AFK Penalties and Next Changes

VALORANT has rolled out stronger AFK penalties after noticing a small group of players causing a large share of disruptions.

In patch 11.00, Riot adjusted its systems to issue firmer punishments for players who go AFK too often.

Then in 11.05, penalties for behaviors like AFK remakes and queue dodging were tuned to scale more quickly, making it harder for repeat offenders to avoid consequences.

AFK Penalties 

These changes are already showing results. Competitive games have seen a 20% drop in AFKs and similar behaviors, while Swiftplay saw a 6% decrease.

For most players, this means fewer ruined matches and more consistent competitive experiences.

Riot isn’t stopping here.

The team is continuing to track how these updates play out and is already preparing the next wave of improvements.

Their next focus will be on reducing toxicity in voice and text chat, with more details to come in future updates.

Alongside updates to AFK penalties, Riot is also working on new features to address smurfing in ranked.

Combating Smurfing Next

Experienced players using lower-ranked accounts, disrupt matchmaking and create unfair games for both new and veteran players.

Riot has acknowledged that smurfing is one of the biggest frustrations for the competitive community, and upcoming changes are aimed at making ranked matches more balanced.

The team is exploring ways to detect smurfs earlier, limit their impact, and ensure accounts are placed closer to their true skill level much faster.