Developer Riot Games has unleashed a huge new VALORANT update that competitive players must know about. It's called update 12.00, and ushers in the 2026 Season with a large number of balance changes, updates to MMR and the ranking system, and even adds a new weapon for good measure. Let's dive in!

First up, the biggest addition to VALORANT with the 12.00 update is Bandit. It's a new sidearm costing 600 Credits, featuring medium wall penetration. While Bandit offers more early / eco round options, many players have come out to say it is a bit unbalanced at the moment, so keep an eye on that...and possible nerfs from Riot Games.

Check out the highlights of the high-impact VALORANT update below.

• Replays are now available for Custom games.
• The hidden MMR system has been updated to improve match quality.
• Breach, Brim, Harbor, Tejo, Sage, and Vyse are all getting some nice updates.
• Breeze is back, completely reworked. And RR losses on Breeze are reduced by 50% for two weeks.
• Haven and Corrode got some updates to wall pen.
• Introducing All Random, One Site—a new limited-time game mode.
• We’re making a bunch of updates to our player behavior systems and penalty ladder.
• An all-new sidearm, the Bandit, is here and ready to hit the battlefield.
• There’s new Home Screen, Lobby, and Social Panel UI  for PC players.

Alongside all these big changes and additions, Riot Games has also deployed a ton of bug fixes. It's an incredible, high-impact update for competitive gamers and casual players alike. For those who have some time to read through MANY pages of patch notes, check out the official VALORANT update 12.00 details.

Stay tuned to Esports Central as we cover the biggest VALORANT events, including all the regional Kickoff tournaments, results, news, and much more.

Header image via Riot Games.