Valorant community code: Toxic players to get banned from chat, voice and ranked

Valorant, Riot's highly-anticipated character-based tactical FPS, has now officially launched,  along with a new map and the 11th agent who goes by the name Reyna. 

With the Valorant patch 1.0, a long list of changes, updates, and new additions has arrived, as well as a myriad of bug fixes and quality of life changes.

One of the things that will players surely appreciate is the addition of Valorant community code penalties, something to help with the toxic behaviour and people who are flaming, hating, insulting and overall making your experience with the game worse.

(Picture: Riot Games)

When a new player enters the game for the first time, a pop-up window with the community code will appear and it is strongly advised for players to give the full document a read.

If players are not behaving properly, they will be punished accordingly.

• Read more: Valorant Ignition Battle Pass: Skins, Cost, Tier List & more

The first level of punishment will be chat and voice restrictions for repeat offenders, that last 72 hours.

Chat restrictions will be enforced for "all" and "team" chat, but your "party" chat will still be available. Voice restrictions will be enforced for "team" chat, but your "party" voice will still be available.

• Read more: Riot devs confirm surrender feature is coming to Valorant

Also, getting a restriction will require you to log out. Riot wants you to relax and think about what you have done before coming back to the game.

(Picture: Riots Games)

Other, more severe consequences include:

• Restrictions or additional requirements to access experiences such as Ranked queues.
• Restricted access to social systems and features in any of Riot’s games.
• Removal of content found to be obtained inappropriately.
• Temporary or indefinite suspension from VALORANT, or all of Riot’s games.

To save yourself from getting banned, you need to act and behave according to Valorant Community Code.

Valorant Community Code

• Triumphant through teamwork

The best experiences in VALORANT come from teamwork. We believe that coordination with teammates is part of an individual’s expression of skill, and that everyone plays their best when they’re playing together.

We celebrate the teammate who clutches the round, but we recognize that these moments have the greatest impact when you’re working together to set each other up every round. We intend to deliver experiences, tools and content that enable teams to play cohesively, whether they’ve had five or five hundred rounds to get to know one another.

• Fairness in every match

To have meaningful stakes in every match, the conditions for that match must be fair for all players. We believe that fairness means games are free from cheating, misuse of game systems, and all forms of harassment.

We aim to uphold competitive integrity, and to ensure that all players are treated with respect in our ecosystem. When addressing disruptive behavior, we believe that penalties should reflect the standards and needs of the community, and that they should address the specifics of the disruptive behaviour rather than being overly punitive.

• A game where players thrive

It’s up to us to set the conditions for VALORANT that enable every player to play their best. That means ensuring safety, fairness, and agency over experiences on our platform. We strive to give players the tools they need to protect themselves and their account, and we trust them to use them to curate their experience.

We believe in giving players control over how they interact with their peers, and in providing meaningful options for exercising that control - options that don’t compromise their ability to compete and coordinate with their team. Even with many options, we intend to protect every player’s right to choose how they coordinate and to prevent players from being forced out of channels due to fear or abuse.

• Expectations

Every VALORANT player deserves an opportunity to be themselves and play their best. You deserve to be able to play each match free from harassment, hatred, and abuse; so do your teammates and your opponents.

To create a game that lives up to our values above, we need your help. When you play VALORANT, we both ask and expect you to commit to the following:

• Compete to win, together

Teamwork wins games. Recognize that you can only win WITH teammates, not in spite of them.

For example, we expect and encourage you to:

✓ Stay focused on strategy. If you can’t agree, pick something and commit. You’re better off working together on a questionable plan than not working together at all.
✓ Leverage your team’s strengths and help cover their weaknesses. They’ll cover yours too!
✓ Celebrate the plays of your teammates. You set them up, help them shine in the moment!
✓ Bring your best self to every match. Everyone has bad games - we understand! But don’t queue up if you’re not in it to win.

✗ Don’t give up on teammates, even if they’re having a bad game.
✗ Never sabotage your team or try to ruin the game, even if you’re not having fun.
✗ Please don’t tell teammates how they should be playing. If they’re open to it, constructive feedback is great! But don’t order people around, even if you’re frustrated.
✗ Avoid spending more time arguing than collaborating. If you’re out for the round, focus on helping your team finish strong rather than arguing with them while they close it out.

• Commit to respect and empathy

We ask that you treat others with dignity and respect. Exercise empathy and seek to build trust with teammates so that they can perform their best.

For example, we expect and encourage you to:

✓ Obey the platinum rule - Treat others as they wish to be treated. If you don’t know, ask.
✓ Respect individual differences and experiences. VALORANT is a global community.
✓ Treat everyone like they can teach you something - they might just broaden your worldview.
✓ Use spicy language with caution. If you’ve just met, don’t assume everyone will understand your meaning or intent. If someone asks you not to use a term, stop - even if you don’t think it’s offensive.
✓ Communication channels are a shared space! Keep comms focused on coordination, even if you’re waiting to respawn.

✗ Never use hateful or abusive language. We do not tolerate derogatory comments on any player's gender, race, sexual orientation, age, mental or physical abilities, religious affiliations, or country of origin.
✗ Don’t make jokes about people. People aren’t punchlines.
✗ Threats of any kind are unacceptable in VALORANT. Intent doesn’t matter here, and it’s on you to know your audience if you think it’s “just a joke.”
✗ Don’t expect someone to “toughen up” over your language. If you upset someone, own it and do better next time. Respect people’s boundaries.
✗ Avoid blasting comms channels with background noise, music, or spam.

• Protect your team and community

Build the community you want to play in, one match at a time. Use tools and good judgement to protect yourself and your peers, and support others when they need your help.

For example, we expect and encourage you to:

✓ Use settings and systems to manage the experience you want to have. Opt out of communication channels you don’t want to be in. Turn on language filters, use mutes, and report behavior that isn’t okay.
✓ If someone is harassing a teammate, speak up if you’re able. Take care not to make the situation worse, but sometimes a little support can mean a lot to your teammate.
✓ Help keep games free from cheating or glitch abuse; if you think someone else is doing it, report it so we can take care of it.

✗ Don’t call for mass reports or pull teammates into an argument. One report is enough to let us know something’s happening.
✗ Don’t let someone bring you down to their level. If a player is harassing you, often it’s better to disengage than to “fire back.” It takes two to keep a fight going.

• Be your own last line of defense 

Help Riot keep you safe. Be responsible with your account, devices, personal information, and conduct.

For example, we expect and encourage you to:

✓ Use strong passwords and keep all your devices secure.
✓ Let us know as soon as possible if you think your account has been hacked.
✓ Accounts have a one-person maximum. We expect you to keep your account secure and not to let anyone else use it. If you want to rank up, play with your friends; Don’t ask your friends to play for you.
✓ Play responsibly. Practice self care so you can bring your best to every game you play.

✗ Never run third-party programs that interfere with gameplay. We expect you to exercise caution and good judgment here.
✗ Don’t share personal information with strangers. Also, don’t share anyone else’s information. We have a zero tolerance policy for doxxing on our platform.
✗ Do not impersonate anyone. In particular, don’t impersonate Rioters or highly visible players.
✗ Avoid queueing up for one more when you know you’re tilted. Take breaks, and recognize when you’re getting frustrated.