Not only is VCT Pacific Stage 2 heading to Tokyo for its final weekend, but fans will also have the opportunity to watch Japanese singer and rapper Yuki Chiba perform live on stage.

The artist will sing the tournament’s official anthem, ‘Shinpai Muyou’, during the opening ceremony of the Grand Final on August 31st at 6 AM BST / 2 PM JST.

Fans can purchase tickets from AXS’ website and head to LaLa Arena Tokyo Bay to catch the performance live. Moreover, it will also be streamed live on the official VCT Pacific’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

“This special performance is just one of the many exciting finals weekend events you can expect both online and in-person,” the official announcement stated.

Riot Games will also host a roadshow featuring multiple VALORANT-themed activities; however, details are yet to be revealed.

Eight partnered and two Ascension teams are battling it out right now at VCT Pacific Stage 2 in Seoul for a chance to represent the Pacific region at VALORANT Champions Paris. However, only three teams will be able to move forward. 

Furthermore, if the Ascension teams, BOOM Esports and Nongshim RedForce, fail to reach the playoffs, the teams will be relegated back to the Challengers circuit. However, if those teams make it to Champions Paris, the better-performing team will extend its stay in VCT for another season.

The event follows a format similar to Stage 1, where the 12 teams are divided into two groups. Following a round-robin format, the top four from each group will advance to double-elimination playoffs.

In the end, the top two teams will book their tickets to 2025 VALORANT Champions, along with two squads with the most Championship Points.

Riot Games has officially shared that VALORANT will be skipping Patch 11.01 to prepare for its upcoming Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) upgrade.

The UE5 switch has been confirmed to release in the next patch, 11.02, aiming to enhance the tactical first-person shooter’s visuals and performance.

There were no details for what exactly would have arrived with Patch 11.01 if it did release, but Riot Games has shared that the changes planned initially for this update will now be released alongside the UE5 transition in the Patch 11.02.

In the announcement, Kenny ‘Karnifexlol’ Cameron, Global Community Manager at Riot Games, said: “Yes, today is when we’d normally put out a new patch. But in order to prepare for the upcoming UE5 upgrade, we’re skipping Patch 11.01 and making any changes scheduled for this patch with 11.02, coming July 29th.”

VALORANT will soon reach it’s fifth anniversary this summer and Riot Games announced big changes coming to the esports title, from a replay system to the UE5 switch.

The game engine overhaul has been confirmed to release for Patch 11.02, which is scheduled to take place on July 29th, 2025, though a specific time was not shared.

First announced through the Unreal Fest Seattle 2024 showcase, a lot of fans are excited for what’s likely to be the most drastic change the game has seen yet. However, others are concerned that the update may bring in more problems than solutions, considering the mixed performance UE5 has experienced in other titles. According to Allvalorant.gg, Riot Games recently released an FAQ addressing the biggest concerns surrounding the update.

The game package itself will actually be ‘smaller than before the upgrade,’ according to the developer. However, it will require at least 30GB of free space on PC hard drives to install, a one-time instance and will not be permanent. It has also shared that the update will improve performances on low-end PC’s.

This change will undoubtedly affect upcoming VALORANT esports events after July 29th. For example, the update will take place near the beginning of VCT Game Changers North America Stage 2, which is running from July 28th to September 10th, 2025. Other events, like VALORANT Challengers 2025 Japan Season Finals, will also see this update take effect.

It’s still unclear how much the UE5 upgrade will impact players’ competitive performance.

Riot Games has shared insight into several changes and developments arriving in Stage 2 of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA.

Following the end of Stage 1, the developer has upgraded its studio and introduced a Pro Player Council to help with feedback.

The improvements to the VCT EMEA studios include upgrades to the player performance rooms, which are now designed to better replicate conditions experienced while competing on stage. Each room will feature high-end PCs and improved peripherals for players to use when preparing for matches.

In addition, Riot Games has also partnered with Herman Miller Gaming, resulting in the furniture manufacturer becoming the Official Chair Supplier of VCT EMEA. The main stage will feature its Embody gaming chairs as part of the deal.

