Valorant players explain why console beta is even better than they expected

John Esposito
Valorant console artwork

Valorant’s console beta is going well, with players heaping tons of praise on how well the game has translated over from PC.

After many teases and a few job postings, Valorant’s console port was revealed during Summer Game Fest. Riot announced that PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players would be able to get in on the fun via a limited beta kicking off on June 14.

One of the more interesting aspects of this port was how well would Riot Games be able to port over Valorant’s tactical FPS nature to consoles. According to those who got into the beta, it’s going very well.

Numerous threads in the Valorant subreddit have shared high praise for what Riot’s done with the beta. “Riot did a wonderful job with the console version, and Valorant plays great,” one player gushed after sharing they don’t have a PC to play Valorant.

Yoru Valorant on Ascent

Another player reflected: “They did an amazing job with this port. Everyone said for years it wouldn’t work, they nailed the feel of the game.”

After dubbing console Valorant “phenomenal,” one post shared how much better Valorant’s console adaptation felt compared to Overwatch.

“As much as I love Overwatch I always felt like it didn’t feel quite right on controller even after 500 hours in the game. Valorant is different. I was skeptical, but it feels so natural on controller.”

There’s more where that came from, as many more threads shared nothing but praise, as players shared their aces, gameplay, and positive feedback.

It helps Riot have pretty much created an equal playing field since players using third-party adapters for keyboard and mouse are instantly banned. There’s also no crossplay between console and PC.

This hard stance on separating controller players from those on keyboard & mouse is something that the community has praised Riot for, and it puts them ahead of games like Apex Legends that have been embroiled in a controller vs keyboard & mouse debate for years.

Riot Games plans to add more content to the beta, with June 25 adding Sunset, followed by Lotus and Icebox in July. Hopefully one of those additions is a Platinum trophy for all the achievement hunters.