not being able to find a match.

How do I know what map I am playing each match?

• The featured map for each match will be listed on the schedule in the Premier Hub to give you enough time to prepare. 
• The Tournament will use a map pick-and-ban system (see Tournament and Matches section below)

How fair is matchmaking in Premier?

• You will only play against teams within your division which means they are within a consistent range of team MMR thresholds.
• We will do our best to find you a match against teams within your division that are close in performance at that point in time.

What if a player in my party is displayed as ineligible to queue?

• Confirm the player is verified via SMS.
• Confirm all players are on the same Premier team.
• Confirm player accounts are not restricted for disruptive behavior

What if my party is unable to queue?

• For any match:
  • Confirm the queue windows are open
  • Confirm the party has 5 eligible players
  • Confirm the roster is currently enrolled
• For weekly matches:
  • Confirm your weekly match limit has not been reached
• For the Tournament:
  • Confirm your roster has enough points to qualify for the tournament
  • Confirm the tournament limit has not been reached

How long can you expect for queues?

• We expect most weekly matches to be made within 8 minutes at maximum across the beta. If you end up waiting longer, please stay in queue as leaving and re-queuing will only increase the total time your team will wait in queue.
• We expect tournament brackets to be made within 20 minutes at maximum. If you end up waiting longer, please stay in queue as leaving and re-queuing will only increase the total time your team will wait in queue.

I’ve been waiting in queue a long time. Will my match still be fair?

• You may end up playing against teams with a better performance in your respective Division when waiting in queues longer. But you will always be playing teams in your Division, so you should always have a fair chance at winning.

My team was queued and a match was never found. What gives?

• While it is highly unlikely that your team never finds a match, there may be rare instances where your team is literally the only team in the queue. However, even if you exceed the max expected wait time (8 minutes), please stay in the queue as you should get matched against the next team that joins.
• Also, as we said above, we highly encourage you to queue as early in the weekly window as possible, as doing so at the last minute may result in not being able to find a match.

LIVE MATCHES

Are the rules different from standard Competitive?

• Overtime rules are different and are as follows:
  • The first team to win 12 rounds gains Overtime Priority
  • Team with Overtime Priority chooses Starting Side for Overtime by voting, using a simple majority of the 5 players
  • Teams must win by 2. Every round, teams swap sides.
  • If 2 sets of Overtime have been played, play one final round of Sudden Death
  • Sudden Death side choice is whatever the team with Overtime Priority chose during Overtime Starting Side Choice Phase

What is the Premier Score?

Each match you play, you earn points towards your Premier Score. Reach a high enough Premier Score to qualify for the Playoff Tournament at the end of Open Beta!

How do I accumulate points?

• Teams earn 100 points for a weekly match win, and 25 points for a loss. 
• Tournament matches do not award points.

TOURNAMENT AND MATCHES

What Premier Score qualifies for the tournament?

• 375 points – this may be adjusted after the Beta.

Is there more than one winning team per division?

• Yes! All teams within a Division that qualify for the Tournament are matched into a bracket of up to 8 teams. Each bracket results in one winning team.

What if my team misses the tournament queue window?

• You will not be able to participate in the tournament.

What if a player in my party is displayed as ineligible to queue? 

• Ensure the player meets eligibility requirements and is on the same roster as the team. 

What is the map pick-and-ban system?

• During map pick and bans, teams take turns banning maps. All members on the team can vote on which map to ban, and the party leader locks in the team’s choice.
• The process alternates between teams until a map is chosen. The team that did not choose the map then gets to choose if they’d like to attack or defend.
• Map pick and ban is only available in Tournament matches.

Can you pause a match (timeout) and strategize?

• We do not currently support pauses during Premier matches.

How many teams are in the main bracket?

• A Tournament bracket can have up to 8 teams in it, and may start with as few as 5.

What happens if I lose in the main bracket?

• If your team loses in the main bracket, you’ll be moved to the Consolation bracket where you can compete for 3rd place.

And that’s all we have for now. It’s pretty exciting to see how dedicated the VALORANT developer team is to providing more opportunities for aspiring pro players. Maybe it’s your time to get out there! I’m hoping to see some of our viewers out there in this, do tag us on our socials and show us your team if you are.

Riot Games will also release an explainer video about Premier on their Youtube Channel. So be sure to check that out!