Studio upgrades follow technical issues that plagued VCT EMEA Stage 1 earlier this year. Throughout the event, long technical pauses disrupted the flow of matches across multiple weeks.

The launch of the VCT EMEA Pro Player Council has been designed to offer players an opportunity to provide Riot Games with feedback. Each team will nominate a representative to join the council, providing organisations with a direct line of communication to league operations.

Riot Games says the goal of the council is ‘to serve as the collective voice of players in the league’, and to help the league identify areas for improvement.

Starting with Stage 2, the VCT EMEA broadcast will showcase a range of new features to enhance the viewing experience for fans watching matches at home.

Shorter replays that highlight key moments during a match aim to help fans understand in-game strategies. Moreover, the first week will feature unique introduction graphics to players making their debut.

For fans attending the Riot Games Arena in Berlin to watch matches, Riot Games will host a special activation.

The VALORANT Anniversary Vernissage is a fan experience to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the first-person shooter title. The art exhibition will feature a variety of community artwork, along with opportunities to play against content creators.

Fans can tune into VCT EMEA Stage 2 across the competition’s Twitch, YouTube and TikTok channels.

Alongside the official tournament broadcasts, content creators will co-stream matches to provide an alternative perspective on EMEA’s highest tier of VALORANT esports.

GIANTX has released a promotional video ahead of VCT EMEA Stage 2, taking inspiration from the manga and anime series Dandadan.

For its Stage 2 promotion, the European esports organisation recreated the Dandadan Season 2 opening, combining elements from the original media piece and VALORANT esports.

Dandadan is a supernatural Shōnen manga written and illustrated by Ken Takakura since 2021. The story follows two high school students, Momo and Okarun, as they navigate a modern world of spirits and aliens.

The first season of the Dandadan anime series was published last year. The opening for the second season, which premiered this month, has garnered over 62m YouTube views since its initial reveal nine months ago.

GIANTX’s VCT Stage 2 opening uses the Dandadan Season 2 opening song ‘Otonoke’ by Creepy Nuts accompanied by a similar visual and editing style to the original. Most prominent are the individual GIANTX roster members dressing and posing like the characters in the opening.

However, the video also highlights GIANTX’s fellow VCT EMEA competitors, including Fnatic, Karmine Corp and Team Vitality. The remaining frames show different VALORANT maps and abilities, as well as everyone’s favourite mascot, Wingman.

With its creative take on the Stage 2 kickoff, GIANTX has attracted the attention of esports fans and stakeholders.

“Just because of the artist banger I will root for GIANTX. Congrats to the artist/team involved,” commented an X user.

From July 16th until August 31st, VCT EMEA Stage 2 will see 12 teams compete for the chance to qualify for VALORANT Champions, the season-ending tournament of Riot’s VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT).

GIANTX will be part of Stage 2’s opening day with a best-of-three series against Team Vitality at 7 pm BST.

After placing low at this year’s EMEA Kickoff and Stage 1 event, the team will need a top-two Stage 2 finish to secure a Champions slot. While teams can also make Champions by earning regional VCT Points, even a third-place in Stage 2 could not award GIANTX enough points to reach the top-four teams on the EMEA Points leaderboard.

FUT Esports has replaced Ata ‘ATA KAPTAN’ Tan with Mehmet ‘cNed’ İpek for its VCT EMEA Stage 2 starting roster.

Although cNed has been signed to the Turkish esports organisation since 2023, the player was previously benched ahead of VCT EMEA Kickoff in January.

As a Partner Team, FUT Esports has been competing in Riot’s franchised VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) since 2023. In the same year, the organisation qualified for both Masters Tokyo and the season-ending VALORANT Champions event.

However, FUT has struggled to keep up with the top-performing EMEA teams in the later seasons. Its last international attendance was Masters Shanghai in June last year. At the 2025 Kickoff and Stage 1 events, FUT placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Following the signing of Doğan ‘xeus’ Gözgen, cNed was moved to an inactive position before the 2025 VCT season kickoff. The Turkish player was even temporarily loaned to Challengers team Valiant. Prior to his tenure at FUT, cNed spent three years competing for various EMEA organisations, including BBL Esports and NAVI.

