We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Valorant will offer cosmetics but not in loot boxes

Players will need to pay or earn their skins

Valorant

Valorant has been touted as a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rainbow Six Siege, and Overwatch hybrid, but unlike these games, Riot Games’ new tactical shooter will not have loot boxes.

The shooter, which is slated for release in summer this year, will have cosmetics for players to pick up with real cash through the in game store, executive producer Anna Donlan tells Polygon. However, the same cosmetics will also be available through the game’s battle pass so that dedicated players can work hard for them instead.

We know that the skins on offer extend to weapons and sprays and can be upgraded through a series of “progression systems” but its so far unclear how those systems will work and whether they require money to use. Riot Games hasn’t confirmed how many cosmetics we’ll see on launch either.

However, unlike League of Legends, Valorant won’t be offering skins for the agents on launch. The development team is worried cosmetics could allow some agents to blend into the environment, giving some players the upper hand in certain duels. This was certainly the case when Valve added the new operator skins to CS:GO with the introduction of Operation Shattered Web.

I think [character skins] would have to be in a way that there’s absolutely nothing to impact the gameplay,” Donlan adds. “t’ll be narrow. I think there’s a way to do that. And those are things that we’re interested in exploring.”