VALORANT patch 13.05 is a relatively small update, but Riot has used it to make several player-facing changes before a larger 13.06 patch. The September 1 release adjusts how sound sprays carry across a map, prepares Champions Shanghai Pick'Ems and adds enforcement language around stream sniping and unauthorized instalock tools.
Sound sprays now have tighter attenuation, meaning their audio should only be heard when a player is nearby. Riot says this will be the standard for future audio sprays and frames the change around keeping team communication clear instead of allowing cosmetic sound to travel too far.
Champions Pick'Ems start September 10
Pick'Ems are returning for Champions Shanghai. Riot says the Group Stage predictions will open on September 10 both inside the client and on the web. Players who follow the esports event therefore have a clear date to make their first tournament picks rather than needing to watch for a surprise activation.
The patch also includes a range of bug fixes across Agents. Riot fixed issues involving smoke dissipation and flashes, lingering effects on specific abilities, performance drops and visual problems. The details matter most to players of the affected Agents, but the broader theme is cleanup rather than a large balance pass.
On PC, Range Practice Mode now lets players choose a default bot count of 10, five or one, with five becoming the new default. It is a small training convenience that gives players a less crowded option without having to clear a full set of practice targets.
Riot is tightening rules around unfair external advantages
Riot also says it is introducing penalties for stream sniping and unauthorized instalock tools. Stream sniping involves using a broadcaster's live information to gain an unfair competitive advantage, while external instalock tools automate or interfere with normal Agent-selection behavior.
The useful player takeaway is the enforcement direction, not how those tools operate. Riot is explicitly treating these behaviors as integrity problems and warning that penalties can follow. Players should use the normal client and queue flow rather than third-party software that attempts to automate competitive choices.
Riot also flags changes to the Agent Gear system, but those are not live in patch 13.05. The notes describe them as future changes and encourage players to collect current items before the system is adjusted. Treating that preview as part of today's live patch would overstate what actually changed.
Patch 13.05 therefore sits between maintenance and preparation. It cleans up bugs, narrows cosmetic audio, adds a practice option and sets the date for Champions Pick'Ems, while also putting players on notice about competitive-integrity enforcement.
For most matches, the update will feel lighter than a major Agent or weapon rebalance. That is deliberate: Riot says a much larger patch is coming with 13.06. Until then, the live changes are the ones documented in 13.05, and the Agent Gear overhaul remains a preview rather than a current system rewrite.
Riot's own notes make that boundary explicit, so players should separate today's enforcement changes from the larger balance work still ahead.
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