In today’s announcement video, titled ‘The race to Champions Paris begins’, FUT revealed its starting line-up, which does not feature its veteran member, ATA KAPTAN:

EMEA’s final chapter of VCT 2025 begins on July 16th with the Stage 2 competition. The winner and second place will directly qualify for VALORANT Champions in September. Moreover, FUT may also qualify through VCT EMEA Points, which are given to teams based on performances throughout the year.

Currently placing sixth on the regional Points leaderboard, FUT would have to climb at least two ranks to receive a Champions slot via points alone.

FUT’s first Stage 2 match will take place on July 17th at 4 pm BST against Ascension 2024 team Gentle Mates.  

Paper Rex has moved VALORANT player Aaron ‘Mindfreak’ Leonhart to its inactive roster ahead of VCT Pacific Stage 2.

The move follows Mindfreak’s decision to seek opportunities to continue competing in VALORANT esports as a player.

Mindfreak has featured as Paper Rex’s sixth member of the roster following the arrival of Patrick ‘PatMen’ Mendoza in March.

The Indonesian player temporarily transitioned to a coaching role where he helped guide the team to victory at VALORANT Masters Toronto, defeating Fnatic in the Grand Final.

“Aaron is a fierce competitor and an incredibly cerebral player with a wealth of experience in his roles,” said Harley ‘dsn’ Örvall, Chief Gaming Officer at Paper Rex.

“However, Aaron has expressed to us his burning desire to actively play and compete again, and Paper Rex does not want to hold talent like him back from exploring opportunities.”

Mindfreak joined Paper Rex in 2020 as a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) player before moving to VALORANT in 2021. During his five-year tenure on the starting lineup, he was part of a team that secured qualification for three VALORANT Champions events and eight VALORANT Masters tournaments.

“I’m ready to play after Stage 2,” said Mindfreak on social media. “I’m taking my time here at home to prepare mentally and physically to compete again since my state of mind was in a really bad shape earlier this year.”

For Paper Rex, attention turns to Stage 2 of VCT Pacific, beginning on July 15th, 2025. Stage 1 saw the team finish in third to secure a place at Masters Toronto, before winning the tournament.

The 12-team competition will see teams compete in round-robin and Playoff matches to determine the stage winner. The top two teams from Stage 2 will earn a place at VCT Champions, VALORANT’s season-ending event, where 16 teams compete for a share of $2.25m (~£1.6m) in prize money.

Team Liquid has signed former Team Vitality player Nikita ‘trexx’ Cherednichenko ahead of VCT EMEA Stage 2.

The new roster member will replace Maikls ‘Serial’ Ždanovs, whose departure from the European esports organisation was announced on July 11th.

Team Liquid has undergone a somewhat turbulent season in the 2025 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) so far. In EMEA Kickoff and Stage 1, the squad qualified for the first two international tournaments of the year, Masters Bangkok and Toronto. However, Team Liquid could not make it past the Group Stage at either event.

The team has also undergone several roster changes since the beginning of the year, including the departure of Maks ‘kamyk’ Rychlewski and, most recently, Serial. Team Liquid’s run at Masters Toronto, in particular, was impacted by the delayed arrival of in-game leader (IGL) Ayaz ‘nAts’ Akhmetshin. Due to nAts’ Visa issues, the team was forced to play its opening match with a last-minute stand-in, Erik ‘penny’ Penny.

At VCT EMEA Stage 2, Team Liquid now hopes to qualify for the season-ending VALORANT Champions tournament in September. The new roster will debut on July 17th at 7 pm BST in a best-of-three (BO3) series against KOI.

Thanks to its repeated Masters qualification, the team is in a good position to secure a Champions 2025 slot. VCT teams may advance to Champions by earning Points for regional achievements, with Liquid currently placed third on the EMEA Points leaderboard.

