Valorant is transitioning to Unreal Engine 5, but don't hold your breath for an immediate graphical jump with the change. Instead, it's a “necessary” change that could lead to “new playable experiences” within the Valorant universe, according to Anna Donlon, Valorant studio director at Riot.
Speaking at Unreal Fest Seattle 2024, Donlon took the stage to talk about Valorant and the importance of Unreal Engine to the hero shooter. She mentioned that her team “mined literally every ounce of everything we could get out of UE4, so now we're moving on to UE5.” Donlon knows it's difficult with a live service game, “but it's necessary, for sure.”
From there, Donlon lowered player expectations in favor of a major visual overhaul with the move to Unreal Engine 5. But that didn't stop the studio head from teasing an expansion of the Valorant universe.
“This upgrade will not significantly change Val's appearance or performance, at least not immediately,” Donlon said. “But here's what I can say: Many developers at Riot are incredibly grateful for what Unreal has allowed us to do for players. Many developers at Riot are very excited about what UE5 can do for us in the future.
“Maybe these developers are working on something I can't talk about. Maybe these developers are thinking about ways to expand Val's universe into new playable experiences.”
Additionally, Donlon credited Unreal Engine with bringing Valorant to consoles earlier this year. It also appears to have been a success, with the hero shooter emerging as one of the most played games on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
In August, Valorant introduced Vyse, a new agent that can force you to use a worse weapon. Most of his abilities revolve around stunning enemies. For more, check out GameSpot's Valorant review.