Valorant 'Premier' Mode: All Your Questions Answered

Want to know all the info about Valorant's Premier mode, from how to play to rewards? Here's a guide that will answer players' most-asked questions.

Prepared by Riot Games, get started using the Valorant Premier FAQs (frequently asked questions) below, or if you have just got some lingering questions you need answers to.

GENERAL

How long is a Premier Stage?

Stages generally last as long as an Act.

Will anything transfer from Stage to Stage?

Yes! Your Team, match history, and Premier MMR will carry over to the next Stage.
Your overall Premier performance will carry over in your Premier Crest, found on the Career page at the start of the next Stage.
Premier Score, Division, Zone, and Enrollment will NOT carry over between Stages.

Where do I find Premier in the client?

Homepage navigation has Premier as an entry, second in the list under "Play."
The main top navigation has Premier as an entry.
An explanation modal will pop up when you visit the Premier Hub for the first time.

ELIGIBILITY & VERIFICATION

How do I become eligible for Premier?

You need to verify two conditions in order to be eligible to create or join a Premier team:

Verify your identity account verification via SMS verification.
Establish your MMR by completing your ranked placements at any point in your account lifetime.

If you're already eligible, you will automatically skip to the next step and just see the option to "CREATE A TEAM."

Can anyone play in the Premier?

Aside from the eligibility requirements outlined above, anyone with a VALORANT account in good standing is able to play during the Premier Beta period.

An account in good standing is one that is not currently banned. This also applies to accounts facing a Ranked queue restriction if the restriction period coincides with the enrollment or play period.

If you have received a Game Ban, Vanguard Intervention, Ranked Restriction, or Comms Restriction in the last 30 days, you will be ineligible to join a Premier Team and/or queue up for Premier matches.
If you receive a Comms Restriction, Game Ban, or Vanguard Intervention during Premier, you will be disqualified for the rest of the Premier Stage.

How do I verify my phone number?

1. From the Premier Hub, click Verify

2. Select your country code from the dropdown

3. Enter your phone number (area code first) into the second box

4. You'll receive a text message with a confirmation code - enter that into the next screen

a. You should only submit this once initially, and the confirmation message may be delayed.

5. You're verified!

What if I have issues verifying my phone number?

Most issues are solved by waiting ten minutes and then trying again.
We've seen some cases where the resolution of the client can cause compression with the text box pop-up and lead to errors. Try changing to 1920x1080 and verify again.
For any other issues, reach out to Player Support!

What happens if I un-verify my account?

If you un-verify your account, the client will warn you that you will not be able to play in Premier until you go through the verification process again.
Only one number is allowed per account, with a 6-month cooldown on used phone numbers. If you unlink a phone number from your account, you're unable to use a different number on the account for 6 months. You can relink the original number at any time with no lockout.
In case you are unverified and are on a team already, you will NOT be kicked from your team, but you will be ineligible to queue.

INVITES & TEAM MANAGEMENT

What is the difference between a party leader and a Team Owner?

The Team Owner is able to invite players, customize the team logo, promote another player to owner, delete the team entirely, and is responsible for choosing a Zone and enrolling a team at the start of a Stage. (They can also leave the team - if they do, the Team Owner will be passed to the player that's been on the team the longest.)
The party leader gets the team into the queue when ready to play in a Premier match and is responsible for locking in choices during map pick and ban in tournaments.

The Team Owner doesn't have to be present in order for a team to play in a Premier match.

Can I join more than one team?

No, only one team per account.

Can I cancel team invites/remove teammates?

Team Owners may cancel team invite requests and remove players from their team.

Are there restrictions on who I can be on a team with?

Nope! Feel free to join a team with your Bronze friend and your Diamond friend—we'll find the best Division for your team based on the MMR of the top 5 players on your team.

Note that if your team has players who are really far apart in skill, we'll adjust the division to weigh the best player's MMR more heavily.