Since the beginning of his professional VALORANT career in 2020, trexx has competed for various notable organisations such as OG, Guild Esports and KOI. In January last year, the Russian player joined Europe-based organisation Team Vitality, with which he attended Champions 2024.

Following the signing of star player Nikita ‘Derke’ Sirmitev, Team Vitality looked like a dominant force at VCT Kickoff, but only reached fourth place at Masters Bangkok. Trexx was then benched ahead of VCT Stage 1 in March.

However, the player made waves in the EMEA VALORANT community with a social media post seemingly commenting on Team Vitality’s inability to make Masters Toronto. In the aftermath, trexx faced public criticism from his former teammate Derke regarding his professional attitude, which trexx denied in his response.

In a video interview for Team Liquid, trexx commented on his goals for the remainder of the season: “I’m excited to come back, to be honest. It’s been a long three months. I just want to qual for Champs and prove everyone wrong, I guess.”

VALORANT Mobile is gaining momentum, with more information arriving and a lot of anticipation building as it moves past its first closed beta test and presses on with pre-registrations in China. The future mobile version of a desktop classic is causing quite a stir. But how big will it, or can it, be? And can it deliver a seismic shift in gaming and esports?

In this article, we’re going to look at just that and consider if the yet-to-arrive title will have the firepower and support to outmanoeuvre Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, a titan of the mobile gaming industry and esports, with a huge following and player base that looks insurmountable.

VALORANT Mobile will be a mobile-only version of the existing VALORANT IP, a similarly free-to-play 5v5 first-person tactical shooter. It’s also clear that it’s been core to the wider VALORANT project since fairly early on in VALORANT’s popularity. VALORANT was released in 2020, and in June 2021, Riot Games made its original announcement about VALORANT Mobile. However, it took nearly four years for news of a playtest and a new trailer to arrive in April 2025.

In all intents and purposes, a classic VALORANT experience is expected, but VALORANT Mobile won’t be identical, owing to the restrictions that lower hardware capabilities. While necessarily less demanding to cater to those devices, Mobile will also offer a more streamlined experience in terms of content. Of VALORANT’s 28 agents, just 16 are believed to be featured in VALORANT Mobile. The included agents will seemingly be:

Additionally, eight maps are expected to be available, compared to 17 for the initial release. The maps that are reported to be included are the following six from the PC version:

Plus, two mobile-exclusive maps are expected:

While VALORANT Mobile’s release date is the subject of much conjecture, the reason for the mobile version is clear. Mobile gaming is a huge and growing industry. Currently worth around $146 billion globally, compared to PC gaming’s $47.5 billion, projections show subsequent increases in the coming years, while mobile esports is also thriving. So, tapping into mobile with an existing, well-established, and well-supported IP is a savvy business move.

Where there’s interest, there’s a potential opportunity, but mobile gaming has an incumbent global leader in the space, the 2016 5v5 MOBA, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Mobile Legends is a phenomenon and the most played mobile game in the world, with up to around 40 million monthly players across Android and iOS. So, how could VALORANT Mobile take the top spot in gaming and esports? 

The early signs are encouraging. As reported on the official Weibo account on July 4, the game surpassed 40 million pre-registrations in China, the only place where pre-registrations are currently available. That’s a truly staggering figure to be achieved in just 10 weeks in China alone. 

For context, it is almost as large as the 45 million worldwide pre-registrations of HoYoverse’s hugely anticipated RPG, Zenless Zone Zero, which launched on July 4. Alternatively, we can think of VALORANT Mobile pre-registrations in China as matching… the entire population of Canada.

With that amount of interest and excitement, it seems VALORANT Mobile is in with a chance of capturing the attention of millions of active players worldwide, becoming the new star of mobile gaming at the same time. After all, a mobile version of a title that already has 18-20 million monthly players on desktop (source: Tracker.gg) could well do incredible things in the larger mobile market.

As well as being a hugely supported game, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is also the most popular esports title in the world. As data from Esports Charts shows (at the time of writing), MLBB is first by a clear distance when it comes to the 2025 peak viewerships of esports tournaments. It’s well ahead of League of Legends in second, Counter-Strike in third, and VALORANT in fourth.

