Riot Tightens Anti-Cheat Rules for 2027 VALORANT Tour

Riot Games announced Nov. 5 that the 2027 VALORANT Champions Tour will use stricter anti-cheat and competitive integrity rules. The changes include player verification, match monitoring and streaming limits as online competition returns to the circuit.

Riot will apply the rules in three stages. Open Qualifiers will rely mainly on the Vanguard anti-cheat system, post-match reports and enforcement after games. Riot is considering more account security requirements for this stage but has not made them mandatory.

Regional organizers may add identity checks, monitoring and other controls during Open Play-Ins. Open Playoffs will require the full framework, including player POV recordings, voice monitoring, cameras covering the match area and further anti-cheat checks.

Officials may request integrity checks where competition rules allow. Checks can include equipment inspections, setup reviews, recording reviews, communication checks or a livestream of the team’s match area.

Every player entering the 2027 Open Qualifiers must be Vanguard Check compliant and have reached at least Ascendant rank within the previous six months. Accounts must be in good standing at registration and throughout the competition. Players cannot have a current ban or have received a Game Ban, Vanguard Intervention, Ranked Restriction or Comms Restriction in the previous 30 days. They must also have no active Ranked queue restriction.

Riot may conduct further account reviews. Regional rules will determine age, residency and roster requirements. At least three of a team’s five starting players must belong to its designated home region, subject to regional exceptions. Teams seeking to retain competitive progress and Championship Points between Open Qualifiers must keep at least three of those five players, subject to the final rules.

Players may livestream Open Qualifier matches, but each player POV broadcast must use a delay of at least two minutes from the start of the qualification stage. Teams may combine multiple POV feeds if every feed uses the same delay. Third-party creators may co-stream with prior approval from the tournament organizer.

Teams and players may publish match VODs and voice communications. Coaching rules will vary by stage. Coaches may communicate with players during early rounds, while later Cup qualification stages will use monitored communications under existing VCT standards.

Investigations will use Vanguard detections, account reviews, match evidence and tournament reports. Officials may review recordings, communications and other relevant material when monitoring is available. Confirmed violations can lead to disqualification or competitive suspensions, including when misconduct is found after a match.

The rules prohibit match-fixing, betting-related misconduct and attempts to manipulate results, even when an attempt fails. Organizations may face sanctions for conduct involving players, coaches, owners or other representatives. Failing to cooperate with an investigation can also lead to penalties.

Teams in Open competition will provide their own computers, peripherals and internet connections. Riot’s Online Play Rulebook will cover technical pauses, disconnections, server selection and match disputes. Regional operators will consider player locations and available servers, but online matches cannot guarantee identical latency for every participant.

The changes form part of the VCT 2027 restructuring. Kickoff tournaments in the Americas, EMEA and Pacific will each include eight partner teams and four teams from Open Qualifiers. Open Qualifiers for the 2027 season are scheduled to begin in November 2026, with registration dates and further requirements set by each region.

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Reviewed and fact-checked by Alex Panasenko on November 7.