Valorant Unrated game mode is a competitive 5 vs. 5 shooter game where tactical plays and coordination with your team are the keys to success. If you’ve ever played CS:GO, you’ll be familiar with the style of gameplay in Valorant, but there are a few notable differences that make the game unique and stand out in its own right.
In this article, we’re going to be specifically going over this popular game mode known as Unrated, so if you’re new to the game and are keen to find out every last detail about the most popular game mode around, then you’ve come to the right place.
Now without further ado, let’s jump into things, starting with the structure of the Valorant Unrated game mode.
Attackers vs. defenders
Every player is assigned to one of two 5-person teams in Unrated – the attacking team, or the defending team. Attackers have to plant something called the spike at a bombsite on the map, whereas defenders have to fight them back and defuse the spike if it gets planted.
There are a lot of strategies relating to how you approach sites and maneuver around the map successfully in Valorant Unrated matches, so if you want to win, you’re going to want to make use of all your agent abilities and communicate effectively with your teammates.
Round structure
In the Valorant Unrated game mode, each team typically gets up to 12 rounds on each side. This means if you start out on the attack, you’ll be defending from round 13 onwards and vice versa. The first team to win 13 rounds is crowned victorious, so you could potentially be playing anywhere from 13 to 25 rounds, depending on how close the game is.
Now, one quick thing to point out is that if both teams win 12 rounds each, round 25 takes the form of sudden death where the winner takes all. Overtime does not occur in Unrated.
Managing your economy
In Valorant Unrated matches, all players earn credits over time which can be used to buy weapons and abilities. 3000 credits are awarded for a round win, and 1900 are awarded for a round loss, with more being awarded for things like planting the spike and for round loss streaks.
Your economy is hugely important in Valorant, so carefully managing it and knowing when to buy certain things and when to save up is vital.
Round win conditions
Let’s now quickly go over some round win conditions.
To win a round as the defending team, you need to either kill the entire attacking team or defuse the spike after it has been planted. If the spike has been planted and you manage to kill the entire enemy team, you’ll still need to defuse the spike to win, so always bear this in mind.
On the other hand, if you’re playing as the attacking team, you need to either kill the entire defending team or successfully plant and defend the spike until it detonates.
Surrendering and remaking
If things aren’t going well in an Unrated game, teams have the option to surrender after the 4th round has concluded. Surrender votes can only be initiated once per half, and 4 out of 5 people have to vote yes for it to pass. No one likes surrendering, but if your opponents are really good and you’re feeling outmatched, it can be a better alternative to having to play through all 13 rounds where you get absolutely stomped.
Additionally, Valorant Unrated matches give you the option to remake if a player on your team disconnects at some point during the first round. Remaking lets you essentially start over in a different lobby, so you don’t have to sit through a game where you’re at a disadvantage right from the start by having one less player.
Unrated Elo system
There are no ranks in the Valorant Unrated game mode, but there is a hidden Elo system that’s used to match you with players of roughly the same skill level. The better you do in Unrated games, the higher the overall skill level of the lobbies you’re put into, but that’s about it.
Unrated is all about having fun and messing around without the stress of Ranked, so try not to worry about your hidden Elo rating. No one can see it, and it’s just there to match you with players of similar skill levels so your games aren’t too easy or hard.
Earning experience points
Most of the game modes in Valorant give you experience points, and Unrated is no different. For every round you play, you earn 100xp, and you get an extra 200xp on top of that for each round you win. Pretty neat, right? Experience points go towards both the battlepass (which changes each act) and towards unlocking agents and their respective cosmetic items.
Valorant’s Unrated game mode FAQs
Now, to close out our overview of the Valorant Unrated game mode, let’s go over some frequently asked questions that we haven’t covered yet.
How long do Valorant Unrated matches last?
Unrated matches tend to last between 30 minutes and an hour, depending on how many rounds you play and how long they last. They can be even shorter, too, if a team wins 13 rounds in a row or if a surrender vote passes early on.
What happens if someone leaves an unrated game?
If someone leaves an Unrated match early, they get penalized for it and typically receive some kind of temporary matchmaking ban as a punishment. Anyone on their team that’s still in the game will also receive extra money, and ult orb spawns at the start of rounds to try and balance the game out a bit.
Are the maps in Unrated matches random?
Yes, every map has an equal chance of appearing when you queue for a game of Unrated. If you don’t want to play on a particular map, you can always queue dodge, but you should be careful doing this as you can receive temporary matchmaking bans for repeated offenses.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it, that’s the end of our overview of the Valorant Unrated game mode. Hopefully, you’ve learned something new and now feel confident enough to jump in and try out the game mode for yourself. Thanks for reading!