Is VALORANT on Game Pass or PS Plus?

Updated October 31, 2026: Riot’s own console announcement says no subscription is required to play VALORANT on console. We have rewritten this page around that, and kept Microsoft’s conflicting store note on display.

Yes on Xbox, and the subscription does real work there. On PlayStation the subscription is optional, and what it adds is a free bundle of VALORANT Points. Riot is explicit that neither store holds the game behind a paywall: in its console announcement the publisher writes that PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass “provide benefits to subscribers but are not required to play VALORANT.”

Quick answer

• Xbox: included with Game Pass. The Xbox Store lists VALORANT under Game Pass Essential, Premium and Ultimate, and shows it as free to download with a subscription.
• What Game Pass adds on Xbox: every current agent unlocked, day-one access to each new agent as it lands, and a 20% Match XP boost on Battle Pass, Event Pass and active Agent Contract progress.
• You do not have to pay to play. Riot says no subscription is required to play VALORANT on console, and the PlayStation Store agrees that PlayStation Plus is not needed to play online.
• What PS Plus adds: a “VALORANT X PS+ Bundle” add-on listed at $0.00 and marked PlayStation Plus Exclusive, with the store pointing subscribers at the Essential tier.

What Game Pass gives you on Xbox

The Xbox Store shows VALORANT as free to download with a subscription, carrying the store’s “Free+” label, and lists it under three passes: Essential, Premium and Ultimate. The VALORANT PC listing spells out the member perks in plain text. With Game Pass, members unlock all current agents, get day-one access to every new agent as it is released, and receive a 20% Match XP boost applied to Battle Pass, Event Pass and active Agent Contract progress.

Riot’s console guide agrees, and puts the boundary in one sentence: “If you have an Xbox Game Pass, you’ll have all the same VALORANT benefits on Xbox, but not on PlayStation.”

Two official pages that do not quite agree

One line on Microsoft’s own store is worth reading before you buy anything. The VALORANT PC listing on the Xbox Store carries the note: “Online multiplayer on console requires Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium, or Ultimate (subscriptions sold separately).” Riot’s announcement, written for the console launch in Australia and New Zealand, says the opposite, that no subscription is required to play VALORANT on console and that the passes only hand subscribers benefits.

Riot is the publisher and wrote that second line about console specifically, so it is the clearer answer to whether you must pay to play. The store note is the condition Microsoft attaches to its own listing. Either way, the plan that includes VALORANT on Xbox is a Game Pass one, and the agent bundle is the reason to want it.

What PS Plus actually gives you

On PlayStation, VALORANT is free and PS Plus is not part of the deal. The store’s FAQ says outright that PlayStation Plus is not required to play online, and the game sits in your library at no cost. VALORANT Points are the in-game currency Riot sells for skins, agents and seasonal battle passes, and agents on PlayStation unlock the slow way, through gameplay progression, or by spending those points.

The subscription perk is the points bundle. The PlayStation Store lists a “VALORANT X PS+ Bundle” add-on at $0.00, tagged PlayStation Plus Exclusive, with the purchase upsell pointed at the Essential tier. It is free content for subscribers rather than access to the game. The same tier ladder matters for one other reason: the store notes that PS5 and PS Portal cloud streaming is supported only with a Premium subscription.

VALORANT Points cost the same on both stores

Only the label differs. PlayStation calls the $19.99 pack “2050 VALORANT Points (150 Bonus + 1900)” while Xbox calls the same pack “1900 (+150 Bonus Points)”. Both hand you 2,050 points.

FAQ

Is VALORANT on Game Pass?

Yes on Xbox. The Xbox Store lists the game as included with Game Pass Essential, Premium and Ultimate, and as free to download with a subscription.

Do I need Game Pass to play VALORANT on Xbox?

Riot says no. In its console announcement the publisher writes that you do not need a subscription to play VALORANT, and that Game Pass gives subscribers benefits. Microsoft’s VALORANT PC listing on the Xbox Store does carry a different line about online multiplayer on console requiring a pass, so the two official pages are not identical on this point.

Which Game Pass tier covers VALORANT?

All three. The store lists the game under Essential, Premium and Ultimate, and the member benefits are written for “Game Pass” members without a tier split.

Do I need PlayStation Plus to play VALORANT on PS5?

No. The PlayStation Store FAQ says PlayStation Plus is not required to play VALORANT online, and the game is free to add to your library.

What is the VALORANT X PS+ Bundle?

A PlayStation Store add-on listed at $0.00 and marked PlayStation Plus Exclusive, with the store pointing subscribers at the Essential tier. It is the PlayStation half of the subscription offer.

Can I play VALORANT on PS4?

No. The PlayStation Store lists VALORANT for PS5 and says in its FAQ that it is not available on PS4.

Does my progress move between PC and console?

Your Riot Account content does, your rank does not. Riot keeps console and PC on separate ladders, which is the other half of the console story. Our crossplay guide has the full breakdown.

Which one should you buy?

• You play on Xbox and want every agent right now. Any of the three Game Pass tiers includes VALORANT, and the agent unlock is the part you are paying for.
• You play on PS5 and do not want a subscription. Skip it. The game is free and online play needs no PS Plus, so the only thing you lose is the free points bundle.
• You play on both PC and console. The subscription unlocks the same agents on both, but your rank stays separate, because Riot runs two ladders.

What the two setups come down to

We compared both store listings and Riot’s console announcement on October 31, 2026, and the two setups are not the same kind of deal. On Xbox, the pass is where the content comes from: the store lists the game under all three tiers and the member bundle unlocks every current agent plus day-one access to new ones. On PlayStation the game is free, the subscription is optional, and the only thing behind it is a points bundle. For example, the agent list is the part that changes: Riot’s console guide says Game Pass members get the same VALORANT benefits on Xbox, but not on PlayStation, so the same person on a PS5 has to unlock agents by playing or paying for points. That difference is also why the two stores price VALORANT Points identically: the price of the currency does not change, only what comes with it does.

Our VALORANT game page lists the platforms and every story we have run, the Release Calendar keeps the dates straight, and Riot’s newest agent, Hush, arrives in the current season, which our Hush reveal story covers. On the competitive side, LOUD beat Team Vitality to win VALORANT Champions in Shanghai and G2 reached the top four.

Correction (October 31, 2026): We originally wrote that Xbox console multiplayer needs a Game Pass subscription. Riot says no subscription is required to play VALORANT on console.

Edited by Kerwin Stewart, Editor-in-Chief · How we report