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Riot Games are best known for their MOBA giant, League of Legends. In 2020 they made their first foray into the tactical shooter genre by releasing Valorant. The game is a blend of a hero-driven FPS with some MOBA elements that slowly but surely won the attention of casual and competitive players alike. It drew clear inspiration from several games that will appear later on our list. So if you’re looking for several fun alternatives to Valorant, check out the titles below.
Similar games to Valorant are:
- Overwatch 2
- Counter-Strike 2
- The Finals
- Apex Legends
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Team Fortress 2
- Paladins
Overwatch 2
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Release Date:
October 4, 2022
- – 04 October 2022 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch)
- Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s): Action, Shooter
Would you recommend this game?
Overwatch took the world by storm when it was released in 2016. It quickly became the biggest shooter on the market, but several years later, it started to lose its audience. With Valorant around the corner taking players away, Blizzard Entertainment fast-tracked the release of Overwatch 2. It’s clear that Valorant took many cues from Overwatch – from the art style to many in-game abilities, and even character designs (just compare Omen and Reaper, and you’ll see what we mean). Overwatch 2 has scaled back to 5v5 format, just like the one in Valorant. Its gameplay focuses more on role-related teamplay and ability use than Valorant, but sharpshooters can still make an impact. The game has a free-to-play format through the Battle.net App and Steam.
Counter Strike 2
- Release Date: September 27, 2023
- Platform(s): Linux, PC
- Genre(s): First-Person Shooter, Shooter
Would you recommend this game?
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (or CS:GO) was considered the golden standard among competitive tactical shooters for a long time. Valorant’s gunplay was directly inspired by the venerated FPS’ influence. In 2023, Valve reinvented the game by releasing Counter-Strike 2 as a direct evolution of CS:GO. Just like Valorant, CS2 is played over various maps with teams of five. However, the main format is always the same – terrorists try to plant the bomb, while counter-terrorists try to prevent them. There are no abilities in CS2, instead, players can buy a range of weapons and devices, like Molotovs, flashbangs, and grenades. You can play CS2 for free through Steam.
The Finals
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Release Date:
December 7, 2023
- – 07 December 2023 (PC, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5)
- Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s): Action, First-Person Shooter, Shooter
Would you recommend this game?
The Finals is among the most recent FPS game offerings on the market. Created by Battlefield veterans, The Finals is an explosive fast-paced brawl from start to finish. The game is set on the premise of a televised arena battle. There are only three classes to choose from, each with a variety of abilities that you can prepare in your loadout. One of the main draws to play The Finals are its fully destructible environments, with players able to carve out the battlefield to suit their needs. And just like Valorant, The Finals is free to play across several popular platforms.
Apex Legends has stood the test of time, still garnering attention even five years after its release. The game blends the battle royale genre with hero-driven gameplay, not unlike Valorant’s. All heroes in Apex come with a set of abilities that will be familiar to Valorant players while having squad-based gameplay that promotes team effort. Unlike many battle royale games, the maps in Apex Legends are fairly small which leads to quicker and more explosive matches. With many heroes to choose from, it won’t be difficult to find one that suits your favourite style. And like many other titles on our list, Apex is free to play, so it’s easy to give it a try.
Rainbow Six Siege
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Release Date:
01 December 2015
- – 01 December 2015 (Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4)
- Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre(s): Action, First Person, Shooter
Would you recommend this game?
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, released in 2015, is a tactical shooter that takes that tactical aspect to a different level. Just like Valorant, teams are set up in 5v5 squads, however, there are no abilities for R6S’ Operators. Instead, similarly to CS:GO, players can bring different devices and gadgets to each match. The main goals will be familiar to Valorant players, which usually demand that your team controls one or more objectives around the map. Rainbow Six Siege also boasts destructible environments, meaning that there’s a larger emphasis on tactics than straightforward gunplay. Unlike Valorant, R6S isn’t free to play and usually costs around $20 through Ubisoft’s store.
Team Fortress 2
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Release Date:
October 10, 2007
- – 01 January 2007 (PC)
- Platform(s): Linux, macOS, PC
- Genre(s): Action, First Person, Shooter, Tactical
Would you recommend this game?
Valve’s Team Fortress 2, or TF2, can rightly be called the granddad of modern hero shooters. With well over a decade on the gaming scene, it still garners a large following and a dedicated community of players. It provided the basic parts for what would later evolve into Valorant, among other similar games. In TF2, players can pick between several different characters, each with their own specializations. For example, take a look at Chamber in Valorant and Spy in TF2 and you’ll see some very striking similarities. The gameplay is whacky and very retro, but it’s great to look back and see where it all began. For anyone looking to take a trip down memory lane, Team Fortress 2 is free to play on Steam.
Paladins from Hi-Rez Studios could be considered an underdog among hero FPS games. It bears many similarities to Valorant and Overwatch, filling the same niche. In Paladins, teams of five heroes per team fight over different objectives across a variety of game modes. It’s a highly competitive game, just like Valorant, with a large emphasis on hero roles and abilities. Paladins takes hero customization to a higher level than Valorant, letting players set up their builds in more ways than just mere weapon skins. It also provides selectable items to further customize your gameplay. Lastly, Paladins is also free to play, making it easy to try out and see if you like it.
