VALORANT IS BIGGER THAN EVER, BUT CAN IT BEAT CSGO ESPORTS?

VALORANT launched as a direct competitor to CSGO in 2020, and by 2022, it had made terrific leaps forward in its mission to be the next best thing. From the creative and capable minds of Riot came a tactical shooter that fused classic Counter-Strike-like combat with the multi-character madness of a hero shooter, like Overwatch. Following a banner season that ended with a record-breaking Valorant Champions Tour, many esports fans are wondering if VALORANT will ever be bigger than CSGO.

It’s a huge ask, as CSGO, which first emerged in 2012, boasts an undeniably gargantuan legacy, sitting pretty as one of the biggest esports titles in the business. It’s an overwhelmingly valuable platform that boasts a multi-billion-dollar skins market, massive sponsorship deals, and some of the highest player salaries in esports. It’s also a seriously popular title on social media and gaming platforms, even a decade after it was first released.

So, following a remarkable year for VALORANT, we’re here to look at the numbers and gauge whether it’ll ever be more popular than CSGO.

Since 2020, when VALORANT was released in full, it has been regarded as a true and tangible competitor to CSGO. On the surface, it’s remarkably similar to CSGO, boasting a familiar UI, a near-identical economy mechanic, in-game sprays, skins, and even most movement and combat mechanics. It differs by being more attractive than CSGO – there are brighter colours, more fantastical maps, a deeper backstory, and, most importantly, a diverse and exciting array of ‘hero’ characters.

This is the beating heart of VALORANT – the agents that hail from all corners of the globe, each of them boasting unique abilities and an individual aesthetic. From the technology-focused robot, KAY/O to the inter-dimensional samurai, Yoru, there’s something for every type of player in VALORANT. Each character has abilities that can alter the face of the battlefield, but in some cases, even these abilities are similar to CSGO’s mechanics.

For instance, there are characters that can ‘smoke’ – even if that smoke is extremely far removed from the typical grenades found in CSGO. There are also characters that can flash opponents, but the important thing to remember is that not every character can do this. That’s a stark difference from CSGO, wherein any player can simply purchase smoke, flash, or frag grenades.

In VALORANT, the chief game mode also rings true to CSGO’s default mode, with teams of five working to either plant or defuse a device, or to be the first to wipe the opposing team. There’s a reason many competitors abandoned (even temporarily) CSGO and moved over to the VALORANT platform. It’s extremely familiar, but at the same time, it offers a bright, exciting, and much more diverse playing field.