Everything You Need to Know About Premier

Game Updates25/08/2023

First time playing in Premier? Or maybe you just need a refresh on the who, what, when, and where. No worries—we’ve got you. Get started using the info below, or if you’ve just got some lingering questions you need answers to.

As always, keep the feedback coming in your favorite VALORANT community space.

PREMIER FAQ

GENERAL

How long is a Premier Stage?

Stages generally last as long as an Act.

Will anything transfer from Stage to Stage?

Yes! Your team, match history, and zone selection will carry over to the next Stage.
Your overall Premier performance will carry over in your Premier Crest, found on the Premier Tab of the Career page at the start of the next Stage.
Premier Score will NOT carry over between Stages.
If your team earned a promotion, you’ll see that noted on your division icon at the start of the next Stage.
Your division will change to a Provisional Division at the start of the next Stage.
Your division may change based on roster changes, your performance in Competitive, and the number of teams playing in Premier.

Where do I find Premier in the client?

Homepage navigation has Premier as an entry, second in the list under “Play.”
The main top navigation has Premier as an entry.
An explanation modal will pop up when you visit the Premier Hub for the first time.

ELIGIBILITY & VERIFICATION

How do I become eligible for Premier?

You need to meet two requirements in order to be eligible to create or join a Premier team:
- Verify your identity via SMS verification.
- Determine your MMR by completing ranked placements at least once in your account lifetime.
If you’re already eligible, you will immediately see the option to “CREATE A TEAM.”

Can anyone play in Premier?

Aside from the eligibility requirements outlined above, anyone with a VALORANT account in good standing is able to play in a Premier Stage.
- An account in good standing is one that is not currently banned. This also applies to accounts facing a Ranked queue restriction if the restriction period coincides with the play period.
If you have received a Game Ban, Vanguard Intervention, Ranked Restriction or Comms Restriction in the last 30 days you will be ineligible to join a Premier Team and/or queue up for Premier matches.
If you receive a Comms Restriction, Game Ban, or Vanguard Intervention during Premier, you will be disqualified for the rest of the Premier Stage.

How do I verify my phone number?

From the Premier Hub, click Verify.
Select your country code from the dropdown.
Enter your phone number (area code first) into the second box.
You’ll receive a text message with a confirmation code - enter that into the next screen.
1. You should only submit this once initially and the confirmation message may be delayed.
You’re verified!

What if I have issues verifying my phone number?

Most issues are solved by waiting ten minutes then requesting a confirmation code again.
We’ve seen some cases where the resolution of the client can cause compression with the text box pop up and lead to errors. Try changing to 1920x1080 and verify again.
For any other issues, reach out to Player Support!

What happens if I un-verify my account?

If you un-verify your account, the client will warn you that you will not be able to play in Premier until you go through the verification process again.
Only one number is allowed per account, with a 6-month cooldown on used phone numbers. If you unlink a phone number from your account, you're unable to use a different number on the account for 6 months. You can relink the original number at any time with no lock out.
In case you are unverified and are on a team already, you will NOT be kicked from your team, but you will be ineligible to queue.

What is Contender Eligibility?

Only players with Contender Eligibility can be added to a team that’s already in Contender or Invite.
You’ll have Contender Eligibility if in the current OR previous Stage you:
- Played a Weekly or Playoff match on a team in Contender or Invite.
- Reached Immortal 3 or higher peak rank in Competitive.
- Played in a Playoff match in Elite 5.
Five Contender Eligible players are guaranteed to seed into Contender Division.
Your eligibility status is shown on the Premier tab of the Career page.

INVITES & TEAM MANAGEMENT

Can I join more than one team?

No, only one team per account, however, you can switch teams at any point.

Can I cancel team invites/remove teammates?

Team Owners may cancel team invite requests and remove players from their team.

What’s the difference between a Team Owner, Team Captain, and Party Leader?

