VALORANT may be a relatively new game in the esports space, but Riot’s colourful FPS has already taken off.
The VALORANT Champions Tour 2022 had incredible viewership numbers, including a peak viewership of over 1.5 million fans watching the Finals match between OpTic and LOUD. With a $1 million prize pool, all the top VALORANT teams buying a slot in the franchise, and excellent organisation from Riot Games, it’s easy to see why VALORANT is one of the most hyped esports going into 2023.
Read up on our comparisons of VALORANT and CS:GO, in terms of balancing and what game is harder to master
In 2023, Riot is going to continue the successful format from previous years. The teams, however, will be a bit different. Here is everything you need to know about VALORANT in 2023 if you’re looking for teams to sponsor or to understand the space better.
Teams in VALORANT Champions Tour 2023
VALORANT Champions Tour 2023 is a franchised year-long tournament series that features 30 partnered teams. There are 10 teams from each participating region.
During the months leading up to the VCT 2023, the participating teams underwent some wild changes. G2 Esports was rejected despite the team’s popularity and success due to some ongoing drama with the former CEO. And even though OpTic was in the Finals, getting massive viewership, the organisation was also excluded. TSM is another big name that was excluded, likely due to underperformance issues.
Here are the teams competing next year:
Americas:
- 100 Thieves
- Cloud9
- Evil Geniuses
- FURIA
- KRU Esports
- Leviathan
- LOUD
- MiBR
- NRG
- Sentinels
EMEA
- BBL Esports
- Fnatic
- Fut Esports
- Giants
- Karmine Corp.
- Koi
- Na’Vi
- Team Heretics
- Team Liquid
- Team Vitality
Pacific
- Detonation gaming
- DRX
- Gen.G
- Global Esports
- Paper Rex
- Rex Regum Queon
- T1
- Talon Esports
- Team Secret
- Zeta Division
VCT 2023 Schedule
The VALORANT Champions Tour is going into its third year and Riot Games looks to be following the exact same format as 2022. Here is how to follow all the action.
Kickoff Tournament
The VCT 2023 season will kick off in February with “the largest international tournament in VCT history.” The 30 partnered teams will head to Sao Paulo, Brazil to prove themselves at the start of the season.
The exact date right now is February 13 through March 4.
Regional VALORANT Leagues
The Kickoff will be followed by three regional leagues for the partnered teams. The first international split will begin in March, with teams from all three regions competing in LAN tournaments in Berlin, Seoul, and Los Angeles.
The best teams from the split will then compete in the second international event of the season, VCT Masters. This is where they will fight to secure a slot at VALORANT Champions 2023. Next year, VCT Masters will be in Tokyo, Japan.
VALORANT Last Chance Qualifiers
The LCQs will start in July. The teams that didn’t previously qualify for Champions will compete for the remaining spots. The winning teams from each LCQ will head to Champions 2023.
VALORANT Challengers Circuit
While most of the action consists of the partnered teams, smaller squads will be given a chance to participate in the VCT 2024 season during the Challengers Circuit. This will be running alongside the VCT 2023, with the first split starting in January, the second in March, and then the Ascension tournament in July.
VALORANT Game Changers
This all-female league features all of the top female competitors. It’s a chance for talented female pro players to compete without feeling harassed or mistreated at mixed events. Studies have proven that male gamers will often play aggressively and unpredictably against female opponents out of anger, leading to an unfair and threatening environment.
Read more about women in esports here
After a successful 2022 season, VALORANT Game Changers will continue to see growth and changes in 2023.
“Heading into 2023, we will continue to grow that sense of community that has come to define Game Changers EMEA along with taking the format to the next level. We want to honor the development of high skill gameplay that we’ve seen in the tournament circuit this past year, whilst continuing to foster the inclusive environment that remains the core of the Game Changers initiative,” an official post from Riot read.
VCT Champions 2023
The final stage of the year is the Champions tournament. The best of the three leagues will come together to compete for the title of world champion.
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