When Valorant launched back in 2020, it was pitched as Counter-Strike with added superpowers, a combination that proved irresistible for shooter expert Morgan Park in PC Gamer’s Valorant review. Over the last few years, however, the emphasis has gradually shifted to the point where Valorant has turned into superpowers with added Counter-Strike.
This problem came to a head last year, with Riot promising to cut back on supplementary utility powers to reorient Valorant back around gunplay. This initiative is set to continue through 2026, with Valorant’s latest patch introducing a new gun as Riot promises more extensive weapon reworks in the future.
That new gun is called the Bandit, a semiautomatic pistol designed to fill the gap between the silenced Ghost and Valorant’s high-powered revolver, the Sheriff. The Bandit gives players a higher rate of fire than the Sheriff and superior damage compared to the Ghost, able to deal instant kills on headshots against lightly armoured players. Riot believes this should add some extra spice to those early, pistol-heavy rounds.
While the Bandit’s addition is the only major weapon change in the update, Riot says it’s indicative of the studio’s broader plans for Valorant in 2026. “Since we started putting the emphasis on gunplay in 2025, we’re going to use 2026 to take a holistic look at our arsenal and core combat loop, to make adjustments where needed,” says Riot’s product manager for Gameplay, Tiffy, in a video detailing the update.
Elsewhere, the update brings a substantial overhaul to one of Valorant’s maps, Breeze. Riot says that player feedback indicated Breeze’s open design was a little too open, so the developer has sprinkled in more cover and closed off some of its larger spaces to tighten up combat encounters. Two other maps, Haven and Corrode, have also been tweaked slightly to make wall penetration more predictable.
The update also introduces a new, temporary mode with the highly inelegant name “All Random One Site”. This appears to be designed as a fast-paced, highly reactive mode, with players spawning as random characters and battling in small, closed off areas of each map.
The last major change Riot highlights is to Match Making Rating, or MMR. While Riot doesn’t go into too much detail here, it says the changes are designed so MMR will more accurately reflect player skill, therefore helping ensure that matches have better balance for 2026.
I certainly prefer it when shooters put the shooting front and centre, rather than relying on secondary gimmicks to power the experience, so these changes sound like the right call to me. But if these tweaks are tempting you back into Valorant, make sure your motherboard BIOS is up to date first, otherwise you might find yourself unable to play due to Riot’s latest anti-cheat measures.
