Saying that Valorant has been a hit with gamers would be a huge understatement. The game drew in over 1.7 million concurrent viewers on Twitch on its first day of beta release. It’s had gamers with their fingers crossed that they’d get a beta key to allow them to play the game. Since the release of the beta it’s continued to grow in popularity, and is sure to skyrocket in popularity upon official relese.
One of the biggest reasons for Valorant‘s success is the various elements that come together from other highly successful games in recent years. Where the map design and gunplay are hugely inspired by Counterstrike and the variety of agents and abilities were taken from the ever popular Overwatch. On top of that – the slower, but tactical gameplay reminds me also of Rainbow Six Siege. For someone who hasn’t yet played Valorant, all of these comparisons and game elements may seem confusing to how they all come together, but somehow Riot has done it and in the process developed a brilliant video game.
If you’re like us, you’ve been addicted to Valorant and are now searching for alternative games like it to play. Here are our choices for 5 games You Need to Play after Valorant
#1 Overwatch
Overwatch was the first shooter that introduced me to ranked play, and I was absolutely hooked. With a team of 5 different characters each with their own ability, Overwatch required teams to coordinate their skills to get wins. With each win you’d increase in rank and with each loss you’d see your rank drop.
The similarity between Overwatch and Valorant is mostly apparent in character abilities. While Overwatch is more fast-paced than Valorant and has larger maps, Valorant’s agent abilities are a direct homage to Overwatch.
Because of the abilities in Valorant, many players made the comparison to OW and rightfully so. All these years later, Overwatch is still an excellent game and worth playing. Also Overwatch fans are super excited, because an Overwatch 2 is in development to be released in late 2020 or early 2021.
Similarity to Valorant – Overwatch took character abilities to the next level with the first person genre.
#2 Counterstrike: Global Offensive
If there’s one game that inspired and shaped Valorant it would be Counterstrike. In fact, many of the guns in Valorant seem to be direct clones of weapons from Counterstrike: Global Offensive. The Vandal is the AK-47, the Sheriff is the Deagle, and the Marshall is the Scount. In fact, I’ve had players refer to guns within Valorant not as their actual name, but as their counterpart in Counterstrike.
Counterstrike has always been a widely popular game, but it became even more popular when it became free to play. It’s a game of tactics, teamwork, and skilled shooting. The slow walking, spike planting, and quick twitch aiming that you love in Valorant were all directly influenced by Counterstrike. If you’re like for a game like Valorant and you’ve never played CS:GO, now is your chance!
Similarity to Valorant – Gun mechanics, basic movement, damage, and time to kill are so similar between these two games. There’s a reason why people are saying that Valorant will be the CS:GO killer.
#3 Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 was released in 2007 and has continued to be a popular free game within the FPS community. It even has a niche competitive scene where players battle it out. While the game graphics aren’t the best, the gameplay more than makes up for it. Play competitive 6v6 servers or get chaotic by joining a 24 person server! It’s a free game and so if you’ve never tried it out now is the time!
Similarity to Valorant – Unique characters with specific abilities. Team fortress has 9 characters to choose from, while Valorant will have 12 agents to play as at official release. Also while not nearly as goofy as TF2, Valorant shares a bit of the same graphic style.
#4 Rainbow Six Siege
Rainbow Six Siege has continued to remain popular for years thanks to a developer that continues to create new content, update the meta, and listen to the community. It’s a competitive game that is not the faint of heart and has a high learning curve. You can log into a match with guns blazing and you might land a kill or you can stealthily go through the map utilizing all the tools at your disposal for a more likely win.
Don’t be fooled! This is an older game, but it still holds weight and is an absolute blast. There’s a reason why it continues to remain populated and positively reviewed.
Similarity to Valorant – Slow and tactical. This isn’t like Apex Legends where you can zipline up a tower and slide down the mountainside. In Valorant and Siege you’ll be walking and crouching your way around the map listening for clues of enemies and making sure that your every move is calculated.
#5 Destiny 2
Destiny 2 was released on September 6, 2017 and has continued to release updates, DLC, and more. The campaign is solid, the storyline is ok, but the gameplay is where it’s at! With the various guns and abilities you’ll enjoy playing solo or with friends. It’s a true polished AAA game that delivers and is worth your money. But why would a Valorant player like this game?
Similarity to Valorant – The crucible in Destiny is the competitive player vs player matches. It’s team against team in deathmatch or other modes that have you shooting down the enemy team. While it’s not exactly the same as Valorant I can say that it has the same competitive feel. You’ll feel the pressure of performing well so that your team wins and feel the same discouragement when you get smoked in the crucible.
For the competitive shooter gamer, the Crucible hits all the right buttons and is worth trying out. Plus if you don’t enjoy it – there’s no way that you won’t like the general Destiny 2 game.
What are we missing? What other games are out in the world that the Valorant player would enjoy playing? Add your Valorant alternatives in the comments below!
