As VALORANT players, we all have maps we love, and ones that make us instantly want to dodge the queue. Riot regularly rotates maps in and out of an active pool to keep things balanced and foster tactical freshness. If you’re wondering what the VALORANT map pool or competitive map rotation looks like right now, we’ve got everything you need to know.
Here’s what the VALORANT map pool for Season V26, Act Two includes for competitive, plus an outline of future or upcoming plans for the pool.
Table of contents
All maps in the current VALORANT map pool (Patch 12.05)
The VALORANT ranked map pool as of Season V26, Act Two, includes the following maps:
- Haven
- Bind
- Split
- Pearl
- Breeze
- Lotus
- Fracture
The most recent changes to the competitive map rotation went live with Patch 12.05, bringing back Lotus and Fracture, replacing Abyss and Corrode.
Haven
Haven has remained in active rotation for the most part since the map rotation system was introduced with Patch 5.00 (June 2022). Despite featuring three plant sites and complex features, the map feels quite balanced while encouraging creativity. It’s one of the oldest VALORANT maps, yet I’ve never had a dull moment on Haven.
Haven was removed from the pool in Episode Eight, Act One, only to return two Acts later in Act Three.
Lotus
After a brief break since Patch 11.08, Lotus is back in Competitive rotation with Patch 12.05. The second three-site map features revolving doors on A Tree and C Main that expose the team entrying or rotating out of the site.
Patch 12.05 made a few adjustments to wall penetration on A-site, namely in A Lobby and A Tree. The plant zone on the A-site has also been adjusted, preventing you from planting for A Link, so you’ll need new post-plant strategies.
Bind
Bind was first removed from the active rotation in Patch 6.00, but Patch 6.08 brought it back with massive changes. It was removed for the second time with Patch 10.04, only to reappear in 10.08—no changes this time.
Bind is one of the first three VALORANT maps released in beta. It wasn’t always a fan-favorite map, thanks to how annoyingly defender-friendly its original design was. But Patch 6.08 changed things for good, and now, most players frown at the idea of Bind leaving the active map pool.
Fracture
Despite being out of rotation for almost a year, Fracture came back to VALORANT with Patch 12.05 with no changes to its layout. It’s still the same map with a zipline going through the middle, and multiple routes for quick rotations that often made the engagements feel like a brawl.
The map used to favor agents like Breach and Viper, but the introduction of Miks may shake up the meta. This is also the first time we’ll see Veto play on Fracture in a competitive setting, and while Veto isn’t the most popular pick, his teleports could give him an edge when repositioning on such an open map.
Split
Split was the first VALORANT map to be removed from active rotation. Back in 2022, when the devs first announced the “seven map pool” system, Split was taken out to give Pearl, the new map at the time, a spot in the active rotation. It remained out of the pool for an entire Episode before returning with Patch 6.00.
Split was removed from the active pool twice—once in Patch 8.11 and again in Patch 11.00. Luckily for fans of the Tokyo-based map, it has now returned with Patch 11.08 after a short break of two Acts.
Pearl
Pearl’s underwater “geo-dome” design makes it one of the most visually stunning maps in VALORANT, but despite its looks, it’s also one of the few that’s spent over a year out of the active pool. After it was removed for the first time with Patch 7.04, it stayed out of the game for 420 days before returning with Patch 9.08.
Pearl was removed for the second time with Patch 11.00, but has now returned only two Acts later with Patch 11.08. The map also underwent changes to address strategic imbalance and encourage player creativity.
Breeze
After a long break since Patch 8.11, Breeze is back with the biggest rework Riot has ever done to a VALORANT map. Breeze has arguably been one of the least popular maps in the game, and the rework addressed some of its problems, which should also allow more Controllers to shine.
Most areas on the map have been narrowed down to provide more cover and angles for mid-range gunfights. Other areas, such as mid-doors, have been expanded to prevent you from constantly entering long sightlines. Halls are gone (again), and instead, there are tunnels leading from A rope to mid chute, and from A bridge to the site, respectively.
All currently inactive VALORANT maps
Here’s a list of VALORANT maps that are currently out of the Competitive and Deathmatch map rotation:
- Ascent (removed with Patch 11.08)
- Icebox (removed with Patch 11.04)
- Sunset (removed with Patch 12.00)
- Corrode (removed with Patch 12.05)
- Abyss (removed with Patch 12.05)
All these maps are still active in Unrated, Swiftplay, Spike Rush, and Escalation queues.
