New gun, new mode, new Breeze — Everything coming in Valorant 2026 Act 1

Valorant 2026 Act 1 is shaping up to be a major refresh for Riot Games’ tactical shooter, with the developers unveiling several key updates and new content during their latest round of announcements.

Dropping in Act 1 is the arrival of a brand-new weapon, the introduction of an All Random game mode, and a reworked version of the Breeze map, MMR and Player Behavior improvements, and a Japanese-inspired skinline. These signal meaningful changes to both gameplay variety and map balance as the new act begins.

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Last year in 2025, Valorant featured six Acts in total, following Riot’s updated seas on structure that split the year into more frequent content updates instead of the older three-Act format.

Valorant 2026 Act 1 release date

Valorant 2026 Act 1 goes live on January 8, 2026.

This comes one day after Valorant 2025 Act 6 concludes on January 7, 2026.

All updates in Valorant 2026 Act 1

Bandit (new gun)

• Falls between Ghost and Sheriff
• One-shot headshot against Light Armor
• Makes players choose between spending on Bandit or abilities in earlier rounds
• Goes live in-game on January 6, 2026

Following the armory’s expansion with the introduction of Outlaw, the team began exploring new opportunities to further broaden player choice.

The added weapon diversity encourages players to rethink light-buy rounds—whether investing in Bandit makes more sense, or if leaning into ability usage is the better call.

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This decision becomes even more nuanced depending on agent selection, especially when weighing gunplay-focused setups against ability-heavy strategies.

The Bandit fills a unique niche between the Ghost and the Sheriff. It can secure one-shot headshot kills against Light Armor—right where the Ghost starts to fall off—giving players a stronger, more confident option on ultra-light buy rounds.

Bandit specs

• Weapon Class: Sidearm
• Price: 600 credits
• Projectile type: Bullet
• Attachments: None
• Bullets per Magazine: 8
  • Damage Per Bullet:
    • 0-10m
      • Head: 152
      • Body: 39
      • Leg: 33
    • 10-30m:
      • Head: 128
      • Body: 39
      • Leg: 33
    • 30-50m:
      • Head: 112
      • Body: 34
      • Leg: 28
  • Fire Rate: 5.1
• Ammo Reserve: 24
• Reload Timing: 1.5s
• Equip Timing: .75s
• Wall Penetration: Medium

Breeze rework, Haven and Corrode updates

Breeze has received updates to support more controller diversity and make angle control easier.

Riot Games also refined many of the large open areas on the map, tightening them up so fights feel more intentional and you won’t get lost in “no-man’s land.”

With that, Breeze is now back in the Competitive map rotation. To reflect these major changes, RR losses are reduced by 50% for the first two weeks.

AR1S new game mode

• Respawn as a random Agent every round upon death
• Map is limited to one site per round
• Goes live January 7, 2026

AR1S stands for All Random, One site—an all new, limited-time, lightning-fast, arcade spike mode. There’s already an equivalent in League of Legends, Riot Games’ MOBA title called ARAM aka All Random All Mid. It’s an extremely popular casual mode for players who enjoy fast-paced, chaotic, and fun gameplay.

AR1S is a 5v5 mode where you spawn as a random Agent every round with TDM-style abilities and tiered Buy phases. Map wise, there’s contested Map Orbs and condensed map action where you’re forced to fight on only one site each round.

The concept is similar to ARAM where the players enters the game on a random champion, spawning on a random map. Overall, it’s a quick, unpredictable, and low-pressure way to enjoy League and we’re now getting that in Valorant!

Valorant 2026 Act 1 Battle Pass

• Price:  1,000 VP
• Highlight Items
  • Free Track
    • Montage Frenzy
    • TactiForce: Go! Spray
    • Venomous Succession Card (Lore teaser)
    • H2-Oh! Buddy

• Paid Track
  • Montage Axe (Melee)
  • Montage Phantom
  • Stormborne Sheriff
  • Superset Vandal
  • Dive In Card
  • Operation: Oversteer Card
  • Ballistic Smolder Spray
  • Site Control Society Spray
  • Protocol Dummy Buddy

You can purchase the Valorant 2026 Act 1 battle pass when the act begins on January 8, 2026.

MMR system updates

For 2026, Riot is adjusting how your hidden MMR is calculated. They hope that these changes would more accurately reflect individual skill.

The game devs anticipate that most of player ranks will remain the same and only a handful would experience shifts in rank.

“Ultimately, we think these changes will help bring more consistency match-to-match, so that it feels like more matches are balanced and each player belongs in your lobby,” Riot stated.

Improving player behavior

Valorant is placing a sharper focus on disruptive behavior. When players log in, they will notice a new Community Pact, which must be accepted annually in order to continue playing.

Behind the scenes, policies and principles around smurfing, communication abuse, and other frustrating behaviors have been updated, allowing systems and processes to improve more effectively.

A new Behavior Standing feature is being rolled out, enabling players to hold themselves accountable and understand how their own actions impact others. Through this system, players can view the penalties they are currently subject to, the penalties they may be at risk of, and the consequences of future disruptive behavior.

New gun skinline Ayakashi Collection debuts in Valorant 2026 Act 1

Drawing from the depths of Japanese mythology, the Ayakashi Collection delivers a dark, contemporary take on ancient folklore.

Every weapon ignites with cursed flame, embodying the restless spirits trapped within. The Kitsune mask motif symbolizes the delicate seal between worlds—both alluring and perilous. For the first time, players can wield dual short katanas, forged in the underworld and moving with lethal, synchronized precision.

• New melee archetype – Dual short katanas (wakizashi)
  • New animation set – Equip, Attacks, Idle, Run, and Inspect all new
  • Musical instruments in melee animations 
• Custom firing audio that has different notes for each bullet, allowing the player to create a melody while firing
  • Custom firing VFX muzzleflash
• Custom Animations
  • Custom equip animations on Ghost and Phantom – gun materializes from smoke form 
  • Custom reload animation – gun turns to smoke form and re-materializes when magazine is re-inserted
  • Custom inspect showcases music (Japanese influenced trap beat) and VFX
• Reactive Visual Effects
  • Fire VFX on guns that reacts to directionality (flames move according to player movement)
  • Kitsune mask eyes glow, matching flames
• Variants
  • Default
  • Red
  • Pink
  • Blue
• Finisher: Depicts a clash between two worlds, centered on a Kitsune mask and flowing tails, set against a luminous moon with reflections shimmering across the foreground.
• Custom kill banner icon with custom audio

Weapons

• Kogitsune (dual short katana melee)
• Phantom
• Ghost

Bundle price

• Bundle Price: 7,160 VP
• Weapons
  • Kogitsune (dual short katana melee)
  • Phantom
  • Ghost
• Accessories
  • 1 Gun Buddy
  • 1 Card
  • 1 Spray

The Ayakashi Collection releases on January 7, 2026.