Valorant Developers Announce Upcoming Switch to Unreal Engine 5

Riot Games has officially announced the anticipated transition of Valorant to Unreal Engine 5, and fans won’t have to wait long for this significant upgrade.

In celebration of Valorant’s fifth anniversary this upcoming summer, Riot Games is implementing a series of key changes to elevate the gaming experience. Among these changes, the introduction of the new map, Corrode, marks the first addition since Abyss, while popular characters like Waylay, Reyna, and Neon are facing considerable nerfs. Furthermore, the developers are intensifying their efforts to address smurfing issues within the game.

A major highlight of this summer’s updates includes a shift to a new game engine. At the end of May, the Valorant development team disclosed plans to transition to Unreal Engine 5, with the change set for “the end of July.”

Valorant 11.02 Update Scheduled for Release

Initially, the vague timeline of “the end of July”left fans eagerly awaiting additional details. Recently, Riot confirmed the exact timing for this upgrade.

“Today would typically be when we release a new patch, but in preparation for the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 upgrade, we’re forgoing Patch 11.01 and bundling all scheduled changes into the 11.02 update, arriving on July 29, ” stated Riot’s Kenny ‘Karnifexlol’ Cameron.

Riot Games plans to skip over patch 11.01 and look to prepare for the Unreal Engine 5 transition with patch 11.02 on July 29 // #VALORANT pic.twitter.com/b1qgo8uz3C

— Valorant News (@ValorINTEL) July 14, 2025

Additionally, Riot announced that players who log in during the 11.02 patch window will be rewarded with a special gun buddy, enhancing the excitement around the update.

Looking ahead, significant changes are planned for the remainder of the year. The highly anticipated replay system is scheduled to launch in September with the 11.06 patch, while major adjustments to Agent abilities will be assessed after the Valorant Champions event wraps up in October.

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