Valorant 2023: A look into the upcoming Valorant season

2022 was a successful year for Esports and Casual Valorant in general. The game was named the Best Esports at multiple award functions, and it topped the stream charts as the most streamed and watched shooter of 2022. We also had three international events with increasing numbers. And with an increased fan following the game will only gain popularity in 2023.

Valorant 2022 - A Retrospect:

In 2022, Valorant became truly International. Featuring multiple new regions and qualifying tournaments for the three international LANs, The reach of game widened. With multiple regional qualifiers and three international LANs, We had plenty of VCT to watch throughout the year. Professional side of the game aside, the casual viewing of the game saw a peak. It was the most-watched shooter in 2022.

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Shaka and Tarik were amongst the top streamers in the World. On the Esports front, we saw three new organisations winning three different international LANs. And to date, we have six unique International Winners in Valorant Esports. The year also saw the game give the world, the best Esports Player and the Best Esports team in Optic's Yay and LOUD. 2022 was a successful year, and with the changes made to the Esports Ecosystem, Valorant will only improve.

A look ahead:

The Valorant 2023 year will kick off with Episode VI, released on January 10th 2023. With it, we will get our hands on the ninth map. The year will likely also see the release of the enigmatic Valorant Agent 08, missing from the current line-up. With much more to come to the game, we might see more agent releases. Finally, we might see a full roll-out of  Premier, an In-game tournament mode in Valorant. Additionally, there are leaks for a new 1v1 mode, replay system and much more.

VCT 2023:

On the Esports front, we will see many players in action in the Challengers league. Some of America's biggest names playing challengers include Stewie, ShahZam, Dapr etc. The Challenger's action will kick off as early as January 9th, and it has already started in multiple regions for the single promotional chance at Ascension league. The Challenger's year will conclude in an end-of-the-year Regional Ascension tournament guaranteeing a spot in the International leagues. With China allowing the official release of the game, We will get to see more Chinese teams in Valorant and an Official Valorant circuit in the country. 

Finally, one of the biggest attractions of 2022 will be the International Leagues, viz. VCT Americas, VCT EMEA and VCT Pacific. Featuring the biggest teams and biggest names in VCT, the leagues will give us regular Valorant action. Starting with VCT LOCK//IN Sao Paulo, featuring all 30 teams. The League phase will start after the LOCK//IN tournament and will feature two international tournaments with Masters Tokyo and Valorant Champions at the end of the year.

With the non-stop Valorant action throughout the year, it is clear the year will be filled with non-stop Valorant action until the season ends. With its third year, Valorant has ways to go, and with a team which pays heed to the community, Valorant might surpass its competitors to become the best Esports and the best Tactical FPS yet again.

Credits: Riot Games