Valorant’s Season 2025 Act 3 is set to launch in early June 2025, continuing Riot Games’ revamped seasonal structure. This update brings significant map pool changes, cosmetic additions, and gameplay adjustments, aligning with the developer’s focus on strategic diversity and competitive freshness.
Map Rotation Shakes Up Meta
The competitive map pool sees Fracture removed and Sunset reintroduced, marking the first major rotation since Act 2. Fracture’s exit follows mixed community feedback, with players praising its unique dual-site design but criticizing post-plant stalemates. Sunset returns after a two-act hiatus, now optimized for the latest agent meta, including Tejo’s area-control abilities. Bind remains in rotation, retaining its position as a fan-favorite for its teleporter-driven gameplay. The changes aim to balance tactical depth and viewer engagement, particularly for upcoming events like Masters Toronto.
New Battle Pass and Cosmetics
Act 3’s Battle Pass features the Bite Shift skin line, offering sleek, modular designs for the Vandal, Sheriff, and Operator, alongside a butterfly knife variant with dynamic inspect animations. A free track includes the “Serpent’s Strike” player card and “Golden Fang” gun buddy, while premium tiers unlock animated sprays like “Dragon’s Breath” and the Tacti-Bear Flex cosmetic.
Agent Updates and Balance Changes
While no new agent launches in Act 3, Riot plans adjustments to underperforming characters. Deadlock receives buffs to her Sonic Sensor range, and Harbor’s Cascade ability now deploys faster to enhance site-execute flexibility. These tweaks follow player feedback from recent tournaments, where initiators like Tejo dominated pick rates.
Ranked and Premier Updates
The ranked reset at Act 3’s launch incorporates a Rank Shield system, preventing demotions between major tiers (e.g., Platinum 1 to Gold 3) to reduce ladder anxiety. Premier mode introduces a revamped overtime system for tied matches, alongside updated leaderboards tracking regional standings.
Community Reactions
Discussions highlight polarized opinions on Fracture’s removal, with some praising its strategic uniqueness and others welcoming Sunset’s return for its mid-range duels. Pro teams like Paper Rex face adaptation challenges, having relied on Fracture as a staple map.
Valorant Season 2025 Act 3 launches June 3–4, 2025. Players can pre-load the update 24 hours prior, with server maintenance expected to last four hours.