Riot Games has officially marked the calendar for when VALORANT players can get their hands on the open beta for Premier, the new in-game competitive system for players looking for more competition outside of just ranked.
The open beta for Premier is tentatively planned to begin with the start of Episode Six, Act Three. Based on the current scheduling and timing of VALORANT Acts, this would mean a likely start window around early May, although this date is subject to change.
Premier was dubbed as the official “path-to-pro” game mode for competitive VALORANT following its original announcement back in October 2022. The mode, similar to Clash in League of Legends, lets players build teams and compete in scheduled weekly matches during an Act, and was originally released as an alpha test in Brazil only.
The in-game competitive system is part of the ambitious plans for VALORANT’s esports ecosystem and has been billed as a possible pathway for amateur players to potentially rise through the top tiers of Premier, past Challengers, and potentially reach the international VCT league and even Champions.
Each “season” of Premier will take place across an in-game Act and will end with a playoff tournament to crown the champion of you and your teammates’ skill division. Teams that succeed at the highest divisions of Premier will have a chance to compete in Challengers leagues, with VALORANT esports lead Leo Faria confirming that Premier will replace open qualifiers at some point in the future.
