Kody Wirth 
Kody is our expert Destiny 2 and shooter genre writer. He lives in Oregon.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
Valorant has only been in closed beta for a few short weeks, but it’s already taken the streaming world by storm. Originally titled Project A, this free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Riot Games combines the playstyle of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with the characterization and storytelling of Overwatch. While not the most graphically impressive shooter on the market, the tight mechanics, addictive pre-game shop loop, and enjoyable character designs have made this pre-release concept an instant success.
While still in closed beta, and with the official release not scheduled until later this summer, there’s still plenty of opportunity for new players to take the top spots before the game reaches a massive audience. So while you’re on the lookout to claim one of those beta keys, you might as well get your game settings in-place so you can jump right in. To help you do just that, we’ve compiled the best mouse, keybinds, video, and game settings up to this point.
Keep in mind that with this title being so new, there’s a strong likelihood that in-game balancing, patches, and other fixes will be made fairly consistently. The best settings may look drastically different before launch, but if you’re actively playing and have a solid starting point, you should be able to adapt without much problem.
Best Valorant PC Settings
Due to its design being so similar to CS: GO, the consensus seems to be that you can pull variations of Counter-Strike settings into Valorant. Now the game is only in beta, so the best settings are bound to change before the full launch, but these are the ideal combinations we’ve seen up to this point.
Best Valorant Mouse Settings for PC
One major distinction between Valorant and similar FPS titles is the incredibly quick time to kill, meaning that accuracy matters more than the fastest movement speed. You’ll want to find sensitivity settings that work best for your needs, but these should give you a great place to start.
DPI: 400
Typically most first-person shooters have an effective DPI range from 400 – 800, but due to the need for increased accuracy, we recommend sticking to the lower DPI setting. You can always increase from here if it feels too slow for your taste, but more than likely, you won’t need to stray too far from 400.
Polling Rate: 500 – 1000
Similar to the DPI, your polling rate should be kept slightly lower. Most players currently hit around 1000Hz, but a sizable group of players has found success going even lower. Stick within this range and find the best setting that works alongside your in-game mouse sensitivity.
In-Game Mouse Settings
Sensitivity Aim: 0.2 – 0.6
You’ll need to consider your mouse settings when deciding on in-game sensitivity, but look to start with lower sensitivity here. As mentioned, this comes out of a need for accuracy in a game that’s already cranked up a notch.
Scopes Sensitivity Multiplier: 1
Unless you’re used to a different sensitivity between hip-fire and ADS, keep this set to 1 for consistency.
Invert Mouse: Custom
Stick to what feels natural for this setting, but don’t opt for a setting you’re not used to.
Cycle to Next/Prev Weapon Wraps Inventory: Custom
If you have the mouse wheel set up to scroll between weapons, enabling this feature closes your inventory between weapon swaps.
Best Valorant Keybinds for PC
If you’re used to a specific layout for CS: GO, it may be best to adapt that control scheme to Valorant. You’ll immediately have an edge due to muscle memory and won’t be struggling to relearn similar mechanics. If you aren’t an avid CS: GO player, then you’ll want to check out our recommended keybinds.
The following keybinds are a mix of Ninja and Shroud’s current settings. Both players, when trying new games, always seem to identify reliable control schemes early on, and often define what other streamers end up using. That once again appears to be the case with Valorant, even if they don’t end up sticking with the game long-term.
- Walk: L-Shift
- Crouch: L-CTRL
- Jump: Spacebar
- Use Object: F
- Equip Primary Weapon: 1
- Equip Secondary Weapon: 2
- Equip Melee Weapon: 3
- Equip Spike: 4
- Ability 1: C
- Ability 2: Q
- Ability 3: E
- Ability 4: X
Best Valorant Graphics Settings for PC
Valorant was designed with competitive play in mind, and the characters follow the low-poly Pixar-esque look of Overwatch. This is a massive boon for players, as it requires fewer resources and allows for greater customization.
Here’s what your settings should look like to assure you get the best gameplay experience possible when playing Valorant.
