Treat high ping and packet loss as connection problems; treat choppy animation or falling FPS as a frame-rate problem. For a connection problem, check Riot's service status, choose the available server showing the lowest ping, stop active downloads and disconnect any VPN or proxy, then compare Ethernet. Server Select cannot change your Riot shard, and only a solo player or the party leader can choose the server.
Before you continue
Confirm network lagPing or packet loss points to the connection; falling FPS points to rendering.
Choose the lowest-ping serverOnly from the servers available on your Riot shard.
Compare EthernetA wired test separates Wi-Fi trouble from the wider connection.
Use this guide when ping or packet loss is the problem. If animations are choppy or the FPS value falls while the connection remains stable, use Riot's frame-rate troubleshooting instead of changing network settings.
2
Check Riot's service status
Open Riot Games Service Status, choose VALORANT and your region, and look for an incident matching the time of the problem. If Riot reports an incident, wait and test again after it is resolved; local DNS, files, or drivers cannot repair a service outage.
From the VALORANT lobby before queueing, open Server Select and choose the available server showing the lowest ping. You can do this only while playing solo or leading the party, and the control cannot select a server outside your current shard. Start the queue and check whether the new match improves.
4
Stop competing network traffic
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, select Processes, and check the Network column. Pause active downloads or cloud syncing and close only apps you recognize. Disconnect any VPN or proxy, then test the same VALORANT server again so the comparison changes one condition at a time.
5
Compare a wired connection
Connect the PC to the router with Ethernet when possible and retest the same available server. If Ethernet is unavailable, restart the modem and router, wait until both are fully online, and repeat the test. If Ethernet removes the spikes, troubleshoot the Wi-Fi link or router rather than reinstalling VALORANT.
6
Run Windows network diagnostics
Open Get Help from Start and run the Network and Internet troubleshooter for the active connection. Apply only the recommendation that matches its result, then retest VALORANT. Use Network reset only for a broader Windows connection failure and only last because it removes network adapters and their settings.
7
Send Riot useful evidence
If other apps and devices work normally but VALORANT still shows high ping or packet loss, run Riot Repair Tool as administrator and collect the VALORANT logs. Attach the ZIP to a Riot support ticket with the selected server, region, time, connection type, and results of the download, VPN, Ethernet, and Windows-diagnostic checks.
If it does not work
If every device on the network is slow or disconnecting, check the router and ISP rather than reinstalling VALORANT.
If only one available VALORANT server has high ping, select a lower-ping server within the current shard; Server Select cannot move the account to another shard.
If the connection is stable but animations remain choppy or FPS falls, follow Riot's frame-rate guidance instead of continuing network changes.
Do not treat a ping to Google, DNS change, temporary-file deletion, firewall exception, or port forwarding as a routine latency fix. Use those branches only when Riot or Windows evidence identifies the matching connection failure.
ⓘ Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Windows PC.
Source-checked against Riot's current network and Server Select guidance. An exact current Server Select capture and hands-on game retest are still required before final editorial acceptance.
