How to Play a Custom Game with Friends in Valorant

The Custom Mode in Valorant

While most players dive into competitive or non-competitive matches, there’s another way to enjoy Valorant: custom games. Playing a custom game with friends allows for a personalized gameplay experience, making it a great way to practice, test strategies, or simply relax with friends. We’ll explain everything you need to know about setting up and playing a custom game in Valorant. Custom games are private matches you can set up with your friends, allowing you to choose specific settings such as maps, team division, and more. The flexibility of custom games makes them perfect for both serious practice and casual fun. You won’t earn XP or rank in these matches, but you’ll have full control over the gaming environment.

How to Play with Your Friends in Custom Mode

Setting up a custom game in Valorant is straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Go to the Play menu

Among the available game modes (Unrated, Competitive, Spike Rush, etc.), select the “Custom Game” option. This will allow you to create a private match.

Step 2: Configure the game settings

After selecting “Custom Game,” you’ll be taken to a new screen where you can configure various settings for your match. Here’s what you can adjust:

• Map selection: Choose the map where you and your friends want to play. Valorant offers several maps, including Bind, Haven, Split, Ascent, Icebox, Breeze, Fracture, and Lotus.
• Team size: You can set up a match with as few as 1v1 or as many as 5v5 players.
• Game mode: Choose the game mode (Standard, Spike Rush, etc.) according to your preference.
• Options: You can also tweak additional settings, like enabling cheats (useful for practicing certain scenarios) and deciding whether to set the game up in tournament mode (ideal for competitive practice).

Step 3: Invite friends

Once you’ve configured the game settings, it’s time to invite your friends. Click the “Invite” button, which will open your friends list. From here, you can send invitations to friends who are currently online. They’ll receive a notification and can join your custom game lobby.

Step 4: Assign teams

Once all your friends have joined, you can assign players to specific teams. This can be done manually, or you can let players choose their teams. If you want to mix things up between rounds, you can also shuffle the teams.

Step 5: Start the game

Once everything is set, click the “Start” button to begin your custom game. The game will load the selected map, and you’ll be ready to play.

What You Can Do in Custom Mode

Valorant’s custom games include several features that enhance the experience. Here are some key features you should know about:

Cheats and practice tools: If you enable cheats in the game settings, you can use various cheats to practice different scenarios. For example, you can give yourself unlimited credits, disable the buy phase, or enable ghost mode to fly around the map.

Observer mode: If you have additional players who want to watch rather than participate, Valorant allows you to set them as observers. Observers can view the game from any perspective and are used in custom games for streaming or analyzing the match.

Pause and restart: As the game leader, you have the ability to pause the game if needed, which is useful if someone has connection issues or needs to step away for a moment. You can also restart the game if you want to replay a round.