There are restrictions once you enroll your team: You'll be limited to only inviting other players that would not cause your team to change Divisions.

If inviting a player would cause your team to change Divisions, the Team Owner will see an error message when attempting to invite: "This player is outside your team's skill range and cannot be invited."

If Enrollment hasn't ended, you can unenroll your team and are again open to invite anyone you'd like. Just make sure to re-enroll before the cutoff time!

After weekly matches begin, can I still make roster changes on my team?

Once the weekly matches begin, only changes to the roster that will not affect your team's Division will be permissible.

How many people can be on a team?

A team must have at least 5 players and can have up to 7.

Which players can play in matches?

Any of the 7 players on your roster can play in any given match.
The Team Owner does not need to be present for the team to queue up.

Can I leave a team at any time?

Yep! Unless your team is actively in the queue, you can leave the team at any time from the Premier Hub by clicking on the context (…) menu by your username and clicking Leave Team.
In order to receive a Premier Crest, you must have played two weekly matches or one playoff match with that team.

Do I forfeit participation rewards if I leave my team?

Nope! As long as you've played at least one match, you'll still be eligible for your reward.

What happens if I don't want to stay with my team when it carries over to a new Stage?

When a new Stage starts, your team roster will carry over, but you can still choose to leave at any time.

DIVISIONS

What Divisions exist?

From highest to lowest:

Contender
Elite 1-5
Advanced 1-5
Intermediate 1-5
Open 1-5

How does Division seeding work?

Invite whoever you'd like to fill your roster - we'll find the best Division for your team based on the MMR of the top 5 players on your team.

How do I know what Division my team is in?

When the enrollment phase is over, your team's division will be displayed on the Premier hub and on your Team page.

Can my team change Divisions?

Once a Stage has started, your team cannot change Divisions.

ENROLLMENT & ZONES

Do I have to enroll with each Stage?

Yes! When a new Stage starts, the Team Owner will have to enroll their team for that Stage.
This is a great time to switch your Zone if you choose or make changes to your roster that you otherwise wouldn't be able to make due to your Division seeding.

Can I unenroll my entire team?

If the team is enrolled, the Choose Zone button converts to an Unenroll button, and your team will be able to opt-out.

How do I know which Zone to choose?

During the enrollment process, the Team Owner will select a Zone.
Within the Zone, you'll be recommended the top 2 pods (for example, Central vs. Texas) based on the lowest average latency of the Team Owner.
Players that choose Zones with multiple pods should be matchmade as per our usual matchmaking heuristics (ping-based).

Can I change Zones?

You cannot edit your Zone once your team is enrolled, but you can unenroll and, re-enroll and select a new Zone. If the team wants to change Zones, you'll have to first unenroll your team and redo the team enrollment process.

Where can I see my team enrollment status?

The Premier Hub and Team Tab both show your team's enrollment status.

We created our team but forgot to enroll in Premier. Can we still play?

Yes, so long as your team was created during or before the Enrollment Period. Teams who meet that requirement will be able to participate in Premier at any point during the Stage (whether that be mid-Week 1 or even the last match of Week 7).

Can I add a new player to my team after the weekly matches have started?

Yes! So long as the player being invited would not cause the team to change Divisions.
If a player causes your team to change Divisions, the Team Owner will see an error message when attempting to invite: "This player is outside your team's skill range and cannot be invited."

TEAM HUB & PREMIER SCORE

Where can I view team standings?

From the menu, navigate to > PREMIER > STANDINGS
Sectioned by if teams made the qualification cutoff
Standings are updated when Premier matches are completed

How are ties in Standings broken?

Teams are listed on the Standings by Score first, with ties broken by match W/L, then rounds W/L.

Where can I view my team's match history?

The match history tab shows team-level match history where individual game participation still appears in player-level match history.
Team Match History contains a way to view past tournament match brackets and final tournament standings.

What is the Premier Score?

