VALORANT Episode 5 Release Date and Start Time Explained

Episode 4 of Valorant is coming to an end, which means players are already looking forward to the next one. The upcoming major update will kickstart Episode 5, Act 1, which will give us the much-awaited Pearl map, which will be the eighth one in the hit hero shooter. The sad part is that Pearl will take Split’s place in the Competitive and Unrated pool. The Split map will be removed from the game two weeks after the Episode 5 update, and there’s no statement from Riot regarding the map’s return, so technically that brings us back down to seven maps in total.

Episode 5 Act 1 will also give us a new Battle Pass and the new Ascendant rank, which will be placed between Diamond and Immortal. So the new Episode will introduce several significant changes to Riot’s FPS title.

Riot Games confirmed that Valorant Episode 5 Act 1 will start on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022. The current battle pass will end on the same day, so you have one more day to unlock the remaining items if you’re still behind.

Riot doesn’t officially reveal a start time for Valorant updates, but the last few acts all launched at 6 AM PDT. So assuming that Riot sticks to the same schedule, here’s when Valorant players in the NA region will get Episode 5 Act 1:

• Pacific Timing: 6-7 AM PDT (June 22nd)
• Central Timing: 8-9 AM PDT (June 22nd)
• Eastern Timing: 9-10 AM PDT (June 22nd)

VALORANT E4 Act 3 Competitive Queue is Ending Soon

Before launching Episode 5, Riot will shut down Valorant’s competitive queue. During that period, players will only be able to access Unrated, Spike Rush, and Deathmatch game modes. The in-game status revealed that the Valorant Episode 4 Act 3 competitive queue is ending on June 22nd at 7:30 AM IST (Indian Time), which is 7 AM in PT. Players can check the exact timing for their region through the Act Rank tab in the game.

• More: Valorant New Pearl Map Sparks Dust 2 Inspired Map Speculations

How Long Will Valorant Servers Be Down?

Major Valorant updates usually shut down the game’s servers for around four hours. If the Episode 5 Act 1 update drops at 6 AM PDT (Pacific Timing), players in NA can jump into the new content by 10 AM PDT. Valorant players can check the server status on the game’s official website, which currently says, “This Act’s Competitive queue is ending soon. Check your Act Rank tab for specific times.”