Can you play Valorant on Xbox One?
Valorant was recently released for consoles but is it available on Xbox One? The popular console was released in 2013 and was loved by players at the time. However, it is also true that it is not the latest generation of technology in terms of Xbox devices. When Valorant Console was released on June 14, 2024, the makers explicitly stated the only two devices it would be available on. These were the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Thus, as of this writing, Valorant is not available on Xbox One. Read on to know more.
Can you download Valorant on Xbox One?
It is not possible to play or download Valorant on Xbox One. The game has been released in a limited beta exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. This is to ensure that it has the latest generation of technology available to deliver the most capable performance overall.
Xbox Series X and S are the 9th generation of consoles, released in 2020 around the same time as Sony's PlayStation 5. These have the latest technology and are perhaps the best options to run this game which is why players can't obtain Valorant on Xbox One.
The official website clearly states that to register for the Valorant Console beta, players must have the aforementioned devices:
"Own an Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation®5"
While cross-play between console and PC devices is not possible, Xbox and PS5 players can play with one another. This, unfortunately still leaves out players who want to play Valorant on Xbox One.
In fact, even Microsoft has mostly halted making new titles with Xbox One in mind. Devs at Xbox Game Studios have shifted their focus to the 9th generation of devices and most new games become available on Xbox Series X|S and not older consoles.
Additionally, Riot Games is unlikely to provide backward compatibility for the game so that players can eventually download and play Valorant on Xbox One. This means the only hope for players is to wait and see if the devs decide to expand on previous-generation devices.
What additional features does Valorant have on consoles?
Valorant Console has just about all the features present on the game's PC version. However, to make it more compatible for players on consoles, Riot Games introduced a Focus mode.
The Focus mode in Valorant essentially helps players hip-fire better and more smoothly. This is because playing shooters on a controller is significantly more challenging than on a mouse and keyboard setup
Moreover, the game will also have cross-progression, meaning that all the updates, new releases, and patches will be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S at the same time as PC. Finally, for the time being, only four maps are available on Valorant Console's active map pool. These are Ascent, Haven, Bind, and Abyss.