Team Owner: Can invite players, customize the team logo, promote another player to Owner, promote/demote another player to/from Captain, delete the team entirely, and choosing or change a zone. (They can also leave the team - if they do, Team Owner will be passed to the player that's been on the team the longest.)
Team Captain: Can help with team management, including inviting and removing members. They cannot delete the team, kick the Owner out, or change the team logo/colors.
Party Leader: Queues the team up when ready to play in a Premier match, and is responsible for locking in choices during map pick and ban in tournaments.

Does the Team Owner of Captain have to be present to play?

No, neither the Team Owner nor Captain have to be present in order for a team to play in a Premier match.

How many Team Captains can a team have?

Each team can have up to one Team Captain.

Are there restrictions on who I can be on a team with?

Nope! We encourage you to invite all of the players you think you’ll want to play with before you play your first match (since it will be more restrictive once you’re locked into a division)—so feel free to join a team with your Bronze friend and your Diamond friend. We’ll find the best division for your team based on the MMR of the top 5 players on your team.
- Currently, before you play your first match, we'll show you the division you'll wind up in if you play a match with your current team. If you change your roster before you play your first match, your division might change to recalculate for the new top 5 players in MMR on the team. Once you queue up to play your first match, your division is locked in.
- Note: if your team has players who are really far apart in skill, we’ll adjust the division to weigh the best player’s MMR more heavily.
However, there are restrictions once you play a match with your team: You’ll be limited to only inviting other players that would not cause your team to change divisions.
- If inviting a player would cause your team to change divisions, the Team Owner (or Captain) will see the error message, "This player is outside your team's skill range and cannot be invited.”
Contender and Invite Divisions: You can only add Contender Eligible players to your roster.
- If you attempt to invite a player that is not Contender Eligible, you’ll see an error message, “This player is not eligible to join a Contender or Invite team.”
- You can see if you are Contender Eligible by checking the Premier tab of the Career page.

Can I make roster changes on my team anytime?

When you have a Provisional Division, you can freely invite anyone to your roster.
Once your division is no longer Provisional:
- Open - Elite Divisions: You can only invite players that will not affect your team’s division. If inviting a player would cause your team to change divisions, you’ll see the message: "This player is outside your team's skill range and cannot be invited.”
- Contender and Invite Divisions: You can only invite Contender Eligible players.

How many people can be on a team?

A team must have at least 5 players, and can have up to 7.

Which players can play in matches?

Any of the 7 players on your roster can play in any given match.
The Team Owner or Captain does not need to be present for the team to queue up.

Can I leave a team at any time?

Yep! Unless your team is actively in queue, you can leave the team at any time from the Premier Hub by clicking on the context (…) menu by your username and click Leave Team.
In order to receive a Premier Crest, you must have played two Weekly matches or one Playoff match with that team.

Do I forfeit participation rewards if I leave my team?

Nope! As long as you’ve played at least one match, you’ll still be eligible for your reward.

What happens if I don't want to stay with my team when it carries over to a new Stage?

When a new Stage starts, your team roster will carry over, but you can still choose to leave at any time.

SEEDING & DIVISIONS

What divisions exist?

There are 22 divisions split up into 5 groups (from highest to lowest):
- Invite
- Contender
- Elite 1-5
- Advanced 1-5
- Intermediate 1-5
- Open 1-5

How do I know what division my team is in?

Your team’s division is displayed on the Premier hub and on your Team page.

What is a Provisional Division?

At the start of a new Stage or upon team creation, your team is given a Provisional Division, shown on the Premier hub and on your Team page.
This is based on the Competitive MMR of the top 5 players on your team, and updates based on changes to your roster, zone, and total number of Premier players.
When you have a Provisional Division, you can freely invite anyone to your roster.
Once your team finishes your first match of the current Stage, your division is locked in for that Stage and no longer Provisional.
Division becomes Provisional again at the start of the next Stage.
A Provisional Division icon is slightly grayed out. A non-Provisional Division icon is fully colored.
Invite Division: Your division is never Provisional.

