The VALORANT Xbox beta is now open to all players, with exclusive benefits for Xbox Game Pass subscribers

Riot Games has opened the VALORANT for Xbox beta to all interested players.

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What you need to know

What you need to know

One of the biggest surprises in gaming this year has been the arrival of PC-centric, competitive multiplayer shooterVALORANTon consoles. Riot Games shocked players with the reveal that, not only is VALORANT coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, it’s also doing so with console-specific enhancements and features while supportingfullcross-progression and content parity with PC. Now, more players can join the fun.

VALORANT for Xboxhas been in a closed beta for weeks, but Riot Games is officially opening the gates to anyone who is interested. This is still a work-in-progress beta, but VALORANT is now availablefor free at Microsoft Store (Xbox), with nothing barring players from entry.

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It should be noted that nothing significant has actually changed about VALORANT for Xbox with this announcement, aside from the recentrelease of the VALORANT 9.01 patch update. Players just don’t need an exclusive invite code to download and play VALORANT on Xbox and PlayStation anymore. More than that,Xbox Game Passsubscribers are getting the same exclusive benefits they do on PC… with one added bonus on Xbox.

For ages, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers have gained access to all present and future VALORANT agents in the free-to-play game, as well as a boost to XP earned toward the Battle Pass. These benefits now extend to console, too, with the added perk that players purchasing Valorant Points (a premium in-game currency used in the VALORANT game store) on Xbox can enjoy a 10% discount. Sweet.

If you want to learn more about VALORANT for Xbox and whether it’s worth playing, you can check outmy hands-on preview and first impressions. The quick version? VALORANT works surprisingly wonderful on a controller thanks to the smart, thoughtful changes Riot Games made. It’s exciting that more players will be able to check it out now. We don’t know yet when VALORANT will “officially” release on Xbox and PlayStation and exit the beta, but considering the level of polish and the total feature and content parity here, it doesn’t actually matter much.

You can download VALORANT for Xboxfor free at Microsoft Store (Xbox)right now.

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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.