The limited beta for Riot Games’ free-to-play first-person tactical hero shooter, Valorant, is currently underway on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and if you’re wondering how these versions compare, read ahead.
Valorant offers two graphics mode across PS5 and Series X|S. The graphical settings in both modes across all three consoles are largely identical, including texture quality, shadows, anisotropic filtering, ambient occlusion, with the differences coming down to frame rate and, in the case of the Xbox Series X, resolution.
In terms of resolution, the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S versions of Valorant operate at a native resolution of 4K (2160p) in the Standard graphics mode. In High Frame Rate mode, however, the Xbox Series S version drops to 1440p, while the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions retain a native resolution of 4K.
With regards to performance, all versions of Valorant target a frame rate of 60 fps in the standard mode, and do a good job of consistently maintaining. In High Frame Rate mode, all three versions target a frame rate of 120 fps. All versions frequently tend to dip below the target by a few frames, though this can be mitigated by enabling VRR on supported displays.
On the whole, even in Beta, all console versions of Valorant deliver a solid experience, though the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions offer the preferred way to play at native 4K and 120 fps.
Those expecting other differences in the form of controller-specific features should note that the PS5 version of Valorant will not support gyro aiming functionality in order to maintain parity with the Xbox version. Coleman Palm, Product Management Lead on Valorant, clarified that this is not a blind spot for the development team at Riot Games. He explained that if the studio leaned heavily into gyro aiming being “the way to play” on console, it would be recommending the PS5 version over Xbox Series X|S version, which isn’t something it wanted to do.
