Published on April 8, 20200

What is Valorant Rated? Is Riot’s Shooter Suitable For You?

Riot Games' new shooter Valorant is out there in closed beta, with limited access to those who have managed to watch a Twitch stream and earn a drop. In case you are wondering how to enable Twitch drops, there doesn't seem to be a magical recipe for it, so just keep watching your favorite Valorant streamers with drops enabled. On a related note that some players are wondering about, what is Valorant rated? Is it a game suited for younger players, or is it dark and violent, aimed at adult gamers? Let's investigate this Valorant age rating question.

What is Valorant Rated? Is it rated Everyone, Teen or Mature?

Since its announcement, it was clear that Riot Games was shooting for an FPS that mixes real weaponry with magical abilities. This isn't unlike Overwatch and other competitive shooters, but what about other aspects such as gore? Would the League of Legends studio go for a grim approach, or a sanitized game that was suitable for all ages? Before we see what Valorant is rated for, let's check the ESRB ratings in full:

E – Suitable for Everyone.
E 10+ – Suitable for Everyone aged 10 and up.
T – Content suited for teenagers aged 13 and up.
M – Mature content suited for ages 17 and up.
Ao – Adults only content suited for ages 18 and up.
RP – Rating Pending, the game is yet to be rated.

Clearly, Valorant is going for a balanced approach, which means that it isn't advised for the youngest players due to its use of violence, language, and blood, according to ESRB. Valorant is rated T for Teen, as the official gameplay video below shows right at the start.

The official rating summary from the Entertainment Software Rating Board reads the following:

“This is a first-person shooter in which players compete in team-based multiplayer matches. Players use an assortment of firearms (e.g., pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles) and special abilities (e.g., poison gas attacks, electric arrows, ninja-star throws) to kill opponents to complete mission objectives. Battles are frenetic and are accompanied by realistic gunfire, large explosions, and screen-shaking effects. Characters emit spurts of blood when shot, and quickly collapse to the ground when killed. The word “sh*t” is heard in the game.”

This means that it is available to a wider player base, unlike other more realistic and violent shooters. Valve's CS: GO, for example, is rated M for Mature.

So there you have it, the Valorant age rating is T for Teen, and that is pretty much a definitive rating that isn't going to change at release.