Riot Games just launched a huge Valorant update that moves the game from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5.3. This is a big behind-the-scenes change that might not blow your mind visually right now, but it’s gonna help the devs improve the game down the line. Plus, there are several bug fixes to smooth out gameplay annoyances.
Valorant’s Engine Gets a Big Upgrade
Riot updated Valorant’s engine from Unreal Engine 4.27 to Unreal Engine 5.3. This won’t drastically change how the game feels or plays immediately, but it does bring some small performance improvements. The real win here is that the developers now have a stronger foundation to build on for future updates and improvements.
Heads up, though, this patch is larger than usual because of the engine upgrade, but after installing it, Valorant’s disk size will actually be cut in half. Yep, your hard drive will thank you. Download sizes for future patches will go back to normal after this.
Riot also bumped up the minimum system requirements for Valorant, so it’s worth checking here if you’re curious whether your rig still fits the bill.
Bug Fixes Across the Board
There’s a solid list of fixes targeting gameplay and UI issues. Here are some highlights:
- General: Fixed misaligned Light and Heavy Armor UI elements in the HUD.
- Astra: Corrected audio cues when caught in an allied or self-cast Gravity Well.
- Gekko: Fixed incorrect audio cues for Dizzy ability and missing hit indicator sounds for Thrash.
- Killjoy: Iso’s Undercut no longer disables Killjoy’s Turret if hit directly without hitting Killjoy.
- Yoru: Fixed Yoru’s right hand glowing when an enemy Yoru uses Gatecrash nearby.
- Cypher: Spycam dart now shows correct visual effects in first-person view.
- Phoenix: Blaze minimap indicator no longer lingers after the ability expires.
Map-specific fixes include:
- Corrode: Fixed Alarmbot pathing issues, Raze super boost exploits, Deadlock and Jett ultimate bugs, and Sova’s Owl Drone flying too high.
- Pearl: Raze’s Showstopper now properly damages enemies on top of the A Link Box.
- Split: Sage’s Barrier Orb wall can no longer float unsupported off the A-Site rafters.
For PC players only, a bug causing agent ability names to misalign in the Agent Info panel was fixed. Honestly, you might not see a huge difference right away with the engine update, but this kinda lays the groundwork for smoother future updates. Guess Riot’s hoping it pays off! What do you think about this upgrade? Will it make Valorant better in the long run?
