The shooter Valorant is currently in a closed beta. To participate, you need a key that you can get through Twitch drops. But how long does it take? What does Riot say, and what are players reporting?
How to get into the Valorant beta? To get into the beta, you need a validated account, which you can currently obtain only through Twitch drops. To do this, you need to watch any stream of Valorant.
Furthermore, you need to connect your Twitch account with a Riot Games account. We have already compiled the exact details about the beta and how you can get a key.
Instead, we will look at what Riot reveals about the waiting time for beta access and how long players actually waited.
Twitch drops require at least 2 hours of viewing time
This is what Riot says about the duration: In the official FAQ for the beta, Riot Games reveals that you must first cross a threshold to be qualified for Twitch drops. This threshold is about 2 hours.
After that, you have a chance for access, which is supposed to increase the more you watch. However, the advantage decreases over time:
- The difference in chances between 10 and 5 hours, for example, is greater than between 20 and 15 hours.
- Even with hundreds of hours, you have no guarantee that you will receive access.
- Even if the chances are poorer, someone with 2 hours of viewing time can already receive access.
The Twitch drops run 24/7. Once you have surpassed the 2 hours, you can receive access even while you are offline. So you do not have to stay in front of the PC and watch Twitch constantly, nor do you have to watch multiple streams at the same time.
How many players fit into the beta? The professional CS:GO player n0thing revealed on Twitter on April 2 that Riot will distribute 25,000 beta keys via Twitch drops.
This number may now be outdated, as Riot has already revealed that they have increased their server capacity by 25% (via Twitter). Additionally, these 25,000 keys may only apply to a specific time frame.
Valorant is currently very successful on Twitch. At times, 1 million viewers follow the streams. It is hard to estimate how many of them actually receive a key and how many are already participating in the beta. Also, bots and sales on eBay lead to problems and additional confusion.
Players wait 50 hours and that in vain
This is what players say on MeinMMO: We already have some readers on MeinMMO who have received access, but also many who are desperately waiting:
- Muchtie: “I watched for 12 hours and can now participate…. I don’t find it that special, it plays quite slowly.”
- Nico in response to a comment: “I got my key late last night just before 1 AM. The game is already fun. I wish you good luck!”
- tuShai: “I have now been doing this for 3 days. Hours, actively watching the stream with drops and nothing. I’m honestly a bit annoyed, because everyone, really everyone I know, has access.”
- DTPN: “It’s really annoying, I have been running Twitch since April 7 (around 30 hours) and no drop for beta access […]. This random principle is annoying…”
This is what players say on reddit: On reddit, the situation seems similar to what we see on MeinMMO. In a thread from April 10, players revealed how long they watched for a key. The numbers vary significantly:
- KetaPerry: “It took me around 30 hours to get a drop.”
- SebiSch: “It took me 30+ hours until I got a key.”
- Glacier01: “I have been watching for 50+ hours and received nothing.”
- Xilthy: “50+ hours and received no drop.”
In another thread, a poll was started. Of 324 participants, 224 are still waiting for their key:
How long does it take to get beta access? According to the current information, it seems sufficient if you simply watch the required 2 hours of an official streamer and then wait.
Watching more seems to bring only slight advantages, but you burn out faster. Watching multiple streams, on the other hand, brings nothing.
However, make sure to catch the right streamers and not just pay attention to what is stated in the stream title. Even the well-known DrDisrespect has already misled his viewers in this regard.
