Every Valorant Act & Episode: Complete Timeline with Start & End Dates (2020–2026)

If you’ve ever searched for Valorant’s current season and felt confused by the mix of “Episodes,” “Acts,” and now “Season 2026” — you’re not alone. Riot has changed its naming system twice since launch, and the internet hasn’t fully caught up. This article covers every competitive period from launch to today, explains the naming changes, and gives you the stats that no other timeline article does.

Current

S2026 Act 3 · live countdown →

Total Acts

36

Average

~62 days

Shortest

S2026 Act 2 · 42d

Longest

Ep.1 Act 3 · 91d

Ranked Reset

Every Act

The Naming System — Explained Once and For All

Valorant has used three different naming conventions since launch. This is why searching for “Valorant season” returns results that seem to contradict each other.

Phase 1: Episodes & Acts (June 2020 – December 2024)

Each Episode lasted roughly 6 months and contained 3 Acts of ~56 days each. Episodes had names (Ignition, Formation, Reflection…). Acts within each episode were just numbered Act 1, Act 2, Act 3.

Example: Episode 7 Act 2 meant: the second Act of the seventh Episode. Players in ranked earned an Act rank — their performance peak within that specific Act.

Phase 2: Season 2025 (January 2025 – December 2025)

Starting January 2026, Riot dropped Episodes entirely. The new format: a year-long Season divided into 6 Acts of ~56 days each. The year IS the season name — no thematic title.

Example: Season 2025 Act 3 = the third Act of the 2025 calendar year.

Phase 3: Season 2026 (January 2026 – Present)

Same format as 2025. Six Acts per year, each approximately 56 days. Ranked resets at the start of each Act.

Why did Riot change it? The Episodes system created confusion around “Episode resets” (major ranked wipes every 6 months) vs “Act resets” (softer resets every 2 months). The year-based system makes the competitive calendar clearer for players to plan around, and aligns better with Riot’s annual content roadmap.

Current Act

→ Live countdown to end of Act 3

Complete Timeline — All Valorant Acts

Season 2026 (Current Year)

Season 2025 (Full Year)

Season 2025 note: The first full year under the new naming system. Acts 2–5 landed almost perfectly at 56 days each. Act 6 ran 84 days as a bridge into 2026’s calendar.

Episode 9: Collision (2024)

Episode 9 was the last Episode before Riot switched to the year-based system. Act 3 ran 76 days — longer than usual — to bridge the transition to Season 2025.

Episode 8: Defiance (2024)

Episode 8 is where the 56-day cadence became fully standardized. All three Acts landed exactly at 56 days — the first Episode to achieve this consistency.

Episode 7: Evolution (2023)

Episode 6: Revelation (2023)

Episode 5: Dimension (2022–2023)

Episode 4: Disruption (2022)

Episode 3: Reflection (2021–2022)

Episode 2: Formation (2021)

Episode 1: Ignition (2020)

Episode 1 launched with the game’s global release on June 2, 2020. Act 3 ran 91 days — still the longest Act in Valorant history — as Riot was still finding its cadence.

Records & Key Stats

Longest Act: Episode 1 Act 3 — 91 Days

The game was new, Riot was calibrating its release schedule, and Act 3 of Episode 1 absorbed all the slack. No Act has come close since — the current record for post-Episode 1 is 85 days (Episode 5 Act 3).

Shortest Act: Season 2026 Act 2 — 42 Days

The shortest Act in Valorant history ran only 42 days, a scheduling adjustment to align the 2026 calendar. It’s the only Act to run under 49 days.

The 56-Day Standard

Since Episode 8 (January 2024), Valorant has operated almost entirely on a 56-day Act cycle. Of the 15 Acts from Episode 8 through Season 2026 Act 3, 9 have lasted exactly 56 days. The exceptions are transitional Acts at the start or end of a year.

56 days = 8 weeks = 2 months. It’s Riot’s answer to the question “how long should a competitive period last before players burn out?” Short enough to keep ranked fresh, long enough to actually climb.

Ranked Resets Per Year

Under the current system (6 Acts per year), Valorant players experience 6 ranked resets per year — one every ~56 days. For comparison: Fortnite resets once per season (~90 days), Apex twice per season. Valorant has the most frequent ranked refresh of any major competitive shooter.

How Valorant Ranked Works Across Acts

Each Act has its own Act Rank — the peak rank you achieved during that specific Act, displayed on your card. This is separate from your current rank, which resets (soft reset) at the start of each Act.

What “soft reset” means in practice: if you ended last Act at Platinum 3, you’ll start the new Act placements from approximately Gold 1–2. You’re not starting from scratch, but you do need to prove yourself again in placements.

Ranked rewards (Gun Buddy, player card, spray) are earned based on your peak rank at the end of each Act — not your current rank when the Act ends. This means climbing early matters: hitting Platinum in week 2 and maintaining it beats reaching Platinum in the final week.

What’s in a Valorant Battle Pass?

Each Act comes with a Battle Pass priced at 1,000 VP (~$10). The Battle Pass contains 50 tiers of cosmetics: gun skins, sprays, player cards, gun buddies, and Radianite Points. Unlike the Act rank system, Battle Pass progress does not carry over between Acts — anything not claimed by the end of the Act is lost.

At 56 days per Act, you need to average less than 1 tier per day to complete the pass. Most regular players finish comfortably.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Valorant Acts have there been?

As of May 2026, there have been 36 Acts including the current Season 2026 Act 3.

What is the current Valorant season/act?

Season 2026 Act 3, running from April 29 to June 24, 2026. See the live countdown →

When does Valorant Act 3 end?

June 24, 2026 — officially confirmed by Riot Games.

What’s the difference between an Episode and a Season in Valorant?

Episodes were Valorant’s original format (Episodes 1–9, June 2020 – December 2024), each lasting ~6 months with 3 Acts. In January 2025, Riot replaced Episodes with a year-based system: Season 2025, Season 2026, etc., each with 6 Acts. The competitive structure (Act rank, ranked reset per Act) remained the same.

Does Valorant rank reset every Act?

Yes — ranked is soft-reset at the start of every Act. You’ll need to complete placement matches to re-establish your rank, typically landing 1–2 ranks below where you ended the previous Act.

How long does a Valorant Act last?

Since 2024, most Acts last exactly 56 days (8 weeks). Transitional Acts at year boundaries sometimes run longer (up to 84 days) or shorter (42 days) to align the calendar.

When does the next Valorant Act start?

Season 2026 Act 4 begins on June 24, 2026, immediately after Act 3 ends. The exact date hasn’t been confirmed for Acts beyond that.

Act dates sourced from official Riot Games patch notes and in-game battle pass timers. Last updated May 15, 2026.