For Valorant players eager to jump into the next tactical skirmish, the wait in the queue can feel like an eternity. However, the actual duration of your queue time in Riot Games’ popular shooter isn’t a fixed number; it varies widely based on a multitude of factors, from your region and chosen game mode to your party size and individual rank.
Understanding these dynamics can help set expectations and even improve your chances of finding a quicker match.
The Standard Experience: Minutes, Not Hours
For the vast majority of players in highly populated regions like North America and Europe, queuing for solo and duo competitive and unranked matches typically falls within a manageable timeframe. During peak hours (evenings and weekends), expect waits of 30 seconds to 4 minutes. This short wait is a testament to Valorant’s large and active player base in these bustling servers.
However, if you’re playing outside of these prime times or in less populated regions, the experience can differ. Players in areas like Japan, for instance, have reported queue times extending to 8-10 minutes or more, especially late at night or when playing on console.
The Impact of Party Size and Rank
Your party composition and skill bracket significantly influence how long you’ll be waiting:
- Five-Member Parties (5-Stack): If you’re queuing with a full team of five for competitive matches, prepare for longer waits. The matchmaking system prioritizes fairness, meaning your 5-stack will primarily be matched against other full teams. This can stretch queue times to 6 to 8 minutes on average. In higher ranks, 5-stack queues can become even more arduous, sometimes extending well beyond 10 minutes. According to Riot’s own explanations in past patch notes, 5-stacks with significant rank disparities can face even longer queues and substantial Rank Rating (RR) reductions to maintain competitive integrity.
- High-Rank Lobbies: This is where queue times can truly test your patience. For players in the upper echelons of Valorant’s ranking system (e.g., top 500 Radiant or Immortal ranks), the pool of similarly skilled opponents is significantly smaller. During peak hours, these elite players might wait 8–12 minutes. During off-peak times, it’s not uncommon for these queues to exceed 20 minutes, as the system diligently searches for a fair match. Riot’s matchmaking philosophy prioritizes competitive integrity, ensuring balanced games over speed, which contributes to these extended waits for top-tier players.
Special Modes and Considerations
- Premier Mode: Valorant’s team-based competitive mode, Premier, operates on specific weekly queue windows. While Riot encourages players to queue early within these windows, matches are generally found within 8 minutes. If your queue extends beyond this, it’s advised to remain in the queue rather than re-queuing, as restarting the search may actually increase your total wait time. Premier’s strict matchmaking ensures teams within the same division and zone face each other, with specific waiting periods (e.g., 15 minutes for Contender and Invite Divisions) designed for better seeding into tournament brackets.
- Off-Hours and Less-Populated Servers: As mentioned, playing during non-peak hours (e.g., early mornings, late nights) or on servers with fewer concurrent players will almost always result in longer queues, often pushing into the 8-10 minute range or beyond for standard modes.
In Summary: Setting Expectations
To quickly summarize Valorant queue times:
- Solo/Duo, low to mid rank, populated region (peak hours): 30 seconds to 4 minutes
- 5-stack or high rank (peak hours): 6–12 minutes or more, potentially much longer for Radiant 5-stacks
- Premier or special mode: Up to 8 minutes (within designated windows)
- Off-hours/less-populated servers: 8–10 minutes or longer for all modes
Ultimately, for most players engaging in standard competitive or unrated matches during active periods, a queue time of under 5 minutes is the norm.
While the wait can occasionally stretch, particularly for specific conditions or high-stakes modes, Riot’s focus on fair and balanced matchmaking remains a core reason behind these varying queue durations.
Would you like to read more? Click the following link to learn why you see the message queue is disabled or how long the process takes or how many hours you spent on Valorant.
Written by:
Christian