Those who want to play the Closed Beta of Valorant need access via Twitch Drops. These were previously only available from selected top streamers on Twitch. However, Riot Games has now changed the distribution rules and allowed Twitch Drops for beta keys with all Valorant streamers.
What are Twitch Drops all about? The Closed Beta of Valorant