Updated VALORANT patch schedule will delay new content like agents or maps until a day later

VALORANT players are notoriously patient.

VALORANT Agent 25 teaser image featuring a butterfly.
Image via Riot Games

While new VALORANT patches will continue to be released on Tuesdays, the fresh content like agents, maps, and acts won’t arrive in-game until a day later, according to the latest dev update.

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Beginning with VALORANT Patch 9.00, which should line up with the release of Episode Nine, Act One in the final week of June, all new content will become available on the Wednesday after the patch day instead of on Tuesday. This includes new agents, maps, the start of acts, rank refreshes, and the act’s battle pass.

Tweet from VALORANT account explaining patch schedule changes.
A whole day?!? Screenshot from @VALORANT on Twitter/X

New skins will be delayed an additional day and will be available to purchase starting the Thursday after patch days. Balance changes to new agents, though, such as the sweeping changes to duelists in the recent Patch 8.11, will still be applied on Tuesday patch days. So if any changes to agents are planned for Patch 9.00, such as the nerf to Iso that many members of the community have been calling for, they’ll be made and applied on the day of the patch.

While Riot has not given a reason for the new content delivery schedule, it could be an attempt to reduce server overload as players try to rejoin following downtime. Visual changes such as the main menu and login artwork will still be applied the day of the patch, and bug fixes likely will as well.

VALORANT Patch 9.00 is expected to go live on Tuesday, June 25, meaning the new episode and act will officially go live the day after.

Author
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Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.