Valorant

Valorant is Riot Games' tactical 5v5 character shooter — and it has become one of the most-played and most-watched competitive games in the world since its 2020 launch. Built on the precise gunplay foundation of classic tactical shooters like Counter-Strike while layering in character-specific abilities from heroes shooters like Overwatch, Valorant carved out a unique competitive identity that proved enormously popular. Each agent brings a distinct ability kit — from smokescreen controllers to sentinels who lock down map areas to duelists who create space aggressively — but gunplay remains paramount: abilities set up kills, they rarely guarantee them. The ranked system is deeply engaging for competitive players, and Riot's consistent content cadence of new agents, maps, and seasonal episodes has kept the meta evolving continually. Valorant's esports scene has grown rapidly into a major global circuit. Free to play and endlessly compelling.