Valorant is a popular free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter game developed by Riot Games. With servers located across the globe, players may wish to change servers for lower ping, to play with friends in other regions, or for other reasons. Here is a guide on how to switch and change game servers in Valorant.
Table of Contents
Checking the Server Status
Before changing servers, it can be helpful to check the server status. Riot Games has a server status page that shows the status of servers in different regions. Players can select Valorant and then choose a region to see real-time server status information. This is useful to check for any ongoing issues or maintenance that could impact gameplay on certain servers.
Finding Server Locations
Valorant currently has servers located in these general regions:
- North America (West Coast US, Central US, East Coast US)
- Europe (UK, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey)
- Brazil
- Asia Pacific (Bahrain, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore)
See this site for a full list of exact server locations. Knowing the locations can help when deciding which servers may provide the best ping.
Checking Your Ping
Before changing servers, it’s a good idea to check your ping to different servers. High ping can cause lag and impact gameplay. Here are two options to check ping:
- In-game ping display: When queued for a game, there is a ping icon above your player banner that shows your ping to the closest server.
- Third-party ping test tools: Sites like GameServerPing allow entering a server location to test ping. This can check ping without launching the game.
Ideally, try to play on servers with less than 100ms ping for a smooth experience.
Selecting Game Servers
Here is how to select which game servers to use in Valorant:
- Open Valorant and click Play to enter the mode selection screen
- Click the ping icon above your player banner
- A list of servers will appear – check or uncheck regions to determine which servers are used for matchmaking
Up to 3 servers can be selected. Matchmaking will automatically put you on the server with the lowest ping from those selected.
Some tips when selecting servers:
- Select servers geographically close to you for the best ping
- Consider the primary languages spoken on each server region
- Have at least 2 regions selected as a backup if one region has issues
The selected servers will remain chosen unless changed via the steps above.
Using a VPN to Change Regions
Due to Valorant’s account region locking, the only way to fully switch to a different regional server is to create a new account while connected to a VPN.
Here is the process:
- Connect to a VPN server located in the desired region
- Create a new Riot account while connected to the VPN
- Download and install Valorant
- Launch Valorant and play matches on the region’s servers
The new account will be region-locked to those servers. Just be sure to always launch Valorant while connected to that VPN region to access the matched servers.
The advantage here is you can keep your original account and progress, while also playing on different regional servers with the new account. The downside is not being able to switch between regions freely on the same account.
Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues
If having connection problems to Valorant servers, here are some things to try:
- Restart computer and router
- Check internet connection and ping to other sites
- Use a wired internet connection instead of WiFi
- Forward the necessary ports on your router
- Contact your ISP regarding connection quality to gaming servers
Checking Valorant’s server status page can also determine if broader issues are occurring.
Conclusion
Switching game servers in Valorant involves first checking server status, finding server locations, testing your ping, and finally selecting your desired regions for matchmaking. A VPN can also be used to play on different regional servers by creating a separate account. Following these steps allows customizing your server selection for an optimal online gaming experience.
