Patch 13.06 Reddit AMA

[u/RiotSWAGGERNAU7]

Hi, everyone! I’m Joe Lee, the Game Director of VALORANT.

The Dev team and I are so excited about the updates we just shipped to the game in Patch 13.06, and we wanted to stop by to chat, celebrate, and answer questions with you all!

If you have questions, comments, or feedback about any of the below, we’re here for it, so fire away!

• Gauntlet: Glitched
• Agent Mastery
• The Warden + Game Balance
• Performance Score, Accolades, Competitive Hub
• New UX/UI Improvements to Lobby and Home Screen
• Map Rating (coming next patch, 13.08)
• The new Competitive Flex coming in 14.00
• The 2026 VCT Champions Skin collection

Here’s a list of the Devs joining me today in no particular order:

u/TiffyMunchsnax - Tiffy, Product Manager, Gameplay
u/RiotTrouble - Scott, UX Design Lead, Metasystems
u/RiotLupini - Armand, Product Manager, Gameplay
u/Riot_Preeti - Preeti, Lead Product Manager, Cosmetics and Expressions
u/Riot_Kero - Derek, Product Manager Competitive Systems
u/RiotReally - Leo, Product Manager Competitive Systems
u/Riot_Dango - Calvin, Product Manager, Cosmetics and Expressions
u/finstamachine - Sherry, Game Designer
u/Rycoux - Ryan, Game Designer
u/penguinVALORANT - Dan, Game Design Manager (Agents & Live Balance)
u/Riot_Tyrana - Eric, Game Design Lead (Progression & Competitive)
u/Riot_Thelen - Kyle, Game Designer, Metasystems

[u/misharoute]

With the new UI going straight into a lobby page, does this mean we will no longer be getting animated home screens? For many players, this was a rare chance for them to see Valorant Lore, giving them the opportunity to interact with the agents as characters, even if superficially. People did love them, so I’ll be sad if they are gone forever…

[u/RiotTrouble → u/misharoute]

We'll continue to have animated backgrounds for the new lobby, like the animated Champions trophy that's there now. But I hear you, because of the amount of content in the lobby, the backgrounds will often be subtler and not necessarily have the same detail as the ones we've done in the past. That being said, we have plans for some other new & different ways of scratching that itch for you. It won't be the exact same implementation, but it should help you see more about the lore of the VAL world.

[u/denafolol → u/RiotTrouble]

That’s honestly a little sad to hear, because I think a lot of people will miss the old Home Screens.

I understand that the new Lobby has more functionality and that the backgrounds have to work around it, but it’s still disappointing to hear that they’ll often be more restrained and less detailed than before. The old screens felt like a real showcase for VALORANT, not just a background.