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Valorant

12.03 Patch Notes

PatchBalance
Source
Quick Take

Skirmish adds limited time 2v2 matchmaking, Gekko gains reclaim changes, and APAC Competitive requires MFA.

  • Skirmish: Limited time 2v2 matchmaking disables abilities. First to 10 rounds wins, with full weapon selection and no economy.
  • Gekko: Globules Reclaim timer increases 15s to 20s. Mosh Pit becomes reclaimable.
  • Competitive: In APAC, accounts flagged for sharing and all Ascendant+ players require Riot Mobile MFA for Competitive queue.
12.03 Patch Notes

VALORANT Patch Notes 12.03

Modes updates, Gekko changes, and more.Game UpdatesJOY2/17/2026

HELLO everyone! It’s Joy, bringing you the latest with patch 12.03.

This is a short one, but if you need a TL;DR:

  • Skirmish arrives as a queuable 2v2 mode
  • Pick’Ems are ready for Masters Santiago!
  • MFA is rolling out in APAC 
  • We’ve changed up Loadouts in All Random One Site

ALL PLATFORMS

AGENT UPDATES

  • Added new voice lines for Viper, including conversation lines with Omen and Vyse
  • Gekko
    • Since patch 11.08, we’ve heard the feedback that Gekko has felt substantially weaker in
      comparison to other Initiators with less of an opportunity to play around his Reclaim.
      These changes aim to unify the ruleset for how all of Gekko’s abilities work, give him
      more flexibility in reclaiming his Globules, and provide a slight power buff overall.
    • Globules
      • Reclaim timer increased 15s >> 20s
    • Mosh Pit
      • Is now reclaimable

GENERAL UPDATES

  • Audio occlusion now responds to map doorways being opened, closed, or destroyed.
  • When watching Replays, you now have a setting to skip spectating dead players.

COMPETITIVE UPDATES

  • In APAC, accounts flagged for sharing and all Ascendant+ players must enable Riot Mobile multi-factor authentication (MFA) to access Competitive queue. Other modes remain unaffected.
    • You can check out this article for more information on why we're making this change, or get yourself set up with MFA now using this how-to guide.

ESPORTS FEATURES

  • Masters Santiago Pick’Ems
    • Pick'Ems return in style for Masters Santiago! Starting February 19 (PT), you can make your picks for the Swiss Stage in-client and on the web.
    • For the Swiss Stage, you’ll be tasked with trying to predict who will advance from the
      8-Team Swiss Groups. For extra bonus points, try to predict a team who will make it out
      flawlessly with a 2-0 record.
    • Earn an exclusive title just for playing, but win additional prizes depending on how you fare against other players.
12.03 Patch Notes image 001
  • VCT Player Stats
    • Player stats are now available on the Esports Hub Teams page. Take a look and see how you compare.

MODES UPDATES

  • NEW LIMITED TIME MODE
    • Skirmish: 2v2 — Skirmish comes to matchmaking as a 2v2 queue for a limited
      time. Compact maps, no abilities—gunplay only. Grab a partner and put your mechanics to
      the test.
      • Mode Details
        • 2v2 Matchmaking Queue
          • Solo queue or bring a partner
        • First to 10 rounds wins
      • Gameplay
        • Abilities disabled
        • Full weapon selection each round (no economy)
        • No agent select–hop in and go next fast
      • Available Maps
        • Skirmish A, Skirmish B, Skirmish C
        • Map randomly selected each match
  • ALL RANDOM ONE SITE
    • Loadouts
      • We've taken a pass on Stages and Loadouts. All Random One Site is chaotic by
        design, but your loadout should still give you some agency. We've added
        weapons to a few stages and buffed some of the more niche options—hop in
        and see what's new.

BUG FIXES

  • Modes
    • All Random One Site
      • Fixed an issue where Vyse could continuously place infinite Razorvines during Buy phase.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Battlepass
    • Hitting ESC will cause the Battlepass elements to disappear/reappear instead of taking you back a page. This will be resolved in patch 12.04.
  • Store
    • The background for the accessories store is currently missing. This will be resolved in patch 12.04.
    • The Reaver Bandit is showing up incorrectly as a limited edition item. This is not limited edition and will be resolved in patch 12.04.

PC ONLY

PROGRESSION UPDATES

  •  Refreshed Event Pass & Battlepass
    • Updated layout and button visuals. You can navigate through tiers using mouse or arrow keys.
  1. Game Updates10/27/2026VALORANT Patch Notes 13.09Hush is here.
  2. Game Updates10/13/2026VALORANT Patch Notes 13.08Act 6 starts now.
  3. Game Updates9/22/2026VALORANT Patch Notes 13.06VALORANT’s big update is here.
  4. Game Updates9/1/2026VALORANT Patch Notes 13.05Pick’Ems for Champs soon, penalties for stream sniping and instalock tools, and future changes to the Agent Gear system.
  5. Game Updates8/18/2026VALORANT Patch Notes 13.04New map rotation and bug fixes for Agents and melee skins
  6. Game Updates7/28/2026VALORANT Patch Notes 13.02Phoenix ult change, new maps added to Retakes, and loads of bug fixes.
  7. Game Updates7/14/2026VALORANT Patch Notes 13.01Adjustments to Iso, Yoru, and Outlaw, and punishing rank manipulators.
  8. Game Updates6/9/2026VALORANT Patch Notes 12.11A light little patch to end Act 3.
  9. Game Updates5/27/2026VALORANT Patch Notes 12.10New Skirmish maps and Masters London Pick’Ems!

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