Riot Games just dropped VALORANT Patch 13.05. This update brings the Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems to the client and introduces new penalties for stream-sniping and instalock tools. It also outlines upcoming changes to Agent Gear progression and fixes several bugs affecting Agent abilities.

The September 1 update is a bit smaller than your average gameplay patch since it doesn’t include any balance changes for weapons, Agents, or maps. Riot is saving the bigger updates for Patch 13.06, which arrives on September 22. That is just two days before the Champions Shanghai tournament kicks off.

Patch 13.05 Sets the Stage for Champions Shanghai

This patch arrives as the 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour winds down. Right now, the regional Stage 2 playoffs are deciding which remaining teams will make it to the big stage in Shanghai.

Teams from the four International Leagues can qualify by making it to their Stage 2 finals or by earning enough Championship Points. Thanks to the new Path to Champions system, eligible Challengers teams can also join the Stage 2 playoffs to take on the major International League organizations.

We don’t have the full Champions Shanghai lineup yet because some regional matches are still ongoing. For instance, the VCT Americas Stage 2 finals run from September 4 to September 6. Both teams in that final will qualify directly for Champions.

Since Pick’Ems don’t open until September 10, you will have plenty of time to look over the final lineup before you lock in your Group Stage predictions.

VALORANT Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems Open September 10 

You can access the Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems through the VALORANT client or the official esports website starting September 10.

Your job is to predict which teams will make it out of each group. You will earn points for choosing the correct advancing teams, and you can get even more points if you guess their exact finishing positions.

Riot is giving out rewards just for participating, so you can still earn items even if your bracket doesn’t go as planned. We are still waiting on the full list of rewards to be revealed.

Make sure to get your Group Stage predictions in before the first matches start on September 24.

Champions Shanghai will crown the 2026 world champion and wrap up the international VCT season. The Group Stage and early playoff rounds will be held at the Jing’an Sports Center. After that, the action moves to the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong for the Finals Weekend.

The city previously hosted Masters Shanghai in 2024. Riot mentioned that the success of that event helped them decide to bring Champions to Shanghai for the 2026 season.

New Bans for Stream-Sniping and Instalock Tools

Riot is now cracking down on players who use stream-sniping and instalock tools.

If you are caught using this prohibited software, you could face a temporary game ban. If the behavior continues, the penalties will get harsher and could lead to a permanent ban.

Riot hasn’t gone into detail about how their detection system works or exactly how long those initial bans will last.

These new rules are part of Riot’s ongoing push for better competitive integrity. Patch 13.01 dealt with rank manipulation, and now Patch 13.05 targets software used for stream sniping and automatic Agent selection.

Big Changes Coming to Agent Gear in Patch 13.06

Riot plans to completely refresh the Agent Gear system when Patch 13.06 goes live on September 22.

With this new system, your progress for Agent Gear items will depend on how much time you spend playing that specific Agent. For example, if you want Cypher gear, you will need to play as Cypher to earn those rewards.

You will still use Kingdom Credits to unlock gear, and you will get to keep everything you earned before these changes take effect.

We don’t know the exact playtime requirements for each reward yet. Riot is suggesting that players unlock cosmetics for Agents they don’t play very often before Patch 13.06 arrives.

You have about three weeks until the system changes. If you have been saving Kingdom Credits for gear on an Agent you aren’t familiar with, you might want to spend them before September 22.

Sound Sprays Get a Range Reduction

Patch 13.05 shortens the distance from which you can hear Sound Sprays. From now on, you will only hear them if you are standing close by.

This change comes after players reported that the spray audio was making it hard to communicate with teammates. This shorter range will be the new standard for any future sprays that include sound.

Fixes for Smokes and Flashes

This update fixes a bug where smokes would still block flashes and other line-of-sight abilities even while they were fading away.

Riot adjusted the timing for smokes from Astra, Brimstone, Clove, Miks, and Omen. Now, the moment the smoke visually disappears should match up perfectly with when it stops blocking your abilities.

Omen’s Dark Cover also got a specific fix so it won’t continue to block a player’s vision after the smoke has cleared.

Riot also fixed two general Agent issues. Ultimate voice lines will no longer keep playing for the enemy team if the Agent is killed while casting. Additionally, the Combat Report will stop saying "Enemies Blinded" for abilities that don’t actually apply a blind effect.

Bug Fixes for Chamber, Cypher, and Deadlock

Chamber has a performance fix for Headhunter. Some players were seeing their frame-rate drop the first time they equipped or fired the ability in a round, but that should be resolved now.

Cypher had two bugs fixed as well. The Trapwire debuff will no longer stick to a new target indefinitely if the original target dies just before the trap goes off.

Also, Cypher’s Cyber Cage will stop blocking flashes and detection effects that require a clear line of sight.

For Deadlock, casting GravNet will no longer cause strange visual glitches to appear briefly on your screen.

Fade, KAY/O, and Omen Fixes

Fade’s Seize will now show its danger indicator correctly to enemies on the map Lotus. Previously, it wasn’t appearing in certain spots.

Riot also addressed a performance lag with KAY/O’s NULL/cmd. Before this fix, each pulse of the Ultimate could cause a drop in your frame-rate.

Along with the smoke changes, Omen’s Dark Cover will no longer obstruct your view once the ability is over.

Ability Fixes for Sage and Waylay

Sage players will now see the Healing Orb tooltips correctly on their HUD when they have the ability equipped.

Waylay received three bug fixes. Vision-blocking abilities will no longer stop Saturate from applying its Hinder effect to players in the area.

Refract will no longer leave behind visual ghosts of map objects after it ends. Finally, Saturate will stop applying Hinder to Agents while they are intangible.

New Bot Options in the PC Practice Range

PC players can now choose to have one, five, or ten bots appear in the Range’s Practice Mode. Riot has updated the default number of bots to five.

You can adjust this number in the Range settings before you start your practice.

The PC version also got a fix for the VALORANT Points store. The close button will now work as intended after you finish a purchase.

Looking Ahead to Patch 13.06

Patch 13.05 mostly focuses on getting things ready for Champions Shanghai while cleaning up technical issues with Agents and performance.

The most immediate changes are the Pick’Ems and the new bans for prohibited software. However, the Agent Gear overhaul is the biggest change to your long-term progression.

You have until September 22 to unlock your Agent Gear under the current rules. Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems open on September 10, so make sure to get your predictions in before the tournament starts on September 24.