Valorant devs pushed out a hotfix for Competitive queue to improve matchmaking

It has only been a couple of days since Valorant’s latest patch 2.09 went live across all regions, bringing with it Viper nerfs and a new game mode called Replication.

However, the updates that were mentioned in the official patch notes were not the only changes that were introduced to Valorant for version 2.09.

Recently, the developers pushed out another hotfix that sought to improve the matchmaking system for Valorant’s Competitive mode.

Matchmaking for both unrated and ranked has been one of the biggest issues in Valorant for a while now.

A significant skill disparity between teammates and enemies has been plaguing Competitive matchmaking, and Riot has slowly been improving the matchmaking system to make it fairer.

Surprise Competitive update! We just rolled out some tweaks to Ranked queue that should tighten matchmaking skill. Fair warning that you may see a slight increase to queue times.

— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) May 14, 2021

In a recent tweet regarding the hotfix, Riot wrote:

“Surprise Competitive update. We just rolled out some tweaks to Ranked queue that should tighten matchmaking skill. Fair warning that you may see a slight increase to queue times.”

More skill-based matchmaking in Valorant’s Competitive queue

God forbid everyone wait a couple extra minutes to get more competitive/fair matches

— Savvix (@Savvix_) May 14, 2021

When it comes to competitive “esports ready” titles like Valorant, it’s important to have a ranked matchmaking system that pairs players with enemies and teammates of their own skill level.

Smurfing has always been one of the greatest evils in the game, and having a skill-based matchmaking system can help curb much of the problems that griefers and trollers bring to Valorant.

However, with the new skill-based matchmaking update, Valorant players might need to wait a bit longer for the game to start. It’s a trade-off which many in the community feel is a necessary evil as competitive fairness takes precedence.

Moreover, this will not be the last time that Riot pushes out a patch for Competitive matchmaking in Valorant. As it is a continuous process of improvement, the developers will be making minor upgrades with every patch to make the shooter fairer for all players.