How to get a VALORANT Beta Key - Official Riot Games Announcement

Riot Games’ new competitive shooter game VALORANT went into closed beta on April 7th, and gamers have since been scrambling online to get access to it. Closed Beta Entitlements (or beta keys) were being given out via Twitch streamers that had access to the game with drops enabled via their livestreams. This led to a surge in the game’s popularity on the platform with a peak concurrent viewership of 1.7 million on day one.

To put an end to the certainty around how fans could get access to the game itself, Riot has put out an official announcement in an attempt to offer some clarity. Here are the key highlights that you need to know.

Steps to get a VALORANT beta key

Step 1: Create a Riot Account and a Twitch account if you haven’t already

Step 2: Connect your accounts by going to Twitch > Settings > Connections. Once done, you should be able to see a green tick like the image below.

Step 3 - Identify VALORANT livestreams on Twitch which have drops enabled. You can do this by looking for the 'drops enabled' tag below the livestream.

Step 4 - Watch these livestreams for at least two hours. Riot Games and Twitch are tracking total VALORANT stream view time, which means that you do not necessarily need to watch a single streamer for two hours.

That’s all there is to it. As long as you complete the above steps, you will be eligible to receive Closed Beta Entitlements. While crossing the two hour threshold is recommended, Riot has made it clear that everyone else who has also watched at least a few hours of streams is also eligible. 

Riot Games’ announcement also clarified a few frequently asked questions about the way these beta keys were being given out.

Do I need to be online all the time to receive an invite?

No. A percentage of all eligible accounts that are being tracked throughout the day and night will receive beta keys.

How do I increase my chances of being selected for an invite?

The selection is random but a higher weight is being given to those who have more hours watched on VALORANT streams.

Does this mean that I should watch streams all day, leave them on AFK through the night and have multiple streams running?

it is not recommended to marathon streams on Twitch. Hours watched have diminished returns.This means that for every additional hour you watch, your chances go up by a smaller and smaller percentage.

Should I use viewbots to increase my chances?

No. Both Riot Games and Twitch have filters in place to distinguish between bots and people.

Can I just buy a VALORANT beta key from ebay or somewhere else?

No. Riot Games is actively on the hunt for account sellers. If you buy a VALORANT account, it could be banned before launch.

Can I contact player support to get a key?

No. You cannot get beta keys via player support.