VALORANT Premier is Riot's competitive team mode for players who want a more structured experience than normal Ranked. You create a roster of 5–7 players, receive a Premier Division based mainly on your team's Competitive MMR, play scheduled Weekly Matches and try to qualify for a Playoff Tournament.
For standard divisions from Open through Elite, Weekly Match wins give 100 Premier Score, losses give 25, and the normal Playoff qualification threshold is 600 Premier Score.
| Premier rule | Current system |
|---|---|
| Team size | 5–7 players |
| Enrollment required? | No |
| Weekly match limit | 2 per team/player |
| Weekly map | 1 scheduled map per week |
| Win — Open to Elite | 100 Premier Score |
| Loss — Open to Elite | 25 Premier Score |
| Standard Playoff threshold | 600 Premier Score |
| Playoff format | Single elimination |
| Playoff bracket | Up to 8 teams |
| Platform | PC |
What Is Valorant Premier?
Premier is VALORANT's organized team competition system.
Instead of entering normal Ranked matchmaking with a changing group of players, Premier gives your roster:
- a persistent team;
- a team name and tag;
- a Premier Division;
- a Zone;
- scheduled Weekly Matches;
- Premier Score;
- Playoff qualification;
- promotion opportunities;
- Premier-specific rewards and visual perks.
Premier is also Riot's pathway from regular competitive play toward higher-level organized competition. The top Invite teams can ultimately connect into the Challengers ecosystem.
What Do You Need to Play Premier?
Each player must remain eligible throughout the Stage.
The main requirements are:
- verify the Riot Account through SMS verification;
- have completed at least one Ranked placement during the account's lifetime;
- keep the account in good standing;
- not be under an active gameplay, Vanguard, Competitive or communication restriction;
- be on only one Premier team at a time.
Higher Contender and Invite teams have additional eligibility restrictions.
Do You Need Account Level 20 for Premier?
You need to have completed a Ranked placement at some point, which normally means Competitive must already have been unlocked.
For modern accounts, Competitive itself requires Account Level 20.
See our guide to unlocking Ranked in VALORANT if Competitive is still unavailable on your account.
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How Does SMS Verification Work?
Premier requires Riot tournament-mode SMS verification.
One phone number can be linked to only one Riot Account for this verification system.
You must remain verified while participating in Premier.
How to Create a Premier Team
Open the Premier section of the VALORANT client and create your team.
You will choose:
- a team name;
- a short team tag;
- team logo and colors;
- your roster;
- your Zone.
Current team names use 5–15 characters, while team tags use 1–5 characters.
Premier rosters support 5 to 7 players.
Do You Still Need to Enroll for Premier?
No.
The old separate Enrollment phase is no longer required.
You can create an eligible team and begin playing during an active Stage whenever the next suitable match window is available.
Starting late is still risky because you may run out of Weekly Matches before reaching the Playoff qualification requirement.
How Are Premier Divisions Determined?
Your team receives a Provisional Division when it is created or when a new Stage begins.
The division is primarily based on the Competitive MMR of the top five players on your roster.
If your roster contains very large skill differences, Riot can weight the strongest player's MMR more heavily.
Before your first match, the provisional division can update when you:
- add or remove players;
- change Zone;
- change the overall roster composition.
Once your team completes its first Premier match of the Stage, the Division becomes locked.
All Valorant Premier Divisions
Premier currently has six main divisions:
| Division | Structure |
|---|---|
| Invite | Highest Premier Division |
| Contender | Path-to-Pro level |
| Elite | Elite 1–5 |
| Advanced | Advanced 1–5 |
| Intermediate | Intermediate 1–5 |
| Open | Open 1–5 |
Some Zones may use slightly different tier distribution based on player population.
Can Players of Different Ranks Join the Same Team?
Yes.
There is no simple Ranked restriction like the normal Competitive party rules during initial team creation.
However, large MMR differences can place the team into a stronger Premier Division.
After your first match locks the Division, you cannot add a player whose MMR would move the team into another Division.
What Is a Premier Zone?
Your Zone determines which regional pool and servers your team uses.
You compete against teams in the same Zone and Division.
You can change the Zone before playing the first match of a Stage. After the first match, it becomes locked.
Contender and Invite teams have additional Zone rules and may be assigned automatically.
How Do Weekly Matches Work?
Premier teams can normally play up to two Weekly Matches per week.
The individual player limit is also two Weekly Matches, so changing teams does not reset your personal weekly limit.
Each week uses one scheduled map.
