VALORANT: What is the Premier Mode?

Launched in 2023, the Premier mode is VALORANT’s official team tournament system, integrated into the pro ecosystem. In this mode, organised teams of five players can queue together for scheduled weekly matches and playoffs. Riot describes Premier as “our in-game competitive tournament system”.

It features laddered divisions (Open, Intermediate, Advanced, Elite, and Contender) with playoffs at each stage. Crucially, reaching the highest Premier division, Contender, puts teams on the path to the pro circuit. From 2024 onwards, Riot has made Premier the gateway to Challengers and the wider VCT. In practice, this means that a team rising through the Premier divisions could earn a place in the VALORANT Champions Tour.

Premier is fully integrated into the Riot Esports ladder. Teams compete across divisions in each VALORANT Episode (with a new Invite tier added above Contender in late 2024). Riot's 2024 updates, for example, explained that winning in Contender could promote a team to the new Invite division, or even directly to Challengers qualification. Riot guarantees that the top two teams in each Contender division will be able to enter the Challengers League. In 2025, Riot reiterated that Premier (along with the new VALORANT Regional Circuit) remains a "vital proving ground" and an entry point to professional play. In short, Premier is where amateur teams must prove themselves every week to progress towards the VCT.

Starting in 2024 onwards, Riot formally incorporated Premier into the official promotion system. This meant that, for the first time, Premier teams could qualify for Challengers via the season’s Promotion/Relegation tournaments. In a May 2024 announcement, Riot explained that teams would earn promotion spots based on their Premier (Contender) results. In each region, the top Contender teams from the season would enter a "Promotion and Relegation" bracket against the bottom Challenger teams.

In the EMEA region, Riot outlined the format for 2024: the promotion tournament took place in early May and featured four Premier-qualified teams from each zone, as well as the two Challenger teams that had been relegated. In France specifically, the Split 1 Up&Down bracket included the top four French Contender teams, while the top two were included in Split 2. The Premier teams competed in a group stage, then progressed to a final 'GSL' stage against the relegated Challengers teams. The two winners of that stage earned spots in the next Challengers season.

Riot's rules stated that, in the GSL round, the winner of the winner's bracket match would automatically be promoted to the Challengers league, while the loser of the upper bracket final will play against the winner of the losers bracket to decide the second promotion spot. In practice, this means that a Premier team advancing through its bracket could knock out an established Challengers team to claim a Challengers League slot. In the 2024 French Challengers circuit, Premier-qualified squads joined the Up & Down matchups, demonstrating how the system works.

Looking ahead to 2025, Premier will remain at the heart of VALORANT’s competitive pyramid. Riot's roadmap confirms that Premier (along with the new VALORANT Regional Circuits) will continue to serve as a vital entry point for players on their path to becoming professionals. The 2025 season (Episode 10 and beyond) will feature ongoing Premier Stages, through which teams can qualify for Challengers League season splits and international events.

Meanwhile, the Challenger format has expanded to include multiple stages per year, each with its own promotion and relegation tournament. For instance, Riot's 2025 plans for the EMEA region include three year-long Challengers EMEA tournaments, with each tournament being fed by regional leagues. In all cases, Premier remains the gateway: amateur teams must progress through Premier to reach the Challenger stage tournaments.