Each match you play earns points towards your Premier Score, which will determine if your team qualifies for the Playoff Tournament.

How do I accumulate points?

Teams earn 100 points for a weekly match win and 25 points for a loss.
Tournament matches do not award points.

QUEUEING UP

Where can I queue for Premier matches?

Click the "Play" button under the Premier Hub or under the general client Navigation. Both will take you to the lobby.
When the queue window is open, you'll be able to queue up when you have your party together.
We highly encourage you to queue as early in the weekly window as possible, as doing so at the last minute may result in not being able to find a match.

When can I queue for my Premier matches?

The schedule on the Premier Hub shows the queue window for your Zone. You can only queue during these windows.
You can queue up anytime within that one-hour window, and we'll try to find you a match. We highly encourage you to queue as early in the window as possible, as doing so at the last minute may result in not being able to find a match.
The complete schedule will appear in your Team Hub when Premier launches in client, but expect to typically see at least two evenings per week in your local time zone for weekly matches.

When are the queue windows?

Queue windows are unique to each Zone and are on match days or tournament days in the evening for your local time zone.
Most weekly matches are held around 7 pm local time, but this can vary per Zone anywhere between 7-9 pm local time. Check your Team Hub for exact queue windows.

What if a player in my party is displayed as ineligible to queue?

Confirm the player is verified via SMS.
Confirm all players are on the same Premier team.
Confirm player accounts are not restricted for disruptive behavior.

What if my party is unable to queue?

For any match:

Confirm the queue windows are open
Confirm the party has 5 eligible players
Confirm the roster is currently enrolled

For weekly matches:

Confirm your weekly match limit has not been reached

For the Tournament:

Confirm your roster has enough points to qualify for the tournament
Confirm the tournament limit has not been reached

WEEKLY MATCHES

How many matches can I play each week?

Premier teams can play two matches on each map per week, reset on Tuesday.

Can I play both of my weekly matches in one day?

Yes! If you queue up early in the window, finish your match, and the queue window for your Zone hasn't closed yet, you can queue up again. (Note: Queuing up near the end of a window may result in not being able to find a match.)
If you play two matches during a weekly match window on a map, you won't be able to play in the other match window(s) on that same map. (Ex. If you play two matches on Thursday on Bind, you won't be able to play on Saturday. The weekly match window resets on Tuesday.)

How do I know what map I am playing each match?

The featured map for each weekly match is listed on the schedule in the Premier Hub to give you enough time to prepare.

Will my team and I be able to practice outside of our matches?

Yes. You can get into a Practice Match on certain non-Match days during a specific one-hour practice window. These matches do not count towards your teams' weekly match limit, affect your Premier Score, or impact your division seeding, but they otherwise follow the same structure as regular Matches.

Practice Matches are in BO1 format on the same designated Map of the Week. Overtime rules will be win-by-2 (up to 3 sets of Overtime), then Sudden Death. Timeouts are available, and each team has one Timeout per side, as well as one Timeout in Overtime. Just like a regular Premier match.

MATCHMAKING

How fair is matchmaking in Premier?

You will only play against teams within your Division, which means they are within a consistent range of team MMR thresholds.
We do our best to find matches against teams within the same Division that are close in performance when teams queue.

How long can you expect for the queues?

We expect most weekly matches to be made within 8 minutes at maximum. If you end up waiting longer, please stay in the queue, as leaving and re-queuing will only increase the total time your team will wait in queue.
We expect tournament brackets to be made within 20 minutes at maximum. If you end up waiting longer, please stay in the queue, as leaving and re-queuing will only increase the total time your team will wait in queue.
During playoffs, the seeding period is 15 minutes for better matchmaking vs. just a general queue window.

I've been waiting in the queue a long time. Will my match still be fair?

You may end up playing against teams with a better performance in your respective Division when waiting in queues longer. But you will always be playing teams in your Division, so you should always have a fair chance at winning.

My team was queued, and a match was never found. What gives?