The Premier Hub shows:
- the week's map;
- available match dates;
- queue windows;
- your Premier Score;
- team standings;
- upcoming Playoff information.
Can You Play Both Premier Matches on the Same Day?
Yes.
If your first match finishes while the queue window is still open, your team can queue again and play its second Weekly Match.
Once you have played two Weekly Matches, you cannot play additional Weekly Matches until the weekly reset.
How Long Are Premier Queue Windows?
Weekly queue windows are scheduled around your Zone and usually occur during evening hours.
Riot recommends entering queue early instead of waiting until the final minutes.
Weekly queue windows are generally much more forgiving than the Playoff window.
How Does Premier Matchmaking Work?
Your team is matched against another team within your:
- Premier Division;
- Zone;
- appropriate Premier matchmaking range.
Weekly Matches use rematch protection, so the system tries not to match you against a team you already played during the Stage.
What Is the Weekly Match Format?
Weekly Premier matches are Best of 1.
Each team has two tactical timeouts that can be called during the match.
If the match reaches overtime, each team receives another timeout.
How Does Overtime Work in Premier?
Premier uses a special tournament-style overtime system.
- The first team to reach 12 rounds receives Overtime Priority.
- That team votes on which side it wants to start overtime.
- Teams switch sides after every overtime round.
- A team normally needs to win by two rounds.
- After three overtime sets without a winner, one Sudden Death round decides the match.
What Are Premier Practice Matches?
Practice Matches are scheduled scrims against other teams in your Premier environment.
They do not:
- use one of your two Weekly Matches;
- increase Premier Score;
- change your Premier seeding.
Use them for testing team compositions, executes and map strategies without risking Stage points.
What Is Premier Score?
Premier Score is the Stage scoring system used for Weekly Matches.
For Open through Elite:
| Result | Premier Score |
|---|---|
| Weekly Match win | 100 |
| Weekly Match loss | 25 |
| Playoff match | 0 |
| Practice match | 0 |
Contender and Invite operate with additional competitive rules, so teams at those levels should follow the qualification information displayed directly in their Premier Hub.
How Many Premier Points Do You Need for Playoffs?
The normal Playoff threshold is 600 Premier Score.
Your standings position does not stop you from qualifying once you reach the required threshold in the standard divisions.
However, a higher Premier Score improves your tournament seeding.
Riot can adjust the required threshold for unusually short Stages, so always confirm the active Stage requirement in the Premier Hub.
How Many Wins Do You Need for 600 Premier Score?
If every match is a win:
6 wins × 100 = 600 Premier Score.
Loss points mean other combinations can also qualify.
For example:
| Record | Score |
|---|---|
| 6–0 | 600 |
| 6–2 | 650 |
| 5–4 | 600 |
| 5–3 | 575 |
| 4–8 | 600 |
The final example is mathematically possible only when the Stage schedule provides enough matches. Always check the current number of available Weekly Matches.
How Do Premier Playoffs Work?
After qualifying, your team must enter the Playoff queue during its designated window.
The tournament is single elimination: lose one match and your run ends.
A bracket can contain up to 8 teams, although smaller brackets can be created when fewer teams queue.
Higher Premier Score gives better seeding.
How Long Is the Playoff Queue Window?
The Playoff Tournament window is much shorter than a normal Weekly Match window.
You must be ready before it opens. Missing the window means your team cannot participate in that tournament.
How Does Map Pick and Ban Work?
Playoff matches use a map pick-and-ban process.
Players vote on bans, while the party leader locks the team's final choices.
Teams alternate bans until the match map is selected.
The team that did not select the map receives the choice of starting side.
This makes map preparation more important in Premier than normal Ranked.
Use our current VALORANT map pool guide when preparing your team's map practice.
Can You Use Substitutes During Playoffs?
Rules depend on Division.
For Open through Elite, the five players who queue for the first tournament match are locked for the remainder of that tournament.
Contender and Invite teams can substitute eligible roster members between matches, provided those players were already on the roster when Playoffs began.
What Happens If You Win Premier Playoffs?
For Open, Intermediate, Advanced and Elite teams, winning the Playoff bracket earns a promotion for the following Stage.
Your next Provisional Division will be at least one Division higher, although roster and MMR changes can potentially place you even higher.
You normally need to participate in the immediately following Stage to use the promotion.
Can You Get Demoted in Premier?
Premier does not normally demote standard teams simply because they had poor Stage results.
However, the Provisional Division can move downward in a future Stage if:
- your roster changes;
- your team's underlying Competitive MMR changes;
- the Premier population or Division boundaries change.
What Are Contender and Invite?
