VALORANT’s VCT Champions Shanghai anthem will take a heavier musical route, featuring Bring Me The Horizon singer Oli Sykes and Spiritbox vocalist Courtney LaPlante. Titled If The Sun Burns Out Tonight, the track was written and produced by Grabbitz, the artist behind several well-known Riot music releases.
It will release globally on major streaming services alongside VCT Champions Shanghai.
The collaboration gives Sykes his first appearance in Riot music, while LaPlante previously featured on Tie That Bind, the release anthem for 2XKO. Grabbitz brings the electronic side of the project, creating a lineup that connects his production with the heavier sound associated with both vocalists.
A heavier direction for the Shanghai anthem
Grabbitz has already worked on Die For You in 2021, Fire Again in 2022, and Ticking Away, the 2023 VCT Champions anthem. Those three tracks have passed 350 million streams worldwide, and If The Sun Burns Out Tonight will be his fourth VALORANT collaboration.
Recent Riot anthems have taken different paths, from G.E.M.’s Sacrifice to Linkin Park’s Heavy Is the Crown and the rap-focused Superpower. The new song’s combination of Grabbitz, Sykes, and LaPlante points toward a return to the guitar-heavy energy that many fans associate with the older VCT anthems.
Riot has also released a promotional trailer showing the collaboration’s progression from early ideas and demos to the final contributions from all three performers.
When VCT Champions Shanghai begins
VCT Champions Shanghai is scheduled to run from Thursday, September 24, through Sunday, October 18, 2026. Paper Rex and EDward Gaming have already qualified, giving the event two confirmed teams before the tournament begins.
The 2026 VALORANT Champions Shanghai Finals will feature 16 teams, making it the sixth edition of the championship event. Previous VALORANT Champions tournaments took place in Berlin, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Paris.
The anthem’s full impact will depend on how well the electronic and metal influences come together, but the artist lineup gives VALORANT’s next major tournament a distinctly heavier soundtrack.
Will the metal-focused direction work for you? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Valorant
Developed by Riot Games
Valorant is a character-based 5v5 tactical shooter set on the global stage. Outwit, outplay, and outshine your competition with tactical abilities, precise gunplay, and adaptive teamwork.
- Genre Shooter, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Perspective First person
- Modes Multiplayer
- Release June 2, 2020
- Publisher Riot Games
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Age Rating
