Valorant adds WASD in Ranked

Valorant is adding full keyboard movement remapping to Ranked in Patch 26.9, extending an input option players had been pushing Riot Games to support in competitive modes. (x.com) The change surfaced in community posts on April 14, 2026, including images from a developer update that listed the new movement option for Ranked. Those posts said the setting would let players use directional movement keys beyond the game’s long-standard layout. (x.com) In practical terms, this is about how players move their agent: the default setup in personal computer shooters has long been W, A, S, and D for forward, left, back, and right. Riot has been gradually expanding input flexibility in Valorant, and Patch 26.9 appears to bring that flexibility into the game’s main ranked ladder. (playvalorant.com, x.com) Ranked is Valorant’s skill-based mode, where players climb tiers and where input rules carry more weight because they affect competitive integrity. A control option reaching Ranked, rather than staying limited to casual or experimental spaces, usually signals Riot is comfortable with how it behaves in live matchmaking. (playvalorant.com) The reaction on April 14 centered on mechanics, not just convenience. Professional players and streamers immediately began discussing aim timing, movement combinations, and how keybind setups could change once players are free to rebuild movement around different fingers and hand positions. (x.com) That discussion reflects how tightly movement and shooting are linked in Valorant. The game rewards precise stopping before firing, so even a quality-of-life input change can prompt debate over whether some layouts make strafing, counter-strafing, or ability usage feel cleaner for certain players. (playvalorant.com) Riot has not, in the material circulating Tuesday, framed the change as a balance overhaul or a new movement system. The posts describe an input option, which points to accessibility and customization rather than a rewrite of how agents accelerate, stop, or shoot. (x.com, playvalorant.com) The next step is Patch 26.9 itself: players will be watching the official patch notes and in-client settings to see exactly which movement remaps are supported in Ranked and whether any restrictions remain. Until then, the headline is simple: Riot is opening Ranked to a control scheme players have wanted for years. (playvalorant.com, x.com)