How does division seeding work? When does it happen?

At the start of a new Stage or upon team creation, your team is given a Provisional Division based on the Competitive MMR of the top 5 players on your team.
The average of those 5 MMRs places your team within an MMR range of a specific division.
This calculation is done each time your team changes your roster or zone.
- Note that if your team has players who are really far apart in skill, we’ll adjust the division to weigh the best player’s MMR more heavily.

Can my team change divisions during a Stage?

Once your team has played a match in the current Stage, your team cannot change divisions.

TEAM CREATION & ZONES

Do I need to do anything special (like enroll my team in the current Stage) in order to play?

Nope! As long as you have 5 eligible players on your team, you’ll be able to queue up for matches.

Can I join part way through the Stage?

Yep! There’s no deadlines - once you have an eligible team together, you can play matches.
Please note, if you join too late, there may not be enough match opportunities for you to earn a high enough Premier Score to qualify for playoffs.

What can team owners do during team creation?

Choose a zone
Choose a team name (5 characters minimum, 15 maximum)
Choose a team tag (1 character minimum, 5 max)
Choose a team logo and colors

When can a team change their name? Icon/logo?

Team names and tags cannot be changed once created.
Icons/colors can be changed at any time.

How do I know which zone to choose?

Team Owners choose a zone when the team is created and can change at any time before the team plays their first match of the current Stage.
Within the zone, you’ll be recommended the top 2 pods (example, Central vs. Texas) based on the lowest average latency of the Team Owner.
Players that choose zones with multiple pods should be matchmade as per our usual matchmaking heuristics (ping-based).
Teams in Invite Division do not choose a zone - they’re placed into the correct zone when promoted from Contender Division.

Can I change zones?

Team Owners can change their zone in the Team Settings dropdown anytime before the team has played a match in the current Stage.
Teams in Invite Division cannot change their zone at any time.

TEAM HUB & PREMIER SCORE

Where can I view team standings?

From the menu, navigate to > PREMIER > STANDINGS.
Standings are updated when Premier matches are completed.

Can I view other division standings that are not my own?

Yes! You can view standings in other zones and divisions using dropdowns in the top left of the standings tab.
To view Invite Division standings, select a zone with (Invite) in the name. Selecting that zone will automatically show standings for the Invite Division.

How are ties in standings broken?

Teams are listed on the standings by playoff Result first, with ties broken by Premier Score → Total Matches Played → Round Differential.

Where can I view my team’s match history?

The match history tab shows team-level match history where individual game participation still appears in player-level match history.
Team Match History contains a way to view past tournament match brackets and final tournament standings.

What is the Premier Score?

Each match you play earns points towards your Premier Score.
Open - Elite DIvisions: Premier Score determines if your team qualifies for playoffs.
Contender and Invite Divisions: Premier Score affects your position in the standings. The top teams on the standings qualify for playoffs.

How do I accumulate points?

Open - Elite DIvisions: Teams earn 100 points for a Weekly match win, and 25 points for a loss.
Contender and Invite Divisions: Teams earn 100 points for a Weekly match Win, and 0 points for a loss.
Tournament matches do not award points.

QUEUEING UP

Where can I queue for Premier matches?

Click the “Play” button under the Premier Hub or under the general client Navigation. Both will take you to the lobby.
When the queue window is open, you'll be able to queue up when you have your party together.
We highly encourage you to queue as early in the weekly window as possible, as doing so at the last minute may result in not being able to find a match.

When can I queue for my Premier matches?

