VALORANT’s engine allows Riot Games to continuously work on the game and deliver memorable experiences via new content and changes to existing mechanics. With time, game engines also improve, prompting titles to consider upgrading to new variants.

VALORANT has been out since 2020, and a lot happened in the game engine world since then. While newly released titles may have gotten to use new technologies during development, the same cannot be said for competitive titles that have been available for a while. That isn't a forever situation, though, since game developers can pivot to new game engines.

What Engine Does VALORANT Use?

VALORANT uses Unreal Engine 4, at the time of writing. However, Riot Games announced plans to move VALORANT to Unreal Engine 5.

Riot Games’ executive producer Anna Donlon shared the news during Unreal Fest Seattle 2024, revealing that VALORANT would start using Unreal Engine 5. Such a drastic change is expected to take some time, though, and players are unlikely to notice significant differences at first glance once VALORANT’s Unreal Engine 5 update goes live.

Why is VALORANT moving to Unreal Engine 5?

VALORANT is moving to Unreal Engine 5 because the developers are excited about the new features they can roll out with this new engine. Lumen-enhanced global illuminations, virtual shadow maps, temporal super-resolution, and Nanite are some Unreal Engine 5 features that can become available in VALORANT once the switch happens.

When VALORANT UE5 becomes a reality, Riot Games may introduce more “playable experiences” over time. Currently,VALORANT developers think that the game has used its current engine to its full potential, meaning a ceiling was reached. Considering UE5 was released in 2022, it also had time to further develop and fledge into a robust engine.

Riot Games will likely reveal more information regarding the engine switch and share what type of new features they can add to the game after the change. While new graphical options may become available, we expect the developer to stick to its current practices since VALORANT’s accessibility is one of the game’s strongest aspects.

Unreal Engine 6 is still years away, so it also makes sense for Riot Games to keep up with the times as they stand. After all, VALORANT actively competes with other titles in its genre, and it’s natural for Riot to prioritize how they can ensure longevity. As VALORANT adjusts to its new engine, players may also see unintended changes in the game. The best-stretched resolutions for VALORANT may change and require players to use new configurations, while the game’s competitive queue can still get disabled whenever there’s a new update.