Can Bronze and Gold Players Queue Together in VALORANT?

Playing ranked matches with friends can be one of the most enjoyable parts of tactical shooters like VALORANT. But the competitive rating system places restrictions on which ranks can queue together to preserve competitive integrity. A common question is whether large rank gaps like Bronze and Gold are allowed. The short answer is yes: iron through gold players can queue together regardless of rank difference. However, the highest ranked player‘s medal determines matchmaking, so large gaps make games harder.

How VALORANT‘s Competitive Ranks Work

VALORANT divides players into nine competitive tiers as their rating increases from the starting point of Iron 1 to the coveted rank of Radiant. Here is a breakdown of the ranks and percentages of players in each tier according to the current Episode 6 rank distribution statistics:

• Iron – Bottom 10% of players
• Bronze – Next 23% of players
• Silver – Next 20% of players
• Gold – Next 23% of players
• Platinum – Next 15%
• Diamond – 8%
• Immortal – 1%
• Radiant – 0.01% of top ranked players

So while the median rank is Gold 2, over 75% of players are ranked Gold or below. Reaching Platinum and ascending the upper ranks reflects significantly more competitive ability.

Ranked Matchmaking Rules

VALORANT determines matchmaking and skill rating adjustments based on the highest ranked player in a party. While Iron through Gold can group freely, ranked restrictions get tighter in higher tiers:

• Iron-Silver: No restrictions
• Silver-Gold: No restrictions
• Gold-Platinum: No restrictions
• Platinum-Diamond-Immortal: Party can only queue together
• Immortal-Radiant: Additional limitations on grouping

This allows some flexibility for playing with friends while keeping match quality high at the top levels. So in essence, Bronze players can queue competitively with Gold friends.

Consequences of Grouping with Rank Disparities

While VALORANT‘s system allows Bronze and Gold ranks to party up, large skill differences tend to produce one-sided stomps at the expense of players in lower tiers. A Gold 2 lobby will face opponents appropriate for that rank, making life difficult for the Bronze 1 duo partner.

Without coordination, the predictions are rather grim for the lower ranked player:

• They will likely anchor bottom of the scoreboard with significantly lower combat stats
• Getting repeatedly outplayed can be demoralizing and unenjoyable
• Dying quickly gives little opportunity to use abilities and assist teammates
• Being the weak link feeds additional ultimate charge to enemies
• Minimal combat impact means reduced rating increase for wins and larger decreases for losses

Essentially when groups have vast skill gaps, the lesser skilled players acts as a handicap while having minimal influence. They depend on their higher elo friends to carry them game after game.

Alternative Ways to Play Together

If you wish to play with friends of vastly different ranks, here are some alternatives beyond ranking up solo queue accounts:

• Play unrated games instead which have no restrictions
• Create a separate smurf account to use when playing together
• Have the higher ranked player use an alternate lower rated account
• Take turns playing on each other‘s accounts in ranked queues

While smurfing and boosting behaviors technically go against VALORANT‘s competitive integrity principles, players inevitably create alternate accounts to play with lower ranked friends.

At the end of day, players must choose between upholding ranked principles versus bending rules to enjoy games with friends. There are no perfect solutions, so adapt options to your preferences.