Valorant Mobile Esports has already taken root in China. What will happen if the esport grows?

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 21/10/2025

Valorant Mobile Esports has already concluded its first LAN tournament despite only being available in China. 

Will China have an unfair advantage if Valorant Mobile Esports expands to other regions after the global release?

The First Valorant Mobile Esports LAN tournament – Platform Finals and their place in the emerging ecosystem

Valorant Mobile Esports already has its own national competitive circuit in China.

As early as July, over a month before release, the discovery of an online job listing implied that Valorant Mobile would have a dedicated esports scene. These predictions quickly came to fruition. 

The first Valorant Mobile Esports LAN at Guangzhou Canton Tower Plaza is part of the Platform Finals, one of four routes into this new competitive circuit. Each pathway leads to the National Finals, with a cumulative prize pool of USD$418,000 (~GBP£309,000). 

These national finals will take place in December at an international skateboarding competition, the Aranya Grand Masters. 

Valorant China’s PC national competition follows a similar format and will be held at the same venue and event. Therefore, Valorant Mobile Esports is already positioned at the level of the pre-existing esports ecosystem. 

Streaming platforms Douyu, Huya, KuaiShou, Douyin, and Bilibili have also hosted online tournaments as a part of the Platform Finals pathway, already bringing Valorant Mobile to a broad audience.

ACE PRIME CORE, Platform Finals Valorant Mobile LAN tournament winners, and EDward Gaming, the second-place team, have secured qualification for the National Finals. They join teams that have qualified from the online streaming platform-hosted events. 

The other three pathways to the National Finals are through a national-level qualifier, a collegiate tournament, and a qualification pathway specifically for corporations. 

Jumpstarting a new competitive circuit – how China is miles ahead of the rest 

China’s Valorant Mobile Esports circuit is the only one of its kind. This is because Valorant Mobile is currently only available in China. 

The Valorant Mobile launch generated $1 million and 170k downloads on its first day of regionally limited release. The mobile version launched in China alone on August 19th, and it has clearly taken rapid hold, given that its esports circuit was mapped out within one week. 

However, Riot Games has not yet launched Valorant Mobile globally. Despite its success in China, those waiting for the global launch do not even know a roadmap for its arrival. 

This raises the question of whether China will have an unfair advantage if a global Valorant Mobile Esports league is eventually launched. 

Mobile esports is incredibly popular in China. However, mobile esports leagues are also extremely well-supported, even dominated, by other Southeast Asian countries. 

For example, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia dominate Mobile Legends Bang Bang, the world’s biggest mobile esports ecosystem. These three countries also often compete at a high level in other mobile esports leagues. 

Therefore, it is likely that players from these countries also hold the potential to compete at an incredibly high level in Valorant Mobile, particularly as the popularity of APAC teams like Paper Rex boosts Valorant notoriety in the region. 

Does this mean that China has an unfair advantage in the potential future of Valorant Mobile Esports?

In short, yes, and no. A very solid maybe.

Looking back at the growth and evolution of other esports ecosystems, the landscape is always rapidly changing. 

European teams dominated the early years of competitive League of Legends. That is, until China and Korea surged forward to become the undisputed regional titans. In Apex Legends, North America has always dominated, but APAC teams are on the rise. 

Nothing ever stays the same. 

However, suppose a region has a sizeable lead on developing regional circuits, welcoming new talent, and establishing a game’s reputation. In that case, other regions may take several years to catch up. 

This is the potential landscape being built in Valorant Mobile Esports. 

Unsurprisingly, there is a player base building outside of China thanks to VPNs, but the unofficial nature of these players and competition does restrict competitive growth. 

The longer Riot Games takes to push a global launch, the more time China has to develop these integral foundations for a thriving ecosystem. 

Valorant Mobile Esports has the potential to be the next big thing – that is, of course, as long as everyone can play it. 

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Hannah is a journalist specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports, Apex Legends, and advocating for women's esports initiatives. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ALGS LANs, ESI London, EGX, and watch parties.

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