Valorant is out now, with a new Spike Rush mode, agent and map

Following a beta that apparently saw an average of three million players a day diving in, Valorant is now live. It's free-to-play, so you can start getting put down by people who have been practising for months without shelling out.

Not everything in the live version has been played by the closed beta lot, however, so you might have more luck with Reyna, the new agent revealed last week, especially if you're dabbling in the new map, Ascent, or the latest mode, Spike Rush.

Spike Rush is still in beta, though it's available through the live game. It's a more hectic version of the regular Spike mode, notably cutting down the number of rounds, making it a best of seven deal.

Reach Immortal rank with these Valorant guides

Valorant release date: When will it fully launch?
Valorant characters: All the hero abilities
Valorant ranks: How you'll be progressing
Valorant system requirements: Can you run it?
Valorant error codes: How to solve them
Valorant tips: Get more wins
Valorant beta: How to get in
Valorant guns: Damage, recoil patterns, and more

Ascent, meanwhile, takes the agents to Italy, where much of the action takes place in an big open space in the middle of the map. Riot says it's a "playground for diverse ability use" and you can expect to see it crop up more often in matchmaking for the next few days.

The launch update also brings with it a slew of tweaks, buffing and nerfing Sage, Omen, Phoenix, Raze and Jett. There's been a performance update, too, addressing framerate issues, along with some quality of life improvements.

Valorant hasn't launched with a competitive mode, but there is one on its way. "Our initial focus is making sure our service is stable before activating competitive matchmaking," says Riot. Competitive will be available after a few patches.

While you wait for it to download, take a gander at the full patch notes.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.