Riot Games addresses consistent technical issues at VALORANT Champions 2026

On Thursday, Riot Games made an official statement regarding the poor technical experience at VALORANT Champions 2026 Shanghai. The biggest controversy so far was surrounding the 100 Thieves vs FUT Esports match, which was marred by a slew of technical pauses. The most notable moment that caused a huge uproar in the community was during FUT’s anti-eco round in the first half of Split, where Doğan "xeus" Gözgen suddenly stopped shooting, which eventually cost them the 1v3 loss. The round was not rolled back, which led to a major backlash from the FUT players and the overall community as well.

After the match, players from FUT Esports expressed their displeasure, with Eray "yetujey" Budak refusing to attend the post-match press conference. Other players such as Nongshim RedForce’s Kim "Francis" Mu-bin and Team Liquid’s Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko have also expressed their concerns regarding the technical problems at the event.

Riot Games have acknowledged in the official statement that the “experience at Champions so far has not met the standards we expect for players and fans”. The repeated mouse issues in several matches have led Riot to advise players to use a wired mouse connection rather than a wireless mouse. Additionally, the custom metal desks will be replaced by ones fabricated with a different material. A permanent solution is expected to take effect in the next few days, but the damage has already been done with regard to the perception of the event.

The second part of the statement addresses the aforementioned bug xeus faced in the 100 Thieves vs FUT Esports. An official post-game evaluation led Riot Games to the conclusion that the round should indeed have been replayed, with Riot apologizing for the error. However, such a match altering decision being handled in this manner sets a bad precedent for the players and fans. Furthermore, the result of the 100 Thieves vs FUT Esports match would stand as “other options would result in a victory by a team that competed under the same conditions and was not responsible for the error.”

Ultimately, it’s a poor sign for the crowning event of the final VALORANT Champions Tour before a major overhaul of the system heading into 2027. The best outcome as the tournament progresses would be to have minimal tech pauses for a seamless experience for both players and fans.