22 Dec 2021 11:37 AM +00:00 UTC

Five Games Like Valorant

Valorant is a free-to-play first-person shooter that has taken the scene by storm since its debut in 2020. The tactical title was created and published by Riot Games, and has an incredibly active community who have supported the game since it being in beta. With the game being fast-paced, each hero having unique abilities, and the mechanics being relatively straight-forward, Valorant has been attracting attention from both veterans and newcomers to the genre.

Valorant’s colourful, simple nature combined with the fast pace and satisfying gun play is what makes it so fun. That being said, we all need a change of pace from time to time, or a break from how gruelling competitive matches of Valorant can often be if things don’t go according to plan. With this in mind, we’ve recommended five games like Valorant for you to try out whenever you fancy a change.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

This list of games like Valorant would not be complete without making mention of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. CS:GO is arguably the title that inspired Valorant, and this is plain to see given the incredibly similar tactical gameplay that is required in both shooters.

CS:GO actually first launched nineteen years ago, and was not initially free-to-play, so now is a better time than ever to install the game for free. It is another team-based title where one team is on the attack, trying to plant a bomb, while the other must attempt to defend and defuse the bomb if needed. This will feel very familiar to standard Valorant gameplay, as the premise is exactly the same. However, CS:GO has a much more ‘realistic’ feel to it, to an extent, as players do not have special abilities to employ.

Additionally, CS:GO has one of the largest player bases on Steam and shorter competitive matches to try out too. So, if it’s the length of Valorant matches and waiting for lobbies that is one of your qualms, CS:GO will be perfect for you to try.

Overwatch

Overwatch is fantastic for some fast-paced fun in the hero-shooter genre. The game is filled to the brim with colourful maps and vibrant heroes to mess around with, and gives players the chance to try various abilities and weapons. Even during matches, players can regularly switch between memorable characters, so you can find out who works for you very quickly. Or, you can just have a whole host of fun taking enemies out with a sniper, before respawning and then trying to take them out as a tank.

Overwatch is even more high-speed than Valorant, but the ability to openly experiment with your gameplay makes this feel incredibly entertaining, albeit very chaotic. Overwatch 2 is on the horizon, promising more of a story, however there is no sign of the popularity of Overwatch ceasing anytime soon. If you’re looking for a vivid team-based shooter with creative characters you’ll probably become attached to, such as Winston the gorilla or Hammond the hamster, then Overwatch is the perfect game for you to pick up.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is yet another team-based tactical shooter that shares similarities with Valorant and has a huge competitive scene. Like Valorant, the game requires consistent cooperation and precision gun fighting, but more like CS:GO, there are no special abilities to utilise.

Rainbow Six Siege has various game modes for you to try out, with missions requiring you to defuse bombs just like Valorant, or to embark on other endeavours. This can include rescuing hostages or controlling locations across the many maps that the game has to offer. The game arguably needs you to be a little more tactical than may be required of you in Valorant; cooperation is incredibly important, as well as using characters’ strengths appropriately.

The ‘run and gun’ method used by some Valorant players simply won’t work in Rainbow Six Siege, which is what attracts a lot of competitive players to the title. If you’re a fan of Valorant, but you’re looking for more serious and even more tactical gameplay, then Rainbow Six Siege is worth a try.

Apex Legends

Apex Legends is a bright battle royale game that came after the likes of PUBG and Fortnite, but has packed a punch regardless of its competition. Perhaps almost more impressive than the game itself is the fact that Apex had over 50 million players within the first month of its release, despite Respawn Entertainment having done little-to-no marketing of the game.

Apex Legends has a specific game mode that functions similarly to Valorant, known as Arenas. Arenas see teams of players come up against each other in combat, but this is not the main game-mode prevalent among Apex players. The other similarities that lie within Apex are its roster of heroes and their unique abilities; some characters are better at healing, while others are better at dealing damage, and so forth. A clever combination of these creates a strong squad for whatever game mode you’re playing, much like the strategic combination of classes and abilities in competitive Valorant lobbies.

Apex Legends is a unique hero shooter, with an ever-expanding universe as the developers continue to try to evolve the game's underlying story. For those who like the vibrant nature of Valorant, but want more story or to play in a battle royale game mode, Apex Legends is the perfect free-to-play game for you.

Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 is beginning to show its age given the immersive, creative shooters we have on offer, especially the ones noted so far in this list. However, for those who want to throw it back and experience a nostalgic version of the team-based shooter, Team Fortress 2 is the game to go for. It also helps that the title is free-to-play, too.

There are nine characters in TF2 who all have their own unique weapon and special abilities, like Valorant, but these abilities need you to perform skills in order to pull them off, rather than mindlessly tapping a key. This switches things up a little. It might seem a little ancient compared to Valorant, but Team Fortress 2 is arguably one of the games that nurtured the genre of team-based hero shooters.

If you haven’t played it already and aren’t already thinking about revisiting it for nostalgia purposes, you should definitely give the game a go and see where the genre first started. TF2 still has a huge player-base, too, so you won’t be waiting around for your lobby to fill up.

There you have it! Whenever you’re feeling a little tired of playing Valorant, or just need to switch things up for a while, there are five accessible and affordable games for you to consider playing instead. Each game has its own specific approach to the shooter genre, building upon or breaking down various mechanics we recognise in Valorant to create experiences that are similar, yet different enough for you to have more FPS fun.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Valorant and Guides page.