Although it is fourth, VALORANT is still a massively popular esports title. Yet VALORANT Mobile will have its own competitive esports scene. The first VALORANT Mobile esports tournament in China, was announced earlier this year, and (as reported by Esports News), a job listing by Tencent – whose Lightspeed Studios will be managing VALORANT Mobile – refers to “promoting VALORANT Mobile and its esport”, alongside duties including creating and promoting events and more.

This all feels like an impressive move from Riot Games, targeting a larger mobile gaming sector and mobile esports with an established IP that already has millions of players. All considered, it may be enough to push Mobile Legends from its top spots, and at the very least, surely it will see VALORANT Mobile overtake VALORANT for active players and esports views. 

As you’d expect, there are some potential reasons why VALORANT Mobile may struggle to become both the king of gaming and esports. To be clear, it seems unlikely to suggest VALORANT mobile will struggle in general, knowing what we know about the massive interest. But the first consideration in not being able to topple Mobile Legends is about the type of game it is.

The top FPS title in esports is currently Counter-Strike, which is the third biggest esports title overall. The second FPS esports title in the world is VALORANT (fourth overall). Meanwhile, the top mobile FPS title in the world is PUBG: Mobile. PUBG Mobile is the sixth biggest esports title overall, behind fifth-placed Arena of Valor (a MOBA). 

So, as an FPS and a mobile one at that, VALORANT Mobile would need to be a standout success story to climb to the number one ranking, not least because the top two (and three of the top five) esports titles in the world are massively supported MOBAs. Plus, there’s PUBG Mobile, VALORANT, and Counter-Strike in there.

For an FPS title to topple either of MLBB and LoL would be something, and the same goes for topping their monthly player numbers. Although we can see, based on VALORANT’s esports and player count performance, there’s plenty of potential for VM in a larger mobile market, it is only potential. Meanwhile, MLBB has up to 40 million actual monthly players, and LoL has a reported 11 million (source: Activeplayer.io). Those are serious figures. 

The other consideration is a hypothetical but related: Chinese pre-registrations are astronomical, but an active VALORANT Mobile player base may not exist to the level that is expected. While we’re sure Riot Games’ market insights and research will have been extensively combed through, it may be that there are too many eyes elsewhere, perhaps on MOBA titles, for VALORANT Mobile to reach the very pinnacle in a way that can be envisioned.

The mobile gaming industry is growing, yes, but is it growing at a rate for VM to quickly position itself as the dominant global title and esports title? It remains to be seen. Either way, I feel fairly sure VALORANT mobile will be a success. Of course, it is also a possibility that where there seems to be a gap, there may just be a vacuum. Or to put it another way, no game has yet toppled Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and maybe none can. 

Ultimately, VALORANT Mobile is shaping up to be a huge mobile title, drawing on an existing awareness and hugely supportive fan and player base for VALORANT (desktop). If all aligns, and the huge pre-registrations in China are a sign of things to come, VALORANT Mobile may shoot for the moon and hit. 

It has the backing, it has the excitement, and it has the all-out enjoyable action to (hopefully) translate into an epic mobile game. Could we be sitting here in a year looking at the dethroning of MLBB? Possibly, but in the meantime, we’re keen on future regional roll-outs.

Riot Games releases new skin bundles in VALORANT every two weeks, and while some of them might fit your budget, others can be too expensive. On top of that, VALORANT skins often cost more compared to counterparts such as Counter-Strike 2, making them inaccessible for many players.

To address this concern, Riot Games regularly introduces the VALORANT Night Market, a special in-game event that offers exclusive discounts on skins. Esports Insider has created a detailed guide to help you understand how it works, so keep reading to learn how you could save hundreds of dollars on VALORANT skins.

Night Market is a time-limited event in VALORANT where players receive six random weapon skins from past collections at heavy discounts. The skins drawn are different for each player and remain the same throughout the event’s duration.

This is not only a great opportunity to buy skins at a fraction of their original price, but players can also grab a skin they might have missed. However, it’s a highly luck-based event, meaning you could get a fan-favourite skin or end up with one you don’t like at all.