Contender and Invite are the top Premier Divisions and have additional competitive restrictions.
Invite is currently the highest Premier Division.
These divisions use stricter roster eligibility and special playoff structures. Successful Invite teams can progress toward regional Challengers competition, creating Riot's path from Premier into organized professional play.
What Rewards Do You Get From Premier?
Premier currently offers both Stage rewards and persistent visual team perks.
Possible rewards and perks include:
- Premier Player Card for participation;
- Division-specific Player Title for Playoff champions;
- Premier Gun Buddy for Playoff champions;
- Team Tag;
- Premier Plating around your player card;
- Premier Crest;
- Champion's Aura after a Playoff win.
How Do You Qualify for Premier Participation Rewards?
You need to play at least one valid Premier match during the Stage.
Weekly Matches and Playoff matches count.
If you leave your team after earning participation eligibility, you can still receive your Stage participation reward.
How Do Team Tags and Plating Work?
Your Team Tag becomes visible after you establish participation with the team, currently by playing:
- two Weekly Matches; or
- one Playoff match.
Premier Plating adds a special outline around your Player Card and can visually reflect Playoff qualification.
What Is a Premier Crest?
The Crest reflects your team's Premier progress, including Division, score and tournament achievements.
To qualify for a Crest with a team, you normally need to have played at least:
- two Weekly Matches; or
- one Playoff match.
What Is Champion's Aura?
Champion's Aura is a special gold visual effect earned by eligible roster members of a team that wins its Playoff tournament.
Unlike normal team plating, the Aura is attached to the player and can remain visible even if the player later changes teams.
It lasts through the following Stage.
When Are Premier Rewards Delivered?
Stage participation and Playoff champion rewards are normally delivered directly to your Collection after the Stage ends.
Riot currently states that end-of-Stage rewards are distributed on the day following the end of the Stage.
Can You Leave or Change Premier Teams?
Yes, but there are restrictions.
You can only be on one Premier roster at a time.
After a team's first match locks its Division, a new player cannot join if their MMR would move that team into another Division.
This also means leaving a team and later trying to return can fail if your eligibility or the team's MMR situation has changed.
Common Premier Mistakes
| Mistake | Better approach |
|---|---|
| Waiting for an Enrollment period | Create the team during the active Stage |
| Starting the Stage too late | Leave enough Weekly Matches to reach the Playoff threshold |
| Adding random players before first match | Understand how top-five MMR affects Division |
| Removing a player after Division lock | Check whether you will be able to re-add them |
| Queuing in the final minutes | Enter Weekly queues early |
| Missing the Playoff queue | Have all five tournament players ready beforehand |
| Treating Premier like normal Ranked | Prepare map comps, executes and pick/ban strategy |
| Ignoring Practice Matches | Use them as risk-free scrims |
Valorant Premier FAQ
How many players do you need for Premier?
A Premier roster needs 5–7 players. Five eligible players are required to play a match.
Do you need to enroll?
No. Teams can now be created and start playing during an active Stage without a separate Enrollment phase.
How many Premier matches can you play per week?
Up to two Weekly Matches per team and per individual player.
How many points does a Premier win give?
Open through Elite teams receive 100 Premier Score for a Weekly Match win.
How many points does a Premier loss give?
Open through Elite teams receive 25 points for a Weekly Match loss.
How much Premier Score is needed for Playoffs?
The standard requirement is 600 Premier Score, although Riot can adjust it for specific shortened Stages.
Can you play Premier with different Ranked ranks?
Yes. Initial team creation does not use normal Competitive party restrictions, but your roster MMR determines the Premier Division.
Can you substitute players in Playoffs?
Not in Open through Elite once the tournament roster has been locked. Contender and Invite have separate substitution rules.
Does Premier affect Ranked RR?
No. Premier has its own team competition, MMR and scoring systems.
Can Premier lead to professional Valorant?
Yes. Invite is connected to Riot's Path to Pro, where successful teams can earn opportunities toward regional Challengers competition.
Final Premier Checklist
- verify every player's Riot Account;
- make sure everyone is Premier-eligible;
- build a reliable 5–7 player roster;
- pick the correct Zone before the first match;
- understand which five players determine your Division;
- play both Weekly Matches whenever possible;
- target the active Playoff qualification threshold;
- practice the weekly map before match day;
- prepare map bans before Playoffs;
- be online before the Playoff queue window starts.
Premier rewards teams that prepare together. Individual mechanics matter, but communication, map preparation, utility combinations, economy coordination and consistent availability matter much more here than in normal solo Ranked.