Resolution: Native
As with most FPS titles, the standard 1080p resolution will net you the best possible frame rate. We wouldn’t recommend going any lower due to the simplistic design of Valorant, but you always can if you’re struggling for frames.
Display Mode: Full Screen
Set to full screen to maximize your frames and take advantage of the entire display.
Material Quality: Low – Medium
There’s no real difference in performance when switching between these two settings. Thought it primarily comes down to your personal preference, we’d recommend opting for medium to achieve maximum clarity.
Texture Quality: Medium
Similar to the material quality, this setting shows no real difference between low and high in terms of performance. Set this to medium for now.
Detail Quality: Medium
With Valorant being such a graphically minimal title, having additional graphical detail can be a game-changer when differentiating on-screen elements. Select medium for this setting to avoid any loss of frames while still gaining the benefit of visual distinction.
UI Quality: Low
UI can become distracting in tight situations if it takes up too much of the screen or if the elements attract too much attention. Set this to low to minimize distractions when playing.
Vignette: Off
This is simply a cinematic setting that adds a blurring effect around the edges of the screen. Turn this off to avoid reductions in clarity.
V-Sync: Off
You’ll want to keep v-sync off to avoid input lag, as this setting simply smooths graphical movement. The only time you may want to consider turning this on is if you’re experiencing regular screen tearing and can’t find an operable solution.
Anti-Aliasing: MSAA 2x
Opting for this setting will help minimize blurred edges on in-game assets without causing drastic dips in performance.
Anisotropic Filtering: 4x
This setting is responsible for the sharpness of edges at specific angles and has no real discernible effect on gameplay. It may take some experimenting to find what option works best for your build, but if you need a good middle ground to start, try switching to 4x.
Improve Clarity: On
This setting does exactly what it’s labeled as, meaning you’ll want to keep this on. While there are no specifics as to what it actually changes, any increase in clarity is worth utilizing (as long as it doesn’t drag down performance).
Enhanced Gun Skin Visuals: Off
This adds nothing to gameplay and is simply a nice thing to look at while in first person. Keep this off to avoid any dips in frame rate.
Distortion: Off
This setting will potentially distort visuals when moving or when viewing assets from long-distances. Keep this off to retain visual clarity at all times.
Shadows: Off
Oddly enough, this setting specifically affects the shadow of your player model rather than enemy players and environments. It’s a realism effect that isn’t necessary for gameplay, so be sure to switch it off.
Best Valorant Audio Settings for PC
As with most first-person shooters, you want to distinguish in-game audio cues and team chatter over everything else. The easiest way to achieve this is by making out the master volume and setting in-game music to 0. From there, it’s up to you to decide how loud you need sound effects and voice-over volume to be.
- Master Volume: 90 – 100
- Sound Effects Volume: 85 – 100
- Voice Over Volume: 85 – 100
- All Music Master Volume: 0
Voice-Over
Voice-over gets its own specific settings in Valorant, which is extremely helpful for eliminating unneeded game chatter. Keep tactical callouts and the announcer on to be sure you know relevant information as you play, but turn everything else off to declutter the audio.
- Gameplay: Off
- Agent Flavor: Off
- Tactical Callouts: On
- Announcer: On
Putting it to Practice
Overall, Valorant functions similarly to most modern FPS titles, especially CS: GO. With it being in early beta, the overall settings options are relatively limited. Still, they allow for enough personalization to take advantage of the minimal graphical fidelity design of the game.
These settings options will likely expand, and the right variation of each will adjust slightly, but this should give you a great place to start if you do get into the closed beta. The earlier you get in and the more you get to test and tweak settings, the more likely you’ll be able to adapt and come out on top once the full game releases later this summer.
Good luck!
Related Reading
- Valorant Gun Guide
- Valorant Ranking System
- Valorant Agents Guide
- Best CS: GO Settings
- Best League of Legends Settings
- Best Fortnite Settings
- Best PUBG Settings
- Best Apex Legends Settings
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