Valorant
Our age is 16. Caution because of harsh voice chat with strangers and pricey skin bundles.
Setup steps checked October 2026.
- Our rating
- Caution
- Plays on
- Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
- Setup
- 4 stops, about 8 minutes
Do these three first
- Link the Riot Parent Portalaccount.riotgames.comAccount managementAdd your email to your teen’s Riot account to open the Parent Portal (US, PC).
- Turn off voice chatSettingsAudioVoice ChatSwitch off Party and Team voice chat in the game.
- Add muted words for text chatSettingsMuted Words ListHide words and phrases your teen doesn't want to see in chat.
Understand Valorant's age requirements, configure chat filters and voice controls, manage in-game purchases, and decide if Valorant is appropriate for your teen.
Talk about it
- Who do you usually queue with, friends or random teammates?Solo queue means voice chat with adults you don't know, so the answer tells you how to set chat.
- What do people say when a round goes badly?Gets you talking about blame and trash talk, and makes muting and reporting feel normal rather than dramatic.
- How do you feel after a ranked loss?Ranked can be stressful, and naming the frustration out loud makes it easier to agree when to take a break.
- Which skin bundle do you want, and what would it cost us?Looking at the real price together turns a want into a budget you both agreed to.
The full route: 4 stops, about 8 minutes
- Link the Riot Parent Portal
- Turn off voice chat
- Add muted words for text chat
- Check that it works
Start the setupFree to follow. With Family, your progress is saved for each child.
The full guide
Valorant is a free-to-play tactical first-person shooter developed by Riot Games. It's one of the most popular competitive online games among teens and young adults, with millions of daily players worldwide. Understanding the game and its safety features helps parents make informed decisions.
What Is Valorant?
Game Overview
Valorant is a 5-vs-5 tactical shooter where two teams compete over objectives. Players choose "Agents" (characters with unique abilities) and play matches of approximately 40–45 minutes. Originally PC-only, Valorant is also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S — console players play against other console players, not PC players.
Why It's Popular
- High skill ceiling creates lasting engagement
- Free to play (no upfront cost)
- Competitive ranked mode gives progression
- Strong esports scene
- Social — usually played with friends
What the Game Involves
- First-person shooting with realistic-style gunplay
- Character abilities (some visual effects are intense)
- Strategic team communication
- Win/loss competitive ranking
- Cosmetic customization (skins and sprays)
Age Requirements
Official Rating
- ESRB: T (Teen) for Blood, Language, and Violence, with users interacting and in-game purchases
- PEGI: 16
Riot's Requirements
Riot's terms say anyone who isn't an adult needs a parent or guardian's consent to have a Riot account, and the parent is responsible for purchases made on it.
Real-World Age Appropriateness
Despite the T rating, consider:
- Competitive environment can be emotionally intense
- Voice chat with strangers is common
- Community toxicity is a significant issue
- Gambling-adjacent cosmetic systems exist
- Not recommended under 16 despite the official age rating
Vanguard Anti-Cheat
What Is Vanguard?
Valorant uses Riot's "Vanguard" anti-cheat system, which runs at a deep system level (kernel level) on Windows PCs.
Vanguard starts when Windows starts, not just when Valorant runs. It requires modern, secure PC hardware. This is relevant to know — it's not malware, but it does have elevated system access.
Parents should be aware this is a legitimate (if controversial) security measure, not a malicious program. Vanguard applies to the PC version only — the PS5 and Xbox versions rely on platform-level security instead.
Voice Chat Controls
Why Voice Chat Is Risky
Valorant's voice chat connects your teen with random adult strangers. During matches, players can:
- Communicate strategy (positive)
- Harass, threaten, or demean teammates (common)
- Use offensive language
- Expose your teen to toxic adult behavior
Disable Voice Chat
Set "Party Voice Chat" and "Team Voice Chat" to off. Your teen can still use text chat and pings to work with the team.
Many teens use Discord for voice chat with their known friend group while keeping in-game voice chat disabled. This is the safest approach — friends-only voice communication, no strangers.
