In any FPS game, the primary objective is to eliminate the opposition and get a competitive edge to win the game. The skins are not part of the main objective but simply exist to elevate the player experience. This is the same with Valorant.

Skins in any game are usually purely cosmetic, adding VFX to the game but nothing more. Valorant, on the other hand, adds another layer to these skins by adding SFX and a finishing animation unique to the skin, to the game as an upgradeable option to the skins.

Players can buy the skins in Valorant using the Valorant Points and use Radianites to unlock the SFX and finishers available. Players always look forward to new skins made by the Riot dev team.

The size of the skins market in Valorant can be estimated by the fact the total collection for Valorant Champions 2022 bundle was a whopping $30 Million. With each bundle only costing $60, players bought 500k bundles. There are multiple such skins bundles, and skins players seek out.

[twitter url="https://twitter.com/ValorantEsports/status/1571131083026042884"]

Do Valorant Skins make you perform better?

The devs have always asserted that skins in no way or form affect the gameplay, but many players believe they make them aim better. Youtuber Eggwick's experiment concluded with a result saying people perform better with skins than without.

[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEfGimcn27A"]

While certainly, the skins don't affect the bullet spread or recoil in any way or form. The skins do affect the game's visual aspect, e.g., some operator skins scopes sometimes cover the peripheral while some don't. The same applies to marshal skins, but that is a disadvantage instead of an advantage.

What truly changes with gun skins in Valorant is the SFX. These effects don't create a fundamental change, but somehow create a placebo effect.E.g., a smoother, faster sound might help you think you are shooting faster. A suppressed, softer sound can falsify a better spray control. A heavy sound can make a phantom make it much more accurate.

Added to the fact, the sound of a first kill is an E and goes higher with each kill, imbibing a sense of achievement with every kill you get. Making you go for more and more kills with every kill. It is to be noted that different people react to sounds differently, resulting in some people liking and playing better with one skin than the other.

In conclusion, the skins don't affect the game itself, but what they do changes the player's experience and perception of the game. And this results in players aiming better and playing better, which indirectly means skins affect players' performance.

Image Source: Riot Games