Valorant ranked could finally get the map ban system players want

Rituraj Halder Published October 5, 2026

For years, Valorant players have written essays on online forums about how frustrated they are about being forced to play queue roulette with map pools. From landing on the same map multiple times to only getting controversial maps that no one wants to play on, the uncertainty surrounding map selection has been a very significant topic of discussion in the community. 

Now, Riot Games has acknowledged that the developer is actively considering a long-requested solution: a map ban system for Competitive play. During a Reddit AMA following Patch 13.06, Valorant Game Director Joe Lee addressed community questions regarding ranked matchmaking structure, revealing that internal discussions are ongoing while balancing map diversity across the player base.

Map ban being considered for Valorant ranked queues

When asked directly if Riot had ever considered a map pick/ban system for ranked queues, members of the developer team confirmed that long-term map solutions are constantly being evaluated for a new update in the future. While players often clamor for the ability to permanently veto unpopular maps like Breeze, Icebox, or Abyss, Riot’s primary hesitation remains protecting map diversity.

In tactical shooters like Counter-Strike, unrestricted map selection often results in the player base gravitating toward a small handful of comfort picks, such as Mirage or Dust II, while newer or more complex maps see near-zero play.

Riot’s competitive design philosophy has traditionally leaned on enforcing a rotating seven-map pool to ensure make sure every map sees action. However, with the pool constantly evolving and new maps entering rotation, the developers are exploring potential middle-ground solutions, such as a limited veto system or letting lobbies vote to remove a single map before loading in, to alleviate frustration without completely killing queue variety.

Community reaction and what we think

In response to the news, competitive players on X shared strong support for the change. One of the users said, “I feel like every game there should be a vote on what maps to play, like we can pick whichever out of the map pool, and the one with the most votes is the map we play.”

From our perspective, introducing a partial map ban or preference system would be a massive change for Valorant. Queue dodging remains a persistent issue in higher ranks, and forcing players onto maps they genuinely despise often leads to lower match quality and early tilts. 

If Riot can strike a middle ground, like allowing each team to ban just one map per lobby, it could give players what they want while preserving the diversity that Riot always aims for.

Map bans could also add another layer of statistics that can play into the outcome of a match for people partaking in Valorant betting as certain teams perform well on certain maps and agents.

Featured image credit: Riot Games