The Valorant World Championship is coming up, and Riot Games is bringing back the betting game that’s so popular with fans—with an extra feature. Also back: the Champions weapon skin collection.
The World Championship begins on September 12 with VALORANT Champions. That’s why Patch 11.05 is all about one thing for Riot Games: generating even more hype for the event in Paris. However, there are no gameplay changes.
Prediction game with influencer factions
Just in time for the Valorant World Championship, players can once again prove their esports expertise in the Pick ‘Em prediction game. The reward for a good nose is titles and badges. You can submit your predictions in the esports tab.
There is also a new feature for Champions 2025: Every prediction game participant can now join their favorite creator’s faction and collect points for them. According to Riot Games, each group offers a unique reward – the developer has not revealed whether there will be an additional bonus for the winning faction.
Champions Collection hands out money to teams
To celebrate the highlight of the competitive Valorant calendar, Riot Games has released another Champions Collection. It will cost 6,620 VP – between $60 and $70. It includes the “Champions 2025” Vandal, the “Champions 2025” Butterfly knife, and several accessories.
The Vandal’s finisher is particularly striking: the World Cup anthem plays and a counter shows how many rounds are left to win. Other visual features of the rifle and knife include a glowing red outline for the team’s leader and a gold effect after successful kills.
As with the Champions Bundle for the 2024 World Cup, half of the proceeds will go to the participating VCT teams. Combined with the VCT Team Capsules, a total of $44.3 million was distributed among the organizations last year.
Stricter penalties for “dodging”
A change outside of the World Cup: With Patch 11.05, Riot Games has slightly adjusted the behavior system. Players who repeatedly fail to select an agent will now face higher penalties. “Dodging” is a common phenomenon used to avoid certain maps — or toxic teammates early on. This is intended to curb the practice.
Harbor is also undergoing changes. His abilities “Settlement” and “Bay” are being visually adjusted to reduce unnecessary particles. The Indian tactician is currently awaiting a major overhaul of his abilities – Riot Games has announced that it will reveal more at the Champions tournament.