Fariha Bhatti 
Stuck in the same Valorant rank for what feels like forever? Here are some proven tips to help you boost your RR (Rank Rating) and start climbing the Valorant ranked leaderboard.
Valorant has what many players refer to as an “ELO hell” that is full of Silver and Gold players. For months, players would struggle to escape this set of rankings, but the RR would refuse to cooperate. Valorant’s ranking system can be tricky to understand, especially for newer players who might assume that winning a match always results in a big RR boost. While winning is a core aspect of climbing the rank ladder, there are many other factors that influence why a single victory might not be enough to secure a rank up.
Here’s all you need to know about factors that contribute to RR gain in Valorant.
Valorant’s ranking system revolves around RR. The more of it that you earn, the faster you climb the ranks. However, many “hardstuck” players get frustrated about earning as little as 9 RR per win.
The good news is that RR gain is entirely within your control, and there are ways to maximize it after each victory. Here’s how.
How to increase MMR for and gain more RR in Valorant
Boosting your RR is a long-term process that often requires some foundational work before you start seeing noticeable results. RR gain is closely tied to your MMR (Matchmaking Rating), which the system uses to create balanced matches. The higher your MMR, the more RR you’ll earn per win—and the reverse is also true.
- Higher MMR than rank: Gain more RR on wins than you lose on losses
- MMR equal to rank: Gain and lose similar amounts of RR for wins and losses
- Lower MMR than rank: Gain less RR on wins and lose more on losses
Low MMR is often the reason for minimal RR gains despite a victory. Two players at the same rank can experience different outcomes, with one earning 25 RR for a win while the other gets only 10-15. This system is designed to maintain fair matchmaking by placing players in MMR pools that accurately reflect their skill levels.
When MMR is high, Valorant will constantly try to push players out of ranks that are lower than is appropriate for them by awarding more RR. Boosting MMR can be achieved using the oldest trick in the book: win streaks. Stringing together consecutive victories steadily increases MMR, leading to higher RR gains.
Performance variance
There’s a myth among Valorant players that newer accounts rank up more quickly due to a lack of history for the system to work with. That’s not entirely true. Players on older accounts can still gain more RR by displaying performance variance, essentially shocking the system.
This “shock” happens when a player who typically posts a 0.75 K/D pulls a 3.75 K/D. After a few similar performances, Valorant would often grant a double rank up to make a correction in rank. This is rare, but according to Riot, that’s just how variance works.
According to the developer, if you are performing as expected, your variance will shrink, which makes your MMR harder to move. This is why an average Valorant player on a win streak may experience a slower rank-up progression. However, consistently performing above expectations increases variance, allowing RR to increase with each win. This system replaces the traditional idea of basing MMR purely on the average performance across total matches played.
Win by more rounds
Simply winning a game might not be enough for players trying to break free from a lower rank—you also need to secure victories by a large margin to really boost RR gains. This factor was more pronounced before patch 6.0, but Riot has since adjusted the system to make winning and losing the primary focus. The match margin does still play a role, albeit less significantly than before, in determining how much RR is awarded after a win.
For instance, winning a match with a score of 13-11 might result in lower RR gains compared to a more decisive 13-6 victory. Similarly, the reverse applies. Losing with a closer score can reduce the amount of RR lost, as tighter games reflect better overall performance.
So one easy way to boost RR gain is to take even bad games seriously and fight for a few more rounds won by the very end. This can save you from losing extra RR points, which helps minimize the impact of close losses and keeps your MMR more stable.
Gain Encounter MMR
Encounter MMR is a fancy phrase for points gained for individual performance. In most FPS games like Counter-Strike 2, individual performance is not taken into account when calculating the overall ELO gained. But in Valorant, players—especially those in lower ranks—can see how their individual performance directly impacts their RR and rank progression.
This is part of the reason it’s mostly Silver or lesser-ranked players who complain about being stuck in at same rank. It’s because they are more likely to lose RR due to individual performance. To better understand it, an “encounter” refers to any event where you interact with an enemy in a way that benefits your team, such as getting a kill, landing a damaging assist, using utility effectively, or helping teammates secure kills of their own.
When you have a successful encounter with an enemy with a higher MMR, it will earn you a greater Encounter MMR. Conversely, if an enemy successfully engages you, you lose Encounter MMR based on the same relative MMR difference. This is then reflected by your end score. If your personal damage was low, then you may experience low RR gain despite winning the match.
To boost RR, focus on performing well, especially when set against the enemy’s top fragger. It’s not just about getting kills, either. Healing teammates, providing utility support, and contributing assists all help gain Encounter MMR, which ultimately boosts RR gain and helps you to climb the ranks in Valorant.
