Valorant 2026 update: new gun, Breeze rework, new mode
Riot Games has released a dev update for what Valorant fans can expect from Season 2026 // ACT 1.
There are a lot of new features and updates coming to the FPS, with a big update to start the new year.
This follows up from the massive lore drop from the new Valorant 2026 Kickoff cinematic, which was released recently.
Though there is no update on whether Valorant will ever get its own TV series like League of Legends did with Arcane.
New Valorant pistol – Bandit
Riot Games has added a new gun to the game in the Bandit, a brand new pistol.
The Bandit is expected to fill a niche between the Ghost and the Sheriff. It’s capable of one-shot, headshot kills on enemies with Light armour.
The gun has the following stats:
- Weapon Class: Sidearm
- Price: 600 credits
- Attachments: None
- Bullets per Magazine: 8
- Ammo Reserve: 24
- Reload Timing: 1.5s
- Equip Timing: .75s
- Wall Penetration: Medium
Breeze map rework
Additionally, after a lot of requests from the community, the Breeze map has finally been reworked.
“We’ve completely overhauled almost every section and every angle of the map,” says Game Designer Diego Varona.
The map has been updated substantially to allow for more Controller diversity, and Riot has made angles easier to isolate.
The big open spaces on the map have also been closed a little bit, so players taking a fight there don’t feel as stranded.
Due to this, Breeze has been added back to the Competitive map rotation with 50% reduced RR losses on the map for the first two weeks.
Along with this rework, Riot Games is also updating key spots on Haven and Corrode to keep wall penetration a bit more predictable.
New AR1S Valorant game mode is the game’s answer to LoL’s ARAM
League of Legends has a fan-favourite mode called ARAM (All Random All Mid), and now Valorant has its own version.
The action-packed LoL mode puts the game into a single lane map (instead of three) with each player controlling a randomly selected character.
Now, Valorant finally has its own answer to the fun game mode in AR1S – All Random, One Site.
As the name suggests, the fast-paced 5v5 mode will give players a random agent every round.
The limited-time, arcade spike mode will feature TDM-style abilities, tiered Buy phases, and contested Map Orbs.
Maps will be condensed with only one spike point. Smaller maps and more frequent ultimates will make the mode very chaotic.
The mode, with an average match time of 10 minutes, will go live on Wednesday, January 7th.
Ranked and player behaviour system updates
For Competitive, Riot is updating how hidden MMR is calculated in 2026 to theoretically better reflect players’ individual skill.
Riot says this will make Competitive matches more consistent, and players likely won’t see much change to their rank.
Meanwhile, Riot claims player behaviour will be a major focus in 2026 and believes they have been too soft on strong offenders.
Additionally, Riot is rolling out Behaviour Standings so that everyone can hold themselves accountable and see when and how their own behaviour has been affecting others.
Players will be able to see what penalties they are at risk of, what penalties they currently have, and what penalties future disruption will lead to.
Valorant esports road shows
The Valorant esports season is almost back with the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026, with its triple elimination bracket starting later this month.
Additionally, Riot has revealed that Valorant esports will feature more live events in 2026.
While VCT EMEA will continue in Berlin, there will also be a VCT EMEA ‘destination event’ in Madrid, Spain during Stage 2.
Other regional VCT Stage 2 events will be held in Chengdu (China), Busan (Korea), and São Paulo (Brazil).
Afterwards, Stage 2 will conclude with the Valorant Masters London event, which will be the first-ever VCT event to be held in the UK.
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