Text Chat Controls
Text Chat Filtering
Riot screens chat for its list of banned words and penalizes players who use them. On top of that, Valorant's Settings include a Muted Words List: your teen can type in words or phrases they don't want to see in chat, including the creative spellings that slip past Riot's filter.
Mature Content
Valorant's Settings include options to turn off blood and other mature visuals. Your teen can turn them back on, so agree on it together.
For younger teens, consider disabling text chat entirely and relying on Discord with friends.
Who Can Text Chat
By default, all players on the match can text chat. Filtering reduces exposure but doesn't eliminate it.
Muting and Reporting
Mute Players In-Match
During a match your teen can mute individual players from the in-game scoreboard. The clutch-mute keys (set under Settings › Controls › Communication) silence the whole team or party at once. Teach your teen to mute early and without second thoughts.
Report Players
Or click a player's name in the scoreboard to report. Categories include:
- Verbal abuse
- Hate speech
- Inappropriate username
- AFK (abandoning game)
- Cheating
Reports go to Riot for review. Muting first, then reporting after the match, is a good habit to build.
In-Game Purchases
How Purchasing Works
Valorant is free to play but monetized through cosmetics:
- Weapon skins: Visual reskins of weapons (purely cosmetic)
- Agents: New playable characters (can be unlocked for free over time)
- Battle Pass: Season pass with cosmetic rewards
- Bundles: Premium cosmetic sets
All cosmetics are purely visual — they provide no gameplay advantage.
The Cost
Premium skins can cost $10–$100+ each. Popular bundle sets can cost $80+. There is social pressure to have premium cosmetics.
Valorant Points (VP) and Kingdom Credits
Valorant uses "Valorant Points" (VP) purchased with real money and "Kingdom Credits" earned in-game.
Valorant's cosmetic system is designed to be visually appealing and regularly updated to create FOMO (fear of missing out). Without controls, a teen can spend hundreds of dollars quickly.
Prevent Unauthorized Purchases
- Do not save payment methods to the Riot account
- Use Riot Games gift cards (physical or digital) for controlled spending
- Set a monthly budget and discuss it explicitly
- On PlayStation and Xbox, VP is bought through the console store, so set spending limits there
Account Settings
Riot Parent Portal (US, PC)
Since July 2026, US parents can link to a teen's Riot account through the Riot Parent Portal. It covers Valorant, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics on PC.
- Have your teen sign in at account.riotgames.com. Accounts under 18 show an alert there.
- Enter your email in the parent field on the account management tab.
- Verify that you're the parent, then follow the email to open the Parent Portal.
From the portal you can turn text and voice chat off or limit them to friends, block friend requests, see your teen's friends list and who they message, limit which Riot games they can play, or switch the account off. It doesn't show chat history. Valorant on PlayStation and Xbox isn't covered, so use the console's parental controls there.
Multi-Factor Authentication
Riot sends a confirmation email. Click the button in it to finish turning it on.
The Competitive Environment
What Makes Valorant Stressful
- Ranked mode ties progression to win/loss — losses feel punishing
- Teammates may blame your teen for losing
- "Tilting" (frustration spiral) is common
- Competitive seasons create pressure
Signs of Unhealthy Gaming
Watch for:
- Emotional outbursts after matches
- Playing despite fatigue to "win back" lost ranking
- Skipping sleep or homework to play
- Isolating from non-gaming friends
Healthy Competitive Gaming
- Takes breaks between matches
- Plays with friends rather than solo
- Discusses difficult games without excessive frustration
- Maintains school and social balance
Age-Based Recommendations
We suggest Valorant for 16 and up. If your child already plays younger, these are the settings to tighten for their age.
Ages 13–15
- Consider delaying until 16
- If allowing: voice chat disabled, text chat filtered
- Play only with known friends
- 60-minute daily limit via Windows Family Safety, console, or device controls
- Clear rules about behavior (no trash talking)
Ages 16–17
- Voice chat: friends-only Discord, in-game off
- Spending: gift card budget system
- Playtime: 90 minutes school days, 3 hours weekends
- Regular check-ins about experiences
Quick Setup Checklist
Additional Resources
Valorant's safety settings are now configured. With voice chat disabled, text filters on, and spending controls in place, your teen can engage with one of gaming's most popular titles more safely.