VALORANT Patch 12.00: Breeze Rework, New Pistol, a New Game Mode, and Major System Updates

Riot Games has launched patch 12.00 for VALORANT, officially ushering in Season 2026 with one of the most substantial updates in the game’s history. The patch introduces replay functionality for custom matches, brings back a completely reworked Breeze with reduced rank rating losses, debuts the new Bandit sidearm, and implements sweeping changes to competitive matchmaking, agent balance, and player behavior systems.

Replays Arrive For Custom Games in VALORANT Patch 12.00

After years of community requests, replays are finally here for more modes. Players can now record Custom Swiftplay and Standard matches, with party leaders able to opt in to recording through the Custom lobby settings. This feature allows teams to review gameplay, analyze strategies, and identify areas for improvement in a controlled environment.

Competitive System Receives Hidden MMR Update

Riot has overhauled the hidden MMR calculation system with the goal of improving match quality and delivering more consistent experiences from match to match. The changes should help players find more balanced games that better reflect their skill level.

Starting in patch 12.01, Riot will enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) requirements for specific player groups. Accounts detected for sharing in EU and all Ascendant+ players must enable Riot Mobile MFA to access Competitive queue. Other game modes will remain unaffected by this requirement. Players can set up MFA through Riot’s support portal.

Agent Balance: Six Agents Receive Updates

Breach has been struggling in high-level play, prompting Riot to add power that rewards precision and coordination. His Flashpoint projectile speed increases by 20%, jumping from 2000 to 2400. Additionally, Fault Line receives a width increase from 7.5 meters to 8 meters, making it easier to catch enemies in the concuss zone.

Brimstone gets quality-of-life improvements with updated tactical maps on both Sky Smoke and Orbital Strike. The new maps feature better readability, making it easier for Brimstone players to place their utility with precision.

Harbor hasn’t made the splash Riot hoped for with his reworked kit, so the developers are extending the windows of advantage when enemies are hit by his aggressive abilities. Storm Surge no longer requires line of sight to nearsight and slow players, making it more reliable. The explosion windup decreases from 0.8 seconds to 0.6 seconds for faster activation, and the slow duration increases dramatically from 0.6 seconds to 2 seconds. Reckoning also receives the same slow duration buff, increasing from 0.6 seconds to 2 seconds.

Sage receives a targeting update to make her Healing Orb more accurate to Agent models. Players can now heal targeted allies even if the mid and lower sections of their models are blocked by geometry, reducing frustrating moments where healing fails due to minor obstructions.

Tejo is getting a buff too. Riot is adding power to the abilities that support Guided Salvos. Special Delivery now deals damage on explosion, with maximum damage of 35 at the center and minimum damage of 20. This gives Tejo an additional way to disrupt defensive utility beyond just Guided Salvos. However, the concuss duration decreases from 4 seconds to 2.5 seconds. Stealth Drone changes from snapshot reveal to full reveal, making tagged enemies visible for longer and helping teammates know where to place Guided Salvos. The pulse radius decreases from 30 meters to 16 meters.

Vyse has been slightly underperforming after recent changes, so Riot is increasing the area of Steel Garden to compensate. The radius grows from 26 meters to 28 meters, and width expands from 7.5 meters to 8 meters. These changes should make site takes and defensive holds more reliable.

Breeze Returns With Biggest Map Rework Ever

Breeze is back after its removal from the competitive map pool, and it brings VALORANT’s most extensive map rework to date. Riot has made significant changes across the entire map to reduce angle complexity, tighten open spaces, and improve rotation times for defenders. The sun is still shining, but players’ old setups likely won’t work anymore.

To help players adapt to the massive changes, Riot is implementing a special Breeze Rework Event. For the first two weeks of Competitive play, Breeze rank rating losses are reduced by 50%, while wins still grant 100% RR. This gives players an opportunity to learn the new layout without being heavily penalized for losses.

With Breeze entering the Competitive and Deathmatch queues, Sunset exits both queues.

Haven And Corrode Receive Wall Penetration Updates

Haven and Corrode are both receiving targeted wall penetration adjustments to address positions where teams could meaningfully influence rounds through wallbangs with high-penetration weapons while remaining relatively safe.

Corrode’s wall materials have made certain positions too effective at denying space through penetration alone. Riot is adjusting wall materials in key areas so that holding these spots requires more commitment from defenders. A Site receives adjusted wall material on a key surface, as does B Site, forcing players to expose themselves more if they want to wallbang effectively.

On Haven, Mid Window now features a breakable element to prevent early round start kills through wall penetration. This should make the area less dangerous at the start of rounds while still allowing players to break through later.

Haven also receives fixes for unintended wall penetration between A Tower and A Site, as well as between B Site and C Garage. Bind gets a fix for unintended wall penetration between B Window and B Garden.

All Random One Site: Chaos Mode Activated

Riot introduces All Random One Site, a fast-paced 5v5 limited-time mode that throws traditional VALORANT strategy out the window. The mode features several unique mechanics that create an entirely different gameplay experience. Every round assigns players a new random agent with no duplicates per team. All agents are available regardless of ownership, giving everyone access to the full roster. Each round activates one bomb site with barriers blocking unused areas of the map, and the active site randomizes each round. Players can see which site is active during the buy phase.

The mode is available on Abyss, Ascent, Breeze, Corrode, Pearl, Icebox, Sunset, and Split.

