Games in Valorant may not always play out as you want. Whether your opponents are way outclassing you or your team is having a giant argument, you feel like it is time to end this match. This guide is here to tell you all about how to surrender in Valorant and why sometimes it is not the best option.
How Does Surrender Work in Valorant?
If you know for sure that it is time for surrender, let’s break down how this mechanic works in Valorant.
You can attempt to surrender after the 5th round of the match. The decision is made via the vote, and if it does fail, you will have to wait until the second half of the game to call the vote again. The vote is allowed once per half. Therefore, chat with your teammates before initiating the vote.
To successfully call the surrender, 4 out of 5 players on the team should vote “Yes”. Otherwise, the vote will fail, and the match will continue.
How to Start the Surrender Vote
Starting a Vote via the Menu
The most obvious way to start a surrender vote is to use the Valorant’s escape menu. Doing it this way is very easy and straightforward.
Follow these steps to learn how to start a surrender vote in Valorant:
- Press “Esc” to open the menu
- Click “Surrender” at the bottom of the player list
- Now players have to vote by pressing “F5” (Yes) or “F6” (No)
- If 4/5 players voted “Yes” the match will conclude immediately
Valorant Surrender Chat Commands
If, for some reason, you can’t open the menu, you can also use chat commands to start a vote. There are a few of those that are made for the surrender vote:
- /surrender
- /concede
- /ff
Type any of them in the chat, and the vote will start. Then the same pop-up window with a vote will appear, and players will have to choose either to go for “Yes” or “No”.
Leave VS Surrender
If you want to end the match, you may be considering 2 options: Leaving the match (Alt + F4) or trying to surrender with the whole team.
The upside of leaving is that you don’t need anybody’s opinion to do it. When surrendering, you need to have people that are also done with the game. But don’t be tempted by that, leaving the game will earn you a bad reputation among the community and will also earn you penalties. You should instead learn how to surrender in Valorant properly.
Surrender Result/Outcome
Surrender has several results and consequences. It obviously stops the game and grants the opponent team a win while you get a loss on your record.
If that was a Ranked match you surrendered, you will suffer a loff of MMR. The loss of MMR in the case of surrender is said to be higher than the one you get from a regular loss.
Bearing all that in mind, make sure to make the right decision when it comes to surrendering in Valorant. Remember to stay strong in the face of any obstacle you encounter during the game. Unless you got cheaters. Then just /ff.
When is it Reasonable to Surrender?
When considering surrender, make sure that it is really the best option for you and your team. Sometimes the situation might not be as bad as you see it. So let’s break down your reasons for surrender and the reasonable action to take.
Surrender if
- Your opponents outperform you by a mile. Playing against people who are clearly out of your league is never pleasant. Yes, some may say you can learn a lot by playing against high ELO players in a match, but it will give you absolutely no joy, especially after getting shot in the head from nowhere for the 13th time. For learning, it’s best to have a good player on your team instead. In this case, you can shadow him and communicate directly. Or just watch YouTube videos like ProGuides.
- The opposing team has a cheater. Surrendering is a fair option if you are facing a cheater that you can’t beat, and the opponents clearly are not kicking him out. Cheaters will get banned, and your ELO will be adjusted at some point, anyway.
- Your teammate has left, and you are playing 4v5. Playing 4v5 is near to impossible with equal-level opponents. No matter what happened, if you ended up in a 4v5, feel free to surrender. Valorant also has the option to remake the match if it started as a 4v5. Just ask yourself, should I remake my Valorant match?
- Real-life troubles. Never prioritize game over life. If there is something you have to attend to in the real-world try to concede a match if you are in the party, or get yourself kicked since it has less punishment behind it. This is one of the best reasons for learning how to surrender in Valorant.
Do NOT Surrender if
- Your team lacks morals. Even though there is not much you can do yourself try to stick together and perform as best as you can. If the lack of morality is expressed in the public chats/VC you may as well mute them. This way you can focus on the action and maybe boost the morale by doing some insane clutches.
- Your team is not communicating. If the team lacks communication and your teammates are not using chat/VC it is not a reason to concede. As a simple method of communication, you may as well use pings. Whether your team is using them or not, you will have to watch the minimap more often to gather intel on opponents. This way, you can stay coordinated without much communication.
- You are going 0:8 but you know you are a match. Are you losing? Yes. But is it the end? Absolutely no. You have just met your teammates, and sometimes it may take a while to figure out to co-op with each other. If you know you can take the rival team down, keep fighting. A comeback is always a real possibility, just as Gambit Esports after their epic comeback.
- You got really frustrated. We all know when that happens. And honestly, if you haven’t figured out yet how to cope with your own anger, then I don’t know how you even play multiplayer games. Breathe in. Breathe out. Glass of water and back to it. At least, that’s what I do. For you, it can be something different.
Final Thoughts on How and When to Surrender while Playing Valorant
Surrendering in Valorant should be your last resort. Only give up if you know that continuing to play won’t likely change the outcome and the current match isn’t fun to keep playing. This is the case when you are far out-skilled, missing teammates, or are facing some kind of cheater. We’ve written this guide on how to surrender in Valorant for those facing these challenging, lose-lose situations.
When there’s no point in playing further, it’s best to just resign and get into your next match. You can have more fun and improve your rankings that way through the same time spent.
Feel free to check out some of our other guides. We have a lot of Valorant content that may be of interest, including our guide on how to change your Valorant display name as well a review of the best knife skins in Valorant.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment below. We are always happy to engage with our readers!