The schedule on the Premier Hub shows the queue window for your zone. You can only queue during these windows.
Open - Elite Divisions:
- You can queue up anytime within that one hour window and we’ll try to find you a match. We highly encourage you to queue as early in the window as possible, as doing so at the last minute may result in not being able to find a match.
- The complete schedule will appear in your Team Hub when Premier launches in client, but expect to typically see at least two evenings per week in your local time zone for Weekly matches, and playoffs on the last day of the Stage.
Contender and Invite Divisions:
- The waiting period is 15 minutes instead of just a general queue window. The queue will have a countdown timer to when you can expect to be matched.
- You do not have to wait in queue the full 15 minutes. Just make sure you’re in queue when the waiting period ends to secure your spot.
- The complete schedule will appear in your Team Hub when Premier launches in client, but expect to see one evening per week where you’ll play two Weekly matches, and playoffs on the last day of the Stage.

When are the queue windows?

Queue windows are unique to each zone, and are on match days or tournament days in the evening for your local time zone.
Most Weekly matches are held around 7pm local time, but this can vary per zone anywhere between 7-9 pm local time. Check your Premier Hub for exact queue windows.

What if a player in my party is displayed as ineligible to queue?

Confirm the player is verified via SMS.
Confirm all players are on the same Premier team.
Confirm player accounts are not restricted for disruptive behavior.

What if my party is unable to queue?

For any match:
- Confirm the queue windows are open.
- Confirm the party has 5 eligible players.
For Weekly matches:
- Confirm your Weekly match limit has not been reached.
For playoffs:
- Confirm your roster has met the requirements to qualify for the tournament.
- Confirm the tournament limit has not been reached.

WEEKLY MATCHES

How many matches can I play each week?

Premier teams can play two matches on each map per week, reset on Tuesday.
Each player can play up to two Weekly matches each week. That means if a player switches teams after playing two matches, they will be unable to play matches with their new team until the following week.

Which teams can I face in matches?

A team may only face other teams within their division and zone.
Weekly matches have rematch protection - so a team will not be paired against a team they’ve already played in the current Stage (unless they’ve already been in queue for 5 minutes - then they may get a rematch). Tournament matches do not have this protection.
- Contender and Invite Divisions: There’s strict rematch protection. You will never face the same team twice in a Stage. If there isn’t an opponent available for your team, you’ll receive a Bye.

Can I play both of my Weekly matches in one day?

Open - Elite Divisions: If you queue up early in the window, finish your match, and the queue window for your zone hasn’t closed yet, you can queue up again. (Note: Queuing up near the end of a window may result in not being able to find a match.)
- If you play two matches during a Weekly match window on a map, you won’t be able to play in the other match window(s) on that same map. (Ex. If you play two matches on Thursday on Bind, you won’t be able to play on Saturday. The Weekly match window resets on Tuesday.)
Contender and Invite Divisions: Both of your Weekly matches may be scheduled for the same day. You can play one match in each event window.

How do I know what map I am playing each match?

The featured map for each Weekly match is listed on the schedule in the Premier Hub to give you enough time to prepare.

Will my team and I be able to practice outside of our matches?

Yes. You can get into a practice match on certain non-match days during a specific one-hour practice window. These matches do not count towards your team or player Weekly match limit, affect your Premier Score, or impact your division seeding, but they otherwise follow the same structure as regular matches.
Practice matches are BO1 format on the same designated Map of the Week. Overtime rules will be win-by-2 (up to 3 sets of Overtime), then Sudden Death. Timeouts are available and each team has one timeout per side as well as one timeout in Overtime. Just like a regular Premier match.

MATCHMAKING

How fair is matchmaking in Premier?

You will only play against teams within your division, which means they are within a consistent range of team MMR thresholds.
We do our best to find matches against teams within the same division that are close in performance when teams queue.

What is rematch protection?

Rematch protection means a team will not be paired against a team they’ve already played in the current Stage unless they’ve already been in queue for 5 minutes - then they may get a rematch.
Tournaments and Practice do not have this protection.
This may be disabled in some zones and divisions to prevent unnecessarily long matchmaking times.

How long can you expect for queues?

