VALORANT Patch Notes: Settings & Practice Review
VALORANT 13.08 is the latest patch reviewed here. Riot published it on October 13, 2026; this source review is dated October 17. This page pairs selected announced changes with an original practice worksheet. It is not a live update feed or an in-game benchmark.
Read Riot’s complete 13.08 notes for the full changelog. The earlier 13.06 review is retained below as an archive.
13.08: what to check before your next match
Riot introduced Map Rating for Competitive and Premier, with new tracking rather than historical match data. Bind and Corrode entered the Competitive and Deathmatch pools; Ascent and Split left. Corrode’s defender paths, Mid and A-site plant zone changed. Riot also lists Range in Queue as temporarily disabled in the patch’s known issues.
Your five-minute patch check
- Confirm your warmup route. Open the mode you intend to play and check what is available. If the queue-time Range is unavailable, warm up before joining matchmaking.
- Review a rotation. In a custom session, trace both Corrode defender routes and inspect Mid before relying on an older lineup or timing.
- Start a separate record. Label Map Rating observations with the patch, platform, map, agent and match date. Keep them separate from older ACS and Performance Score columns.
- Keep your setup stable. Save your current crosshair and sensitivity before changing anything. Record an observation first, then decide whether a single setting needs adjustment.
These checks are editorial suggestions. We have not timed the new routes, reproduced Riot’s rating formula, or established that the patch changes aim sensitivity.
13.06 archive: earlier settings and practice review
The following section records the September 22 patch as reviewed on October 12. Availability statements are historical; use the current review above and Riot’s current known issues when checking today’s client.
13.06: selected changes and what to review
| Riot’s announced change | Our suggested check |
|---|---|
| Home and Lobby merged; navigation revised | Find your queue and settings entry points before starting a match. |
| Range available while queueing; availability depends on queue and mode | Treat warmup as optional; leave time to react when matchmaking advances. |
| Performance Score replaces ACS in Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay and Premier | Label exported or manually recorded statistics with their metric name and patch. |
| Agent Mastery starts fresh; earlier playtime does not carry over | Keep new progression separate from historical hours played. |
| Warden added: 2900-credit rifle, 2× scope, 18-round magazine | Inspect the weapon’s controls and practice handling before making a purchase recommendation. |
| Console launch in Australia and New Zealand | Check platform-specific information rather than applying a PC-only control guide. |
The feature column summarizes Riot’s announcement. The checks are our editorial suggestions, not claims of tested performance improvements. We have not benchmarked the Warden or established a new weapon tier list.
Keep a patch-to-settings record
Start with your current configuration, not a blank reset. Before testing a change, save an export or screenshots of sensitivity, crosshair and relevant controls. Then record the precise question you want to answer. “Did this patch make my aim worse?” is difficult to reproduce; “Can I still reach the Range from this queue?” is a specific check.
| Record | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Patch and date | 13.06; your check date |
| Platform and mode | PC or console; the mode you actually used |
| Starting settings | Your saved export or screenshots |
| One question | Does my intended warmup workflow work in this mode? |
| Observation | What happened, including unavailable options |
| Action | Keep, change, or investigate; explain why |
Keep an observation and a conclusion in separate fields. If the Range was unavailable during one short queue, record that event. Do not turn it into a claim that the feature is universally broken. Repeat a check before attributing it to a patch, and state which platform and mode it covered.
Do not compare different score labels as one metric
A personal spreadsheet can become misleading when its column title stays the same after the underlying statistic changes. If you kept an older ACS column, preserve it as historical data. Add a separate column for the new score instead of silently replacing old entries. This prevents a chart from presenting an apparent improvement or decline caused merely by mixing labels.
For a useful match note, pair the displayed score with one concrete moment you can review: an opening engagement, a missed opportunity to support a teammate, or a decision to save. A single score is a prompt for review, not an explanation of every decision in a match.
Missing Raw Input Buffer is an older change
Our Raw Input Buffer history and diagnostic guide addresses the PC switch removed in 11.06. Do not label an old menu change as newly introduced in 13.06. Likewise, a saved crosshair color and sensitivity deserve their own checks; a patch headline is not a reason to change both.
For a crosshair visibility comparison, use the color guide. For a deliberate DPI change, use the DPI comparison rather than treating a patch as proof that a different DPI is faster.
Archive and scope
The existing 13.05 article remains a dated archive. This hub has a separate purpose: explaining what to review in your setup and records after a patch. It does not duplicate the full announcement, speculate about unreleased balance changes, or imply that future features mentioned in notes have already shipped.
For another patch, follow Riot’s official game-updates index, verify its publication date and platform headings, then add a new dated review. An update to this page requires that source check; the “latest reviewed” label should never advance on a schedule alone.
