The 2023 season of the Valorant Champions Tour was the most compelling yet, featuring 30 international teams competing for life-changing prize money. The 2024 VCT season promises to be even better, with tons of new and veteran players fighting to leave their mark on the game. In this guide, we profile ten players who we think have a chance to be named the best Valorant player.
We predict the Valorant players who will most significantly impact the 2024 competitive season. Our list considers players’ performance during the 2023 VCT season with a heavy emphasis on the major LAN events. The Valorant players we think will be the best in 2024 include aspas, Boaster, Demon1, f0rsakeN, ZmjjKK, Alfajer, Derke, MaKo, something, and Jinggg.
Quick take
Best Valorant Players
Here’s our predictive list, in no particular order, of the best Valorant players recently and throughout 2024:
aspas
Erick “aspas” Santos is a Brazilian professional Valorant player known as one of the best duelists in the world. Aspas, currently a member of Leviatán, had incredible success with his former team, LOUD, where he won Valorant Champions 2022 and finished third in 2023. He was named MVP and best Duelist of the VCT 2023: Americas League.
Pro tip
Our Valorant pro settings guide includes the crosshair, sens, gear, and more for aspas and other top professionals.
Boaster
Jake “Boaster” Howlett is the first of a few Fnatic players to make our list, known as one of the best IGLs to touch Valorant. Boaster got his esports start in Counter-Strike, but his focus shifted to Valorant when it was released in 2020. Since joining Fnatic in 2021, Boaster has led the team to prestigious wins at major tournaments like VCT 2023: Masters Tokyo and VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo.
Demon1
Max “Demon1” Mazanov has the hardware to claim he’s the best Valorant player in the world after winning Valorant Champions 2023 with Evil Geniuses and receiving MVP honors. Before starting his Valorant career as a relative unknown in 2022, Demon1 was grinding the underground arena-shooter Unreal Tournament 4, leaving many to doubt his ability to perform in a tier 1 esport like Valorant. It took Demon1 little time to turn his skeptics into fans, and now he’s considered one of the best Valorant fraggers of all time.
Pro tip
Our Valorant pro settings guide includes the crosshair, sens, gear, and more for aspas and other top professionals.
f0rsakeN
Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto is a rising star of Valorant esports who plays on the powerhouse APAC squad, Paper Rex. F0rsakeN, known for his precision aim and aggressive playstyle, plays the IGL role for a Paper Rex team that finished runner-up at Valorant Champions 2023. F0rsakeN has mastered multiple Agents, allowing him to play a valuable flex role for Paper Rex.
ZmjjKK
Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang, also known as KangKang, is arguably the greatest Chinese Valorant player despite his young age. ZmjjKK does not have as impressive tournament wins as other players on this list, but he seems to always pop off on the big stage. ZmjjKK is consistently one of the best-rated players on LAN, and his skill with the Operator is on par with the best in the world.
Alfajer
Emir “Alfajer” Beder is a Turkish player on the Fnatic team that finished fourth at Valorant Champions 2023. Alfajer was the youngest player at Champions 2022, competing at only 17 years old. Since then, he’s won MVP honors at Valorant Champions Tour 2023: EMEA League and multiple S-Tier tournaments. The young Turkish star carries heavy team and individual expectations heading into the 2024 competitive season.
Derke
Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev is a Finnish player of Russian descent currently playing for Fnatic esports. Derke’s incredible mechanical skill and background as a Counter-Strike professional have made him one of the best duelists in Valorant. Derke is on record that Fnatic’s fourth-place finish at Valorant Champions 2023 was a disappointment, and he feels more prepared than ever heading into the 2024 season.
MaKo
Kim “MaKo” Myeong-Kwan is a South Korean pro known as one of the best Valorant players in the Controller role. MaKo’s expertise with the abilities of Agents like Viper and Brimstone makes life difficult for the enemy team, and he is infamous for playing mind games with opponents. MaKo received awards for best Controller and League Play MVP of the VCT 2023: Pacific League.
something
Ilya “something” Petrov joined Paper Rex right before the 2023 VCT Pacific League season began and immediately improved the team dynamic. Something was crucial to Paper Rex’s 2023 VCT Pacific League title, earning league MVP, Grand Finals MVP, and best Duelist honors. Something’s 2023 pedigree and world-class fragging ability make him one of the Valorant players to watch for in 2023.
Jinggg
The advanced stats prove that Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie was one of the best Valorant players during the 2023 competitive season. Unfortunately for Paper Rex, Jinggg is moving to a substitute role for 2024 to fulfill his Singaporean military service duties. Uncertainty about Jinggg’s availability for the 2024 season casts doubt over his ability to impact Paper Rex’s title chances, but he’s too good a player to exclude from our list.
