Valorant developer Riot Games has revealed new details surrounding the format for the 2023 Valorant Champions Tour season. And to celebrate the inauguration of the competitive FPS game’s partnered leagues, the developer is sending all of its teams to Brazil for the biggest tournament it has hosted to date – the Valorant Champions 2023 Kickoff Tournament.
From early February, teams will duke it out over three weeks, with the victorious team asserting its dominance over the rest of the world, and picking up an extra Champions spot for its region in the process.
Once teams have returned to their home regions, the first competitive split of the year will begin in March, with matches taking place, on LAN, weekly in each of the three host cities: Los Angeles (Americas League), Berlin (EMEA League), and Seoul (Pacific League). It should be noted that, although there’s only one competitive league split in 2023, it will return to a two-split format from 2024 onwards.
After eight weeks of pro play, the top teams will then take part in May’s Masters event. The team from each territory which performs best will earn direct qualification to August’s Champions event, while the best teams who didn’t automatically qualify will have to go through the Last Chance Qualifiers in July.
Meanwhile, the Challengers circuit – which concludes with the VCT Ascension Tournament in July – will kick off the first of its two splits in January. As a reminder, the top team from each region’s Tier 2 circuit will move up into its respective international league for the next two years.
If you’re looking to emulate some of the pros you’ll be seeing in VCT next season, then check out our best Valorant crosshair guide to find out their settings.