For many years, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Call of Duty dominated the first-person shooter field. That all changed in 2020 when Riot Games unveiled Valorant as the latest free-to-play FPS. If you’re a budget-conscious gamer, Valorant is an obvious choice. It’s not yet available to console gamers, but anyone who uses a PC as their device of choice can start playing with no initial outlay. However, while Valorant won’t cost you a dime to start playing, there are other costs to consider.
Valorant’s In-Game Currency Explained
As with many other freemium games, Valorant has an in-game currency. There are two main types of currency you’ll encounter. The most widely used currency is Valorant Points (VP). These points can be purchased with actual currency and used to purchase aesthetic upgrades for agent avatars, as well as new weapon skins. If you’re looking to make a saving, you can use Valorant Points to purchase complete bundles of weapons that include themed arsenals of rifles, pistols, and knives.
Valorant Points can be purchased in bundle form. Currently, 950 VP will cost you $9.99. With 950 VP, you can comfortably purchase a new weapon skin. 1900 VP will cost you $19.99, while 3325 VP will cost you $34.99. If you intend to pick up a weapon skin bundle, you’ll need to add upwards of 3000 VP to your coffers.
Radiante Points (RP) are Valorant’s second in-game currency. You can’t purchase Radiante Points with normal currency. Instead, you’ll need to convert your existing Valorant Point balance. If you’ve purchased a Battle Pass, you can also earn RP during play. Unlike VP, Radiante Points are designed with a particular purpose in mind. While you can’t pick up new skins with your RP balance, you can use it to make aesthetic upgrades to your existing skins collection.
Keeping Tabs on How Much You’re Spending
Even if you’re sticking to cheaper VP bundles, it’s easy to overspend on Valorant. Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to keep your expenditure in check. To see how much you’ve been spending, head to your Riot Games account. Once you’ve entered your details, head to your purchase history to see a complete breakdown of what you’ve spent.
Can I Get a Refund?
Valorant Points aren’t cheap. The good news is that you’re entitled to a refund on weapon skin purchases in some cases. If you’ve recently purchased a new weapon skin or bundle and haven’t used it, you can contact Riot Games to grab a refund. However, you’ll need to ensure you request a refund within 14 days of making a purchase. You can find out more about how to get a Valorant refund here.
Because of how Radiante Points are acquired, you can’t currently secure a refund for anything purchased with RP. However, Riot Games may be able to provide you with a refund in exceptional cases. To make a case for a refund on your Radiante Point balance, it’s worth getting in touch with the customer support team at Riot Games to see if they can help.
