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Pro City Is Returning to VALORANT: What We Know About Tarik's Plans
Pro City has officially returned in August 2025, marking an important improvement in North American competitive gaming. The exclusive competitive platform, created by content creator and former professional player Tarik "tarik" Celik, relaunched with enhanced features and improved infrastructure. Tarik's Pro City aims to address persistent issues in ranked matchmaking while providing a premium competitive environment for professional players and aspiring talents.
Origins and Return of Pro City
Pro City first launched in January 2023 as Tarik's solution to the deteriorating state of ranked matchmaking in North America. The platform addressed widespread frustrations among professional players dealing with crypto throwers, stream snipers, and other disruptive elements that compromised competitive integrity. The original iteration attracted over 120 members, including franchise players and high-level content creators.
Despite early success, the first version eventually lost momentum and faded away. Factors contributing to its decline included the end of competitive seasons, lack of sustained incentives, and internal dynamics that sometimes created exclusivity issues. These experiences informed the platform's 2025 relaunch with improved structure and sustainability measures.
The return was announced in early August 2025, with the first games resuming on August 15th. Tarik committed to daily operations for at least a month to establish momentum and demonstrate the platform's renewed stability.
Official Pro City Website and Tracking System
A significant upgrade in the relaunched Pro City VALORANT is procity.gg, a dedicated website serving as the central hub for all platform activities. This platform offers real-time match tracking, detailed leaderboards, and direct stream integration, allowing viewers to follow live games with linked stream access.
The Pro City web platform provides statistics tracking, including win-loss records, MMR progression, and performance analytics. This enhanced tracking system addresses previous limitations and offers participants meaningful metrics to gauge their competitive standing within the community.
How to Enter Pro City: the Application Process
Tarik has implemented structured membership criteria with clear requirements for participation. Direct entry is reserved for Tier 1 professional players and those on top-eight Challengers teams. Legacy members from the original Pro City iteration received access through August 31st, 2025.
For those who don't meet direct entry requirements, an application system overseen by an anonymous seven-person council evaluates candidates. This council system requires four out of seven approvals for each application, ensuring competitive standards while reducing bias and preventing problems with individual decision-makers.
Game Changers participants can gain access by attending international events, specifically the Game Changers Championship.
Current Operations and Participant Demographics
The current professional roster includes approximately 110 players ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 3 tournament participants. Notable participants include franchise players from major organizations, established content creators, and rising talents from the Challengers scene.
Matches are organized through Discord queue systems, where players enter lobbies and are matched based on skill ratings and availability. The captain-based draft system ensures balanced teams, with snake-draft player selection and map veto processes mirroring professional tournament formats. Each match contributes to the overall MMR system tracked on procity.gg.
What Riot Games Says About Pro City
Unlike many community-driven initiatives, Riot Games has explicitly stated they have no plans to shut down Pro City and have suggested implementing prize pools for top performers. This developer support provides unprecedented legitimacy and suggests potential future official integration.
Tarik has expressed willingness to personally fund initial prize pools while actively seeking sponsorship partnerships to create sustainable financial incentives. This addresses one of the primary factors that contributed to the original Pro City's decline: the lack of tangible rewards for sustained participation.
The addition of financial incentives creates clear motivation for consistent play and helps maintain engagement during periods when individual motivation might wane.
Community Reception and Challenges
The return of Pro City VALORANT has received overwhelming enthusiasm from the VALORANT community. Viewers consistently praise the quality of matches, noting the obvious contrast between Pro City games and standard ranked play. Professional players and content creators have expressed renewed energy when participating in matches.
However, the relaunch has faced some controversy regarding entry criteria and application processes. Some community members have criticized the exclusivity, arguing that talented but lesser-known players face significant barriers to entry. The application drama involving content creators has highlighted ongoing tensions between established players and those seeking recognition.
Tarik's Pro City management has addressed these concerns through transparent communication about criteria and processes. The implementation of the anonymous council system aims to reduce bias while maintaining standards.
Expansion and Integration Plans
Future developments may include expansion to other regions, with Tarik expressing interest in launching Pro City VALORANT initiatives globally. The positive relationship with Riot Games opens possibilities for deeper integration with official VALORANT systems, though specific details remain unconfirmed.
Ongoing development of the procity.gg platform promises additional features and improved user experience. Future enhancements may include improved statistical tracking through better VALORANT API integration, enhanced viewing experiences, better mobile accessibility, and strengthened social features.
Conclusion
Pro City VALORANT's return represents an exciting evolution in community-driven competitive gaming. Through enhanced infrastructure, structured entry processes, and developer support, Tarik's Pro City has addressed previous shortcomings while maintaining its core mission of providing high-quality competitive gameplay.
The platform's success will depend on maintaining momentum, securing sustainable funding, and continuing to serve the competitive VALORANT community effectively. With proper financial backing, continued Riot Games support, and ongoing community engagement, Pro City VALORANT can become a leading example of how player-driven initiatives can complement official competitive systems.
The renewed ecosystem creates a competitive environment that addresses fundamental ranked play issues while providing a sustainable model for community-driven competitive initiatives. As the platform continues evolving, it will likely influence the future of competitive VALORANT and serve as a blueprint for similar initiatives across esports.
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Feature image credit: Pro City
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