So what exactly is Valorant? In its simplest terms, think of a 5v5 hybrid of Counter Strike and Overwatch. Specifically, the game plays a lot more like the former, with elements of the latter sprinkled in. For most of Valorant, you’ll be using a variety of guns, regardless of the character you pick. From the looks of it, you’re free to pick your favourites, like you would in Valve’s shooter. But on the flip side, the characters each have four abilities with cooldowns, much like Activision Blizzard’s shooter. At least, that’s what the game looks like based on its alpha gameplay that Riot Games released. From the clip shown, Valorant will also have a bomb defusal-type mission similar to the one found in Counter Strike. The game format is, as mentioned, 5v5, and each match runs for 24 rounds. Valorant will be free-to-play on PC when it gets released. As for when, Riot Games says it’s launching the game globally in summer 2020. For us without four seasons, this is between the tail ends of June and September. There’s currently no word on a console release. You can sign up for more updates via the game’s main site, linked below. (Source: Riot Games. Image: Valorant / Twitter)