The Valorant Patch 13.00 patch notes open Season 2026 – Act 4 with one of the year's biggest updates — a sweeping Sentinel buff pass, faster Initiator cooldowns, and the new Summit map. Track the Valorant season countdown through Act 4.
TL;DR — Sentinel-wide buffs (Cypher, Killjoy, Veto, Sage, Deadlock) plus faster Initiator cooldowns; new map Summit joins the pool (Fracture and Pearl rotate out); Retake, a 3v3 pre-planted-Spike mode, launches as limited-time. Meta impact: Sentinels move from underused to competitively viable across ranked and Premier.
Weapons
- Bandit — recovery reduced 0.45→0.4, tap efficiency raised 3→4, max pitch recoil lowered 4→3 nerf
Map
- Summit added — new 5v5 Spike map set in a mountain training academy, three lanes and two sites with droppable walls; live in Competitive immediately with RR losses cut 50% for the first two weeks active
- Map pool — Summit and Sunset in; Fracture and Pearl out active
Mechanics
- Cypher — Trapwire windup cut 0.9s→0.7s buff
- Killjoy — turret rate of fire +50%, Nanoswarm duration 4s→5s, Alarmbot move speed +50% buff
- Veto — Interceptor reclaim cooldown 30s→20s, Crosscut usable area 24m→30m, arming time 1.5s→0.75s buff
- Sage — Healing Orb self heal-over-time doubled 50→100 buff
- Deadlock — GravNet cooldown 60s→50s buff
- Sova, Fade, Skye, Breach, KAY/O — signature ability cooldown reduced 60s→50s buff
- Gekko — ability cooldown after reclaiming buddies cut 20s→15s buff
- Ranked — RR calculation adjusted to reduce win-streak "stuck" feeling; PC matchmaking now keeps both teams' average rank within one sub-tier active
- Inbox — new client notification hub for gifting, Premier promos, RR refunds, report feedback, and Act info active
Events & Limited Time
- Retake — 3v3 mode with the Spike pre-planted, first to 5 rounds, on Ascent, Bind, Haven, Summit, and Sunset event
- Summit-only Swiftplay queue — 7-day limited rotation expired
Bug Fixes
- Harbor — Reckoning debuff persistence issue fixed active
- Killjoy — Nanoswarm voice-over issue fixed active
- Viper — Pit smoke rendering anomalies fixed across multiple maps active