Want to be an esports athlete? Here's how to become a VALORANT pro player through the game's Premier competitive mode

Riot Games, the developer of popular first-person shooter VALORANT, have promised that Premier, the game’s newest competitive mode, will be a gateway for players who seek a higher mode of competition.

More importantly, it will provide players the chance to eventually become pros in a grassroots type of competition that can be used for scouting new talent.

And just recently, Riot announced that Premier will begin to qualify players for the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) starting Episode 8 in January.

If you and your squad are looking to be among those players, here are the steps and requirements you need to qualify.

How do I qualify for Challengers?

To snag a spot in Challengers, your first checkpoint is hitting the Contender Division, the cream of the crop in Premier. Here’s what you need to get there:

To be a Contender in Premier, your current rank must recently be ranked Immortal 3 or above with up-to-date matches for you to get considered.

This also means that if you’re in the said rank but haven’t played ranked in a while, you’d have to get working so you can play in Premier.

Then, you’d need a stellar team to get you through. Of course, it’d be best to find the highest-ranked players (with recently updated matches), but it’s also important to consider teammates who can synergise well with you. Like any professional team, this synergy can be acquired through tons of communication and practice.

Other Requirements needed:

• Players must be at least 16 years old to be eligible for the promotion tournament in May.

• Pro players active in either Challenger or International Leagues are not qualified to compete in Premier. Those who violate this will face penalties.

• No account sharing or smurfing means that one player should only hold one account. According to Riot, the VALORANT team will be “monitoring for ringers, substitutes, and cross-region play.” Violators will also face serious repercussions.

And although there aren’t any further details on the penalties indicated, we’d say it’d be best to stay on Riot’s good side. It wouldn't be too far fetched to think that maybe account suspension would be on the table for these types of violations.

What other steps do I need to take?

1. Ensure you have a recent competitive ranking of Immortal 3 or higher by 10 January 2024 (Episode 8 Act 1).

2. Assemble a team of players that meets all the requirements above and register your roster in the Premier League from 8-17 January 2024.

3. Sign up for your respective Challengers Open Qualifier with your Contender Division Roster—and make sure that you’re signing up in the correct Region. Watch out for more details via the regional channels.

4. Compete in Challenger Open Qualifiers throughout January for promotion into Challengers.

If your team doesn't make it into the Challengers during Open Qualifiers, don't worry; you'll still get to participate at the highest level possible inside VALORANT: Premier Contender.

Between the months of January and April, there will be two stages of competition, with the winners of the Premier Contender Play-Offs from the second round advancing to the Challengers Promotion and Relegation event.

So, if you think you’ve got what it takes, gather your squad and start ranking and practising before then. Without any current pros allowed on Premier, this might be your chance to show just how good you are.

For the full FAQ on Premier, you can visit this page.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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