Does VALORANT MMR Decay?

To reach the highest point in any field of activity, you have to work hard and thoroughly at it. It's the same with the ranked mode at VALORANT. You need to play a lot of games and give it your all in order to reach the top of the leaderboard. But what happens if you take a long break and come back to the game after a while? Will you stay at the same MMR level? We have the answer to that question.

What is MMR decay in VALORANT?

VALORANT competitive designer EvrMoar confirmed on December 9, 2022, that players’ Matchmaking Rating (MMR) does decay the longer the game is left untouched.

"Yes, we have decay, and it does two things. When you are gone from VALORANT for an extended period of we do lower your MMR. We also increase your "Variance", EvrMoar said in his tweet. 

"Variance is how confident we are in your MMR. The higher your Variance the further you may match up with players, and gain/lose MMR as well. It's how we tell the range at which you play. If you have high Variance we are probably less sure about where you belong. By doing decay this way it allows you to get back that MMR we may have deducted quickly because you have a higher Variance which allows your MMR to move back to its original spot. This ensures don't get paired with someone who may be a little rusty and not at peak performance."

Now you know more about how MMR works in a ranked mode in VALORANT. But still, even if you think some things are unfair, don't despair. Whoever works hard, tries to improve his game, and goes to his goal, sooner or later will do it. Sometimes it's good to take a few day's breaks, meet up with friends, play other games and then come back to play VALORANT with renewed vigor.