When the Night Market is live, a shiny card icon will appear at the top-right corner in VALORANT. Clicking it will take you to the Night Market section, where six cards will be displayed, and you can flip them one by one to reveal your discounted skins.

If you like one or more from the options, you can buy them directly using VALORANT Points (VP). If not, you’ll have to wait for the next Night Market as there’s no option to reroll.

You can load up VALORANT Points by clicking the VP icon next to the Settings icon and choosing the amount you want to top up. The cost of VP varies by region, but here are some average prices:

Riot Games usually releases the Night Market every two to three months, but there is no set schedule. When available, it typically stays active for around two weeks. The next VALORANT Night Market event is scheduled to run from July 10-24 during V25 Act 4 and you can check the dates for some of the previous ones below:

There is a certain set of rules around what skins appear in the Night Market. First of all, it will not include any VALORANT skins from the past two Acts or from a Battle Pass, which means an Act 3 Night Market can only offer skins from Act 1 or earlier.

Moreover, Select, Deluxe, and Premium edition skins all have a chance to appear in the Night Market, though each type has a different probability. You’re guaranteed to get at least two Premium edition or higher skins, and you won’t receive more than two skins for the same weapon, which ensures variety. Lastly, there’s also a chance to get melee or Exclusive edition skins, but this isn’t guaranteed.

The cards in the Night Market are sorted by different colours based on weapon type and tier, as follows:

Given how expensive some VALORANT skins can be, with some of them costing over $50 for a single weapon, the Night Market’s discounts make it a great opportunity to get high-quality skins at a better price. However, with only six cards, your odds of getting something you want are quite limited. 

As a result, Riot could consider increasing the card count, and also, since the event returns every few months, players who don’t get desirable skins are forced to wait a long time to try their luck out again. These are a couple of factors that might affect the excitement around Night Market among fans.

Night Market is Riot Games’ answer to the community’s concerns over the high pricing of VALORANT skins. While there is no guarantee that you’ll get your favourite skins, it still offers a great opportunity to purchase skins at massive discounts.

So, if you’re someone who enjoys beautiful VALORANT skins and crazy animations but doesn’t want to overspend, you should be keeping an eye out for the Night Market. However, keep in mind that it’s a gamble, and if you are not lucky enough, you will have to fight for the next edition of the event to (hopefully) buy a skin.

Web3 meme-based promotion platform STIX has partnered with South Korean esports organisation Dplus KIA to launch a blockchain-powered fan engagement initiative.

According to a release, the collaboration will enable Dplus KIA to issue a fan token centred on user-generated memes, marking a new phase in Web3 adoption within esports. Dplus KIA had previously experimented with web3 when it joined forces with Dplus Arena for content distribution and engagement.

Under this new partnership, fans will compete in a meme campaign hosted by STIX. 

The winning design will serve as the visual identity of a fan token, unlocking limited-edition merchandise and potentially appearing on player jerseys. To participate, fans must hold STIX’s native $STIX token, while Dplus KIA itself will acquire and hold a portion as part of its treasury.

This marks STIX’s first major collaboration with a web2-rooted brand, leveraging its heritage as the crypto offshoot of Stickerly, a sticker content platform with over 400m users. 

Dplus KIA, best known for its League of Legends team, holds an impressive competitive record, including a World Championship title in 2020 and a runner-up medal in 2021. With multiple LCK titles and active rosters in other major titles like PUBG, VALORANT, and Rainbow Six, Dplus has long held a top-tier presence in global esports.

The move reflects a growing trend in esports, where organisations are adopting fan tokenisation and community ownership as alternative engagement models.

Earlier this year, Evil Geniuses partnered with XBorg to explore gamified engagement through digital assets. At the same time, Ninjas in Pyjamas teamed up with Socios.com to issue team tokens in an effort to enhance its fan loyalty platform, the Dojo.

By anchoring the fan token experience in memes and community creativity, STIX and Dplus KIA aim to make blockchain participation more accessible and culturally resonant.