Happy Pride Month, VALORANT!

Ashley Tsao

2026-06-01T15:00:00.000Z

Happy Pride Month! This year, we’re highlighting the LGBTQIA+ artists in our community, creators who inspire us every day through their talent, creativity, and pride. This beautiful header of our Agents celebrating Pride month was created by Aka Souwa, who you can learn more about below!

So you can celebrate and show off your spirit in-game, we’ve returned with a new Pride title, spray, and player cards. We hope you’ve been “Holding Space” in your inventory so you can redeem these codes and add them to your collection!

Now without further ado, let’s meet our lovely artists from around the world!

Aka Souwa // Brazil

IG // X // Twitch // VGen // Portfolio

“My name is Yuji and I started drawing digitally a few years ago, VALORANT has always been an inspiration to me. I started playing from the beta and always consumed a lot of digital art, especially from a Twitter artist who posted a lot of art from the game and always encouraged me to improve my own.

I think the big moment that made me start drawing was when Gekko was released; his entire color palette enchanted me. And after Iso arrived, who is currently my all-time favorite character, that's when I really started producing art of my favorite couple and posting it online.

That's when I discovered that the LGBT+ community in VALORANT was huge. I didn't expect so many kind and nice people who ended up finding me and welcoming me, in addition to my LGBT+ friends who always played with me and encouraged me to continue creating art!

I believe that being LGBT+ in an FPS game always ends up facing prejudice, but I think that as long as we have support and friends to be together, everything will be alright.”

Spliinkles // Australia

IG // X // Twitch

"Hey! I'm Spliinkles, or Skye, an Aussie artist who picked up VAL back in mid 2021. VALORANT has always been a defining part of my life since my introduction, because of the art I've made for it. I've always been queer, and the art I create has always reflected that, though it's evolved as time has passed.

As VALORANT has grown, so have I. Graduating from university, going through different houses, and many other life-changing experiences. One of the most defining moments had been coming out as a lesbian. A realisation so personal and integral to my identity, and to see queer representation in VALORANT is a reminder that everyone has a place in this community. Because of this, I've met and made some of the kindest, most wonderful people in my life. Those who identify as queer, and allies alike, who are not afraid to hide who they are and what they support, and who can see reflections of themselves in the characters of VALORANT's story. I myself am one of them, and the art I create will always be a piece of queer media for everyone to enjoy, and it's thanks to Riot and its community that we continue to thrive as ourselves."

Khyndel // Philippines

Twitter // VGen

“What I like the most about VALORANT are the characters themselves! Even if I don't have the time to play sometimes, drawing VALORANT characters (especially Iso and Gekko) gives me so much joy because of their personality and character design. Especially when I'm artblocked, I just draw my favorite characters and I already feel inspired! <3

Besides the characters, what I like the most is that the platform allows me to spend time with my community. Even if we don't see each other in real life, art unites us by bringing our favorite things together. Drawing fanart allows me to express myself, and I am glad RIOT has created so many characters I can relate with (Not just in VALORANT)!”

Wayreyn // EMEA

Twitter

"Discovering VALORANT was a turning point in my life. Not only it brought me new friends and fun gaming sessions, but also gave me a deep sense of connection with my favorite characters!

As a lesbian, who grew up seeing no LGBT+ representation around at all, diving into a community full of support was a relief.

I sincerely believe that representation is important, and thanks to it many LGBT+ people not only become visible and supported by others, but also gain an opportunity to accept themselves for who they are, which may be really hard when all you see around is misunderstanding and hate!"

Kodybread // Philippines

IG // TikTok

“I’ve been in the VALORANT community since 2021, and have seen so many awesome queer artists who are creating art to amplify queer voices. I wanted to be a part of that, to continue in creating a space for the LGBTQ+ who loved VALORANT.

I fell in love at first sight with Phoenix. I’ve drawn him about a million times already. What I love about VALORANT is that it lets you draw their characters how you see them, and for me, it let me express my identity through him. (I love him very much)

When Killjoy and Raze were confirmed, when Clove was released, and when Phoenix’s moms were revealed, I was there, cheering with the queer community. We saw ourselves in them, and felt seen. Queer characters are not just characters to us, but representations of who we are. We are here, we exist, and we deserve to be loud!

Alek // Mexico

X // VGen

“Hi, I’m Alek, and I’m from Latin America, Mexico!

My journey with VALORANT began just over a year ago; I was really drawn in by the story and its characters, especially Iso. He's my main character and my favourite character! The community has welcomed me so warmly, so it’s always a pleasure for me to draw something for everyone.

I’m really grateful to VALORANT for making me feel part of something special and important. I hope great things are in the future and that I can continue to be part of this place, which is my family.”

PandorraArt // NA

X // Twitch // VGen

"The name's Pan. I'm a transman who has been obsessed with creating artwork, videos, and streams of my favorite video games. VALORANT sank it's teeth into my psyche all the way back in beta and has pushed me to grow in countless ways.

From the way I tackle the challenge of clutching a round, learning from failures, reveling in victories that were fought for down to the tooth and nail, as well as progressing my artstyle beyond what I ever could have anticipated."