While it is highly unlikely that your team never finds a match, there may be rare instances where your team is literally the only team in the queue. However, even if you exceed the maximum expected wait time (8 minutes), please stay in the queue, as you should get matched against the next team that joins.
Also, as we said above, we highly encourage you to queue as early in the weekly window as possible, as doing so at the last minute may result in not being able to find a match.

LIVE MATCHES

Are the rules different from standard Competitive?

Overtime rules are different and are as follows:

The first team to win 12 rounds gains Overtime Priority
Team with Overtime Priority chooses Starting Side for Overtime by voting, using a simple majority of the 5 players
Teams must win by 2. Every round, teams swap sides.
If 2 sets of Overtime have been played, play one final round of Sudden Death
Sudden Death side choice is whatever the team with Overtime Priority chose during Overtime Starting Side Choice Phase

Are weekly matches Best of 1?

Yes.

Are there timeouts?

Matches have one timeout per side, as well as one Overtime Timeout.
Each team starts out with one timeout. If you've used your timeout, you will get it back when you switch sides of the map and/or when overtime starts.

TOURNAMENTS

What Premier Score qualifies for the Playoff tournament?

Teams must earn 675 points to qualify for the Playoff Tournament.

How do my Premier Score and seeding work together?

Teams with higher Premier Scores will have more favorable seedings in the Playoff Tournament.

How are ties for qualification resolved?

Qualification for Playoffs is based on your team's Premier Score, not position on the Standings. As long as you've hit the qualifying Premier Score and queue up at the right time, you'll be eligible to be placed into a bracket.

Is there more than one winning team per Division?

Yes! All teams within a Division that qualify for the Tournament are matched into a bracket of up to 8 teams. Each bracket results in one winning team.

What if my team misses the tournament queue window?

You will not be able to participate in the tournament.

How many teams are in a playoff bracket?

A Tournament bracket can have up to 8 teams in it and may start with as few as 5.

What happens if I lose?

If your team loses in a tournament, you're eliminated.

What is the map pick-and-ban system?

During map pick and bans, teams take turns banning maps. All members of the team can vote on which map to ban, and the party leader locks in the team's choice.
The process alternates between teams until a map is chosen. The team that did not choose the map then gets to choose if they'd like to attack or defend.
Map pick and ban are only available in Tournament matches.

Can you pause a match (timeout) and strategize?

We do not currently support pauses during Premier matches.

Can I substitute a player in between matches?

We do not currently support subs during tournaments.
The 5 players who queue up for the first match of the tournament will be locked in for the rest of the matches in that tournament.

How much time do I have between tournament matches?

Teams will have at least a 5-minute rest period between tournament matches.
You may end up waiting longer if your match is complete and you're waiting for your upcoming opponent's match to finish.
The current score of matches in progress will be displayed on the bracket, which can help you estimate how much time you may have before your next match starts.

Do we play all tournament matches in one day?

Yes, matches will be played consecutively until your team is eliminated or you reach the finals.

Will I know in advance what teams are in my tournament bracket?

No, tournament brackets are decided based on who queues up at the designated time.

REWARDS + CREST

When will I get my rewards?

Rewards for participating and for winning the Playoff tournament will be distributed the day after the Stage ends.
Rewards include a unique Gun Buddy and Title for winning and a Player Card for playing at least one match.
Visit your collection to equip!

Do I forfeit participation rewards if I leave my team?

Nope! As long as you've played at least one match, you'll still be eligible for your reward.

How do I earn a Crest?

Play at least two weekly matches or one tournament match with a team in order to earn a Crest.

When will I get my Crest?

Your Crest will be available at the start of the new Stage, beginning with Episode 7 Act 3.

Where do I see my Crest?

View your Stage Crest by clicking on Career > Premier.
Additionally, starting in Episode 7 Act 3, you will be able to see your Crest evolve over the entire Stage as you keep playing.

Via Riot Games