Valorant is not a hardware-intensive game, and most players should be able to run it. However, it’s still a good idea to check the minimum system requirements to ensure smooth performance before play.
Valorant is a 5v5 shooter that’s not exactly known for its visual appeal. While the maps are visually pleasing and generally easy to navigate, they lack the high-end graphical fidelity seen in AAA titles or resource-heavy shooters like Black Ops 6. Even Counter-Strike 2 has proven to have more visual fidelity than Valorant.
This has earned Valorant a reputation as a game that can run on almost any gaming PC. However, this claim might feel overly broad to players who are new to PC-building or gaming. Those who want to try Riot Games’ shooter should review Valorant’s minimum system requirements and download size to prepare their computers for smooth gameplay.
Valorant minimum system requirements
Riot has shared the minimum system requirements to run Valorant at 30 FPS. While this may not be ideal for those aiming for the Radiant badge, it still gets the job done. According to the developer, even a Core 2 Duo without a dedicated GPU should be enough to load you into a server—and maybe even land a nice shot or two.
But for optimal performance, Riot recommends using an Intel i5-9400F or Ryzen 5 2600X. Both processors are considered entry-level for other shooter games, but in Valorant, they are sufficient to be considered high-end. Players running either of these with a decent GPU should achieve 150+ FPS, even at higher visual settings. With proper optimization, the game can reach 200 FPS, making it ideal for competitive play.
Here are the Valorant system requirements, ranging from minimum to recommended and high-end:
Minimum | Recommended | High-end | |
CPU | Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (Intel), Athlon 200GE (AMD) | Intel i3-4150 (Intel), Ryzen 3 1200 (AMD) | Intel i5-9400F 2.90GHz (Intel), Ryzen 5 2600X (AMD) |
GPU | Intel HD 4000, Radeon R5 200 | Geforce GT 730, Radeon R7 240 | GTX 1050 Ti, Radeon R7 370 |
In Windows 11, Riot Games requires both TPM 2.0 and UEFI Secure Boot to run Valorant. The Vanguard anti-cheat system leverages these features to provide additional protection against cheating and unauthorized modifications being made to the game. TPM 2.0 helps secure sensitive data and ensure the integrity of the system, while UEFI Secure Boot ensures only trusted software is loaded during startup, preventing tampering at the system level.
What is the Valorant game download size?
As of now, the game download size for Valorant is 48 GB, though after a full installation the total storage requirement may reach up to 55 GB.
It’s recommended that Valorant be downloaded into a folder with plenty of free space to accommodate future updates. Large patches can range from 5 to 10 GB in size, so having extra room is essential in order to allow the game to update smoothly and regularly. Those updates are required in order to continue playing the game.
Allocating ample storage up front will avoid the hassle of having to potentially reinstall the game into a new folder later just to fit these updates inside.