Players receive full ability charges each round at no cost, and abilities recharge throughout the round. For ultimates, players start each round at 0% charge. Ultimate Orbs placed around the map grant 50% ultimate charge when captured, kills grant 50% ultimate charge, and killed players drop Ground Orbs containing their accumulated charge. There’s no economy system, players can select their loadout each round for free. Weapon offerings escalate through stages as the match progresses, eventually giving everyone access to rifles and higher-tier weapons.

All Random One Site replaces Snowball Fight, which is leaving the rotation.

The Bandit: New Precision Sidearm

VALORANT’s weapon arsenal expands with the Bandit, a precision sidearm designed to fill the gap between the Ghost and Sheriff. Priced at 600 credits and functioning similarly to Counterstrike’s Five-Seven, the Bandit offers one-tap headshot through light armor potential for players who want to steal rounds on a budget while maintaining strong gunplay. The Bandit holds 8 bullets per magazine with 24 in reserve. It features medium wall penetration, allowing it to shoot through certain surfaces. The reload timing is 1.5 seconds, and equip timing is 0.75 seconds. The weapon has no attachments.

The Bandit provides more diversity in light rounds, letting players choose whether to focus credits on agent abilities or invest in gunplay with a weapon that can secure kills with precision aim.

Player Behavior System Overhaul

Riot introduces Behavior Standing, a new system that provides transparency about penalty status. An indicator appears on the Social Panel if players have an active penalty or are at immediate risk of a future penalty. Expanding the indicator reveals additional information about active and at-risk penalties. The Community Pact replaces the Community Code, emphasizing three core principles: Play to Win, Play Fair, and Play with Respect. Or play something else. When players log in for the first time after this patch, they’ll see the Community Pact and must commit to it. Unlike the Community Code, players should expect to see and recommit to the Pact every year.

To better reflect these expectations in-game, Riot has updated the categories and descriptions on Report Player screens to align with these core principles.

The systems for Chat and Inappropriate Name penalties have been adjusted. Systems will more reliably issue firmer penalties sooner for frequent or severe Voice and Text Chat offenses. If players receive an Account Ban for having an Inappropriate Riot ID, they’ll be unable to change their Riot ID until the ban is over.

PC-Exclusive Updates: Refreshed UI Everywhere

PC players receive a completely refreshed user interface across multiple areas of the client.

The Home Screen has been revamped to utilize the top navigation of other screens, creating a more consistent experience throughout the client.

The Matchmade Lobby now features a new “Queue Select” screen with new art and queue descriptions. The currently selected queue is more prominently displayed on the left side of the lobby screen, making it clearer which mode players are about to enter.

Custom Lobby receives an updated layout where Mode and Map select are now located on the left and utilize selection screens with new art and descriptions.

The Social Panel has been completely revamped with a fresh coat of paint and quality-of-life improvements, including a new dedicated tab for managing friend requests. This should make it easier to keep track of incoming requests and manage your friends list.

Premier Stage V26A1 Begins January 14

Premier Stage V26A1 launches on January 14, bringing a new competitive season for organized teams. Teams that were in the Invite Division during Stage V25A6 but didn’t finish in the top 16 have been demoted. These teams will see their new Provisional Division in the Premier hub.

Demoted teams are seeded into the zone they originally promoted from. Team Owners can change their team’s zone in the Team Settings dropdown anytime before the team plays a match. If a team cannot be placed into a zone automatically, the Team Owner will be prompted to select one.

Bug Fixes Across All Platforms

Riot has addressed numerous bugs affecting agents, maps, and competitive features.

For agents, a bug where ability cooldown bars would disappear for observers when switching between Agents has been fixed. Many bugs where throw animations would break if aiming straight down have been resolved, affecting Clove’s Meddle, Cypher’s Cyber Cage, Deadlock’s Gravnet and Barrier Mesh, Fade’s Haunt and Seize, Gekko’s Mosh Pit, Iso’s Undercut, Jett’s Cloudburst, KAY/O’s FRAG/MENT, Phoenix’s Hot Hands, Reyna’s Leer, and Viper’s Poison Cloud.

Agent-specific fixes include Astra’s Nebula created by Dissipate not having a minimap icon, Breach’s Rolling Thunder launching people at inconsistent heights based on elevation, Clove’s total health pool displaying 151 instead of 150 when overhealed with Pick Me Up, Cypher’s placed Trapwire being heard placing again as barriers drop, Deadlock’s Annihilation phasing through parts of Breeze and leaving enemies stuck, Gekko’s Wingman continuing to chase players after they teleport, Sova’s lightning VFX disappearing after switching to melee with fully charged Recon Dart or Shock Dart, Veto’s Chokehold having inconsistent jump throw trajectory, and Yoru getting stuck in an animation loop when using Dimensional Drift while attaching to an ascender.

Competitive mode receives a fix for an issue where V25A3 ranked gun buddies were displayed with the incorrect name “V25A6.”

PC-specific fixes address Deadlock’s Barrier Mesh walls being invisible when placed during packet loss, and KAY/O making no sound when dying while downed in NULL/cmd. Console-specific fixes ensure the queue timer displays correctly when disconnecting and reconnecting, the queue can be canceled after reconnecting, “Choose a mode” properly displays as “Choose a Queue,” and players can start the queue after the party leader leaves or the party is disbanded.

Finally, Riot acknowledges one known issue with Whispers. If whispering a friend doesn’t work, players can send them a message via Riot Client’s social panel first, join a party together, or re-add them as a friend.

Season 2026 officially begins with patch 12.00, bringing transformative changes to VALORANT’s competitive landscape, agent meta, and overall player experience.