We expect most Weekly matches to be made within 8 minutes at maximum. If you end up waiting longer, please stay in queue as leaving and re-queuing will only increase the total time your team will wait in queue.
During tournaments, the seeding period is 15 minutes for better matchmaking instead of just a general queue window. The queue will have a countdown timer to when you can expect the bracket to be created.
- During busy times it may take several minutes for your tournament bracket to show up.
- If you end up leaving the queue, you will miss your opportunity to play in the tournament.

I’ve been waiting in queue a long time. Will my match still be fair?

You may end up playing against teams with a better performance in your respective division when waiting in queues longer. But you will always be playing teams in your division, so you should always have a fair chance at winning.

My team was queued and a match was never found. What gives?

While it is highly unlikely that your team never finds a match, there may be rare instances where your team is literally the only team in the queue. However, even if you exceed the max expected wait time (8 minutes), please stay in the queue as you should get matched against the next team that joins.
Also, as we said above, we highly encourage you to queue as early in the weekly window as possible, as doing so at the last minute may result in not being able to find a match.

How is matchmaking different in Contender and Invite?

In these divisions, the waiting period is 15 minutes instead of just a general queue window. The queue will have a countdown timer to when you can expect to be matched.
- You do not have to wait in queue the full 15 minutes. Just make sure you’re in queue when the queue closes to secure your spot.
At the end of the queue time, teams are seeded into matches based on current record.
There’s strict rematch protection, so you will never face the same team twice in a Stage.
If there isn’t an opponent available for your team, you’ll receive a Bye.
Byes award you a match win and 100 points. They do not award round score.

LIVE MATCHES

Are the rules different from standard Competitive?

Overtime rules are different and are as follows:
- The first team to win 12 rounds gains Overtime Priority.
- Team with Overtime Priority chooses Starting Side for Overtime by voting, using a simple majority of the 5 players.
- Teams must win by 2. Every round, teams swap sides.
- If 3 sets of Overtime have been played, play one final round of Sudden Death.
- Sudden Death side choice is whatever the team with Overtime Priority chose during Overtime Starting Side Choice Phase.

Are Weekly matches Best of 1?

Yes.

Are there timeouts?

Teams have two timeouts that can be used at any time.
If the game goes into overtime, each team is given 1 additional timeout.

PLAYOFF TOURNAMENTS

How do I qualify for the playoff tournament?

Open - Elite Divisions: Earn at least 600 Premier Score to qualify for playoffs. Standings have no bearing on playoff qualification.
Contender and Invite Divisions: Place in the top teams on the standings at the end of Weekly matches to qualify for playoffs. Premier Score is used as a tiebreaker on standings.

How does my Premier Score and seeding work together?

Teams with higher Premier Scores will have more favorable seeding in the tournament.

How are ties for qualification resolved?

Open - Elite Divisions: Qualification for playoffs is based on your team’s Premier Score, not position on the standings. As long as you’ve hit the qualifying Premier Score and queue up at the right time, you’ll be eligible to be placed into a bracket.
Contender and Invite DIvisions: Ties are broken by Premier Score → Total Matches Played → Round Differential.

Is there more than one winning team per division?

Yes! All teams within a division that qualify for playoffs are matched into a bracket of up to 8 teams. Each bracket results in one winning team.

What if my team misses the tournament queue window?

You will not be able to participate in the tournament.

How many teams are in a playoff bracket?

A tournament bracket can have up to 8 teams in it, and may start with as few as 2.

What happens if I lose?

If your team loses in a tournament, you’re eliminated.

What is the map pick-and-ban system?

During map pick and bans, teams take turns banning maps. All members on the team can vote on which map to ban, and the party leader locks in the team's choice.

The process alternates between teams until a map is chosen. The team that did not choose the map then gets to choose if they'd like to attack or defend.
Map pick and ban is only available in tournament matches.

Can I substitute a player in between matches?

We do not currently support subs during tournaments.
The 5 players that queue up for the first match of the tournament will be locked in for the rest of the matches in that tournament.

How much time do I have between tournament matches?

Teams will have at least a 5 minute rest period between tournament matches.
You may end up waiting longer if your match is complete and you’re waiting on your upcoming opponent’s match to finish.
The current score of matches in progress will be displayed on the bracket, which can help you estimate how much time you may have before your next match starts.

Do we play all tournament matches in one day?

Yes - matches will be played consecutively until your team is eliminated or you reach the finals.

Will I know in advance what teams are in my tournament bracket?

No - tournament brackets are decided based on who queues up at the designated time.

Are Playoff matches Best of 1?

Open - Elite Divisions: Yes.
Contender and Invite Divisions: Rounds 1 and 2 are Bo1. Finals are Bo3.

How does a Best of 3 work?

Map pick and ban takes place before each game in a match starts.
Once a map is played, it’s removed from the pool in subsequent games in the match.
There’s a 5 minute rest period between games in a match.
Games use standard Premier rules for Overtime and timeouts.

When/how can I see playoff tournament results?

Standings will show playoff results as playoff tournaments finish and lock in 24 hours after playoffs end.

PROMOTION

How can my team earn a promotion?

Promotion requirements vary based on division, and are displayed on the standings page.
Open - Elite Divisions: Win your playoff tournament bracket to earn a Promotion.
Contender and Invite Divisions: End the Stage as one of the top teams in your division to earn a Promotion.
- Number of teams Promoted to Invite varies based on zone.

When will we know if we’ve earned a promotion?

Open - Elite Divisions: Playoff winners will be notified that they’ve earned a promotion immediately upon visiting the Premier Hub after their playoff victory.
Contender and Invite Divisions: 24 hours after playoffs end, results lock in and standings will indicate what teams have qualified for promotion. Teams will be notified that they’ve earned a promotion upon visiting the Premier Hub after standings lock in.

When we earn a promotion, what division will we be in?

At the start of the next Stage, your Provisional Division will reflect your promotion if you’ve earned one.
Your new division will be at least one higher than your previous division. It may be placed in an even higher division based on skill or roster changes.

Can we get demoted?

Open - Contender Divisions: Teams are not demoted based on performance.
- If your team did not receive a promotion, membership changes or your team's Competitive performance may result in your team being placed in a lower provisional division.
Invite Division: At the end of Stage E9A3, the top 16 teams in Invite will remain in Invite. All other teams will be demoted at the start of the next Stage.
- Demoted teams will seed into the zone they originally promoted from. Next Stage, Team Owners can change their zone in the Team Settings dropdown anytime before the team plays a match.
- If your team cannot be placed into a zone at the start of the next Stage, your Team Owner will be prompted to select a zone.

What happens if my roster changes after we’ve been promoted?

Your team will start the next Stage in a division no lower than the one you got promoted to.
If your roster changes include players of higher skill, you may be placed in an even higher division.

What if we don’t play the next Stage?

Teams are only flagged for promotion for the Stage immediately following successfully meeting the promotion requirements, so if you skip a Stage you may not receive your promotion.

How does my team qualify for Challengers through Premier?

You can find out how to qualify for Challengers through Premier here.
Below you can find your region’s promotion path.

REWARDS + CREST

What rewards are there in Premier?

Everyone that participates in a Stage of Premier gets a player card.
If you win a playoff tournament, you’ll get a unique Title and Gun Buddy that corresponds to your division and lists the current Episode.

Who gets rewards?

To earn participation rewards, you must play at least one Premier match with your team (Practice matches count!)
To earn playoff champion rewards, you must qualify for your team Crest and your team must win the playoff tournament.
- Play at least two Weekly matches or play in the tournament with your team in order to earn a Crest.

When will I get my rewards?

Rewards for participating and for winning the playoff tournament will be distributed the day after the Stage ends.
Visit your collection to equip!