You may have noticed that your favorite streamer’s Valorant game looks different than yours. Some streamers and professional Valorant players use a stretched resolution to manipulate how their FOV looks in-game. In this guide, we cover Valorant FOV and stretched resolution essentials and best settings with instructions on how to change your Valorant FOV.
Quick take
1280×960 is the most popular stretched resolution Valorant players use. Stretching your resolution does increase the width of your crosshair and can increase FPS. But remember that using a stretched resolution in Valorant doesn’t provide a competitive advantage like other FPS titles, such as CS: GO.
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Valorant FOV and stretched resolution explained?
FOV, or field of view, is the viewing angle for your character at any given time. A narrow field of view in FPS games will make targets seem larger with the scene cropped in. A wide field of view allows more of the game to be visible to the player.
The FOV in Valorant is locked at 103 degrees and cannot be adjusted like other FPS titles. A locked FOV opens the door for players to use stretched resolutions, which can create the illusion of changing the in-game FOV.
Valorant’s native resolution is 1920×1080, or a 16:9 aspect ratio. The 16:9 aspect ratio is the default for most modern screens and monitors.
Stretched resolutions take the native 16:9 aspect ratio picture and stretch it to fit a wider ratio of 16:10, 4:3, or even 5:3. Stretched resolutions cause a game’s scene to widen, which sacrifices the native image quality.
Some Valorant players forgo the game’s native 16:9 aspect ratio in favor of a stretched resolution. Many professional Valorant players come from CS: GO, where stretched resolutions are common and can even provide an advantage.
Best stretched resolution for Valorant
While there is no best stretched resolution for Valorant, there are some well-established resolutions we can recommend if you want to try something different than 1920×1080.
1280×960 (4:3): The 1280×960 resolution is the most popular stretched resolution in Counter-Strike. Since many esports players are creatures of habit, many CS: GO professionals brought this resolution to their new careers in Valorant.
1680×1050 (16:10): 1680×1050 is a 16:10 aspect ratio that stretches the screen slightly more than the native resolution. This resolution is the perfect middle ground for anyone who wants to try a stretched resolution for Valorant but finds 4:3 too extreme of an aspect ratio.
1024×768 (4:3): A 1024×768 resolution is a fantastic option for players on a budget gaming PC who want more performance while playing on a Valorant stretched resolution. 1024×768 sacrifices graphical quality in favor of a significant performance boost. We only recommend this resolution to those who struggle to maintain a consistent 60 FPS.
How to get stretched resolution in Valorant
Changing to a stretched resolution in Valorant can be accomplished with a few easy steps.
First, launch Valorant and open the settings menu by pressing ESC in-game or the settings icon in the upper right corner while at the main menu.
Next, go to the Video settings tab and click on the General tab. Choose the drop-down menu labeled Resolution and select the resolution and aspect ratio that works for you.
Once you have selected your desired resolution, click the Apply icon in the area labeled Aspect Ratio Method. Select the Close Settings icon at the bottom of the screen, and the display should update with your new resolution.
Players can rest easy knowing that using a stretched resolution will not affect mouse sensitivity, allowing you to maintain the best Valorant sensitivity no matter what resolution you choose.
Does stretched resolution help in Valorant?
Stretched resolution can help in Valorant, but it might not be in the way that you think.
Unlike CS: GO, Valorant’s FOV stays fixed at 103 no matter which resolution you use. Valorant’s locked FOV makes using a stretched resolution much less of a competitive advantage than games like CS: GO since the player models and objects stay the same size no matter what resolution you choose.
Stretched resolution does affect the UI overlay in-game, which means your Valorant crosshair will look different when using a wider aspect ratio. Some players prefer the look of a wider crosshair, which is not achievable with the native resolution.
Do Valorant pros use stretched resolution?
We compiled data from professional Valorant players’ settings we track on-site to see what resolutions the pros use. Here are the results as of November 2022:
- 75% of pros we track use Valorant’s native resolution of 1920×1080 (16:9)
- 1280×960 is the second most popular resolution we track, totaling 11% of pros
- 82% of pros use the native 16:9 aspect ratio, 14% use a 4:3 aspect ratio, and 4% use a 16:10 aspect ratio
Does stretched resolution affect Valorant FPS?
One of the most noticeable advantages that stretched resolution provides in Valorant can be a performance boost to FPS. Most common stretched resolutions are downscaled versions of the native 1920×1080 resolution.
Pro tip
While using stretched resolution in Valorant can provide a significant FPS boost, it will also severely reduce graphic quality. Valorant will look more grainy and pixelated when using a stretched resolution. But the game may run smoother and maintain a more consistent framerate.
There’s no need to use a stretched resolution if your only goal is to improve performance in Valorant. You can always downscale resolutions while maintaining a 16:9 aspect ratio, like going from 1920×1080 to 1280×720, so that the game performs better but does not suffer from the distorted image of a stretched resolution.
To learn more about improving FPS and graphic quality in Valorant, check out our guide on the best Valorant graphics settings.
