Neon disabled in Valorant until Patch 12.09

Riot Games removed the agent Neon from Valorant on PC after finding a graphics exploit tied to her Fast Lane ability. The developer confirmed Neon will remain disabled until Patch 12.09, scheduled for May 13, 2026, while the bug is fixed.

Riot’s statement read:

We recently discovered a graphics exploit with Neon’s Fast Lane ability that affects competitive integrity, so we’re disabling her on PC from now until Patch 12.09 to fix the bug. We’ve also been working on some Neon changes for a while to address parts of her kit that are over-tuned, which will go live when she returns in 12.09.

Riot also said it will provide further details on the planned changes the following day.

The disablement prevents players from selecting Neon in competitive queues on PC while Riot implements a permanent fix and prepares balance adjustments. Riot described the action as a response to the exploit’s impact on competitive integrity and confirmed the balance changes will land with the 12.09 update.

Player reaction was mixed. Some players welcomed the temporary removal and cited concerns about Neon’s power. Other players, including some who focus on Neon, criticized the complete disablement and argued the exploit could have been patched immediately while balance changes were delayed.

Riot has previously removed other agents temporarily when bugs affected play. Neon is scheduled to return on May 13, 2026 with Patch 12.09, when Riot will provide more details on the technical fix and the specific kit adjustments included in the update.