Valorant has maintained its standing as a well-liked playing esport as new numbers reveal its 2024 spike wasn’t non permanent.
A Sharpr report revealed on July 24, 2025, has revealed that Valorant is constant its climb as a well-liked betting topic effectively into 2025. This confirms expectations that the sport would change into a betting mainstay, mirroring Counter-Strike’s huge recognition. The continued progress might be pushed even additional in 2026 due to coverage modifications by developer Riot Video games. Whereas its explosive progress final 12 months hasn’t subsided, Valorant’s betting volumes nonetheless sit beneath the large three of CS2, League of Legends, and Dota 2.
The brand new knowledge comes from Kambi, a betting options supplier that’s partnered with greater than 50 world operators. The info reveals which video games are hottest with bettors and compares them with charges from earlier years. The graph beneath signifies betting deal with, which is the entire sum of money wager on a given esport.
Picture Credit score: Sharpr
Whereas Counter-Strike continues to be the clear chief in esports playing, Valorant’s year-over-year progress has continued previous its preliminary spike in 2024. It now represents 4.8% of all esports deal with, inserting it above a number of different fashionable titles. Valorant’s progress in 2024 might be attributed to its growing aggressive circuit and rising recognition with informal players. Bettors could also be extra inclined to wager on a steady esports scene over one that’s nonetheless growing. Notice that Counter-Strike is the oldest esport inside the prime three whereas Dota 2 is technically the youngest, excluding the unique Warcraft 3 mod.
Picture Credit score: Sharpr
In North America, the entire share of cash wagered on Valorant is greater than double the remainder of the world at 11.5%. The sport seems to be extra fashionable in North America than in Europe, although regional participant counts for Valorant should not publicly accessible. Riot is in the end a North American firm, which might affect regional participant counts. It’s additionally doable that American League of Legends bettors usually tend to wager on Riot’s different aggressive titles.
Why is playing on Valorant turning into fashionable?
Valorant’s continued recognition as a playing esport could be attributed to its similarity to Counter-Strike and up to date coverage shifts by Riot Video games.
Counter-Strike is the preferred betting esport on the earth for a lot of causes. It has a protracted aggressive historical past, and is the oldest aggressive title included in Kambi’s knowledge. It’s additionally internationally fashionable, with the sport reaching success throughout Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Its stats-heavy gameplay is good for prop bets, and the sport’s pores and skin distribution system is arguably a type of playing in its personal proper.
Picture Credit score: Riot, Valve
Valorant shares lots of these traits. As a tactical shooter, it’s straightforward to interrupt down gamers’ performances into uncooked numbers. As a Riot title, it rapidly achieved recognition all around the world. Nevertheless, it’s lacking the identical aggressive historical past as Counter-Strike. The title formally launched on June 2, 2020, giving it simply over 5 years of historical past. Its advanced gameplay may additionally make it rather less casual-friendly than Counter-Strike, with agent skills generally making huge performs tough to parse.
Current modifications by Valorant developer Riot Video games might additional increase its playing recognition. On June 26, 2025, Riot introduced that prime Valorant and League of Legends groups will have the ability to settle for betting sponsorships for the primary time. This is able to enable bookies to straight promote to Valorant followers utilizing their favourite gamers as a automobile for engagement.
Whereas it nonetheless lags behind extra established aggressive titles, Valorant’s maturing esports scene and Riot’s new gambling-friendly insurance policies might lead to a good larger increase in 2026.
