When VALORANT launched all the way back in 2020, India quickly became one of South Asia’s most promising esports markets as we came to see a massive transition from CS:GO to VALORANT. The game attracted competitive players from other esports titles, major organisations investing in teams, and a rapidly growing creator community. However, as we enter 2026, the ecosystem has slowed at an alarming rate. While saying VALORANT esports is “dying” would be an overstatement, it is hard to ignore the clear signs of declining momentum compared to 5 years ago.
The reasons are hard to pinpoint accurately, but they range from falling domestic viewership and limited international success to fewer opportunities for upcoming players and reduced investment from teams, orgs, and sponsors.
Declining Viewership and Community Interest
One of the bigger concerns around the VALORANT esports scene in India is declining audience engagement over the course of recent years. The early years of VALORANT saw domestic tournaments generate significant excitement, with teams like Global Esports, Velocity Gaming, and Orangutan building strong fan bases whose audience flocked to streams during tournaments; however, a decline in numbers compared to previous years is readily apparent.
According to Esports Charts, several VALORANT regional events are suffering from lower viewership compared to previous years, especially in the SEA region. They reported that the 2025 Pacific Kickoff had significantly lower average viewership when compared to the same period in 2024, with the event attracting 100,000 fewer average viewers in its first three days.
Considering Valorant is the biggest PC Esport in India at the moment, its numbers look shocking next to mobile esports. KRAFTON reported that BGMI esports pulled in over 930 million views in 2025, which goes to show that it is getting significant interest from its player base, unlike Valorant, despite taking into account the scale of the BGMI player base.
Lack of Tier-1 International Events in India
Top events help significantly in getting interest from the community, which in turn helps its player base grow, as we have seen with the likes of Japan, South Korea, and Thailand benefiting from hosting VCT Masters events, gaining new fans, sponsors, and global attention, while also planting a seed for coming generations to consider a future in this game.
India, despite boasting a large audience and one of the biggest player bases for Riot’s flagship FPS title, has not hosted a VALORANT Champions Tour Masters or Champions event. Events have been limited to the Challengers level. While this is fine, it lacks the massive visibility and hype that Masters or Champions events usually bring to the table. Not only does it spread awareness, but it also shows the game’s commitment to a region.
Indian Teams Struggling Internationally
Much like football, VALORANT has a massive player base in India. However, it has failed to build a strong global presence, with top sides struggling at big events with highly inconsistent results. Teams such as Global Esports and Velocity Gaming have represented India at the highest levels, but they lack those breakthrough performances that would earn them the title of a powerhouse.
The little success that has come the way of Indian teams can be attributed to a mixed line-up of international players along with Indians. We are yet to see a complete domestic roster do damage on the big stage and put India on the map. Solid performances not only attract interest but also help bring sponsors who help build the foundation of an esport.
Organizations Reducing Investment
VALORANT’s early success in India saw organisations flock to bank on the opportunity of bagging a top Indian team, but over time we have seen only a handful of them remain. With the lack of tournaments and sponsors, the long-term sustainability of an organisation becomes difficult.
Due to the rising cost of maintaining an esports team, organisations cannot find a profitable revenue model due to the lack of tournaments and sponsorships. While this is not an India-specific issue, organisations that dissolve due to financial meltdowns are extremely common in the global esports space. This problem gets amplified in India due to the declining viewership and limited tournaments.
Creators Moving to Other Content
Content creators play a major role in building esports communities and keeping them thriving, but as creators move out, the general interest in a game sees a sharp decline. During VALORANT’s peak, creators such as Ankkita C, Rakazone, Hydraflick, and several gaming personalities pushed VALORANT-focused content, which got replaced by variety gaming, livestreaming, reaction content, or other esports titles instead of focusing exclusively on competitive VALORANT. VALORANT remains a part of their content but is far from what it once was.
Has Riot’s South Asia Ecosystem Worked?
The answer would be yes, but the ecosystem is not tailored to the specific needs of each country in this region, but rather relies on a more general approach. Riot has strongly pushed the following to ensure the ecosystem keeps thriving, but they have not shown desired results in India as of late.
- Official VALORANT Challengers South Asia
- Structured seasonal leagues
- Open qualification pathways
- Promotion and relegation systems
- A clearer route toward Ascension and VCT Pacific
The structure alone is insufficient to guarantee growth, and the region still needs stronger viewership, sponsor confidence, more international success, and stronger community engagement to reach its potential. Riot can definitely help with it, but a lot depends on the region’s interest rather than Riot’s ecosystem.
What Needs to Change?
To stop the declining viewership, Riot needs to focus on a plan that is curated to support the Indian ecosystem, which cannot be tackled with what worked in Japan or South Korea. Considering the current situation, the following can be avenues that are worth exploring.
- Host an international VCT event in India to pull the attention of creators, gamers, and sponsors.
- Support building an ecosystem at the grassroots level to promote talents.
- Expand marketing around South Asian storylines and rivalries through marketing strategies.
- Increase incentives for organizations to maintain long-term VALORANT rosters.
- Work more closely with creators to promote domestic leagues and build a solid foundation for a growing community.
VALORANT esports in India is anything but dead as it undergoes a period of stagnation. The game still has dedicated players, organisations, and a big player base in India, but compared to its early growth, the ecosystem has lost momentum due to several reasons we discussed through the course of this article. Looking at the positive side, we can see that VALORANT still has a better chance at turning the situation around if the right cards are played, and we would love to have a scene that is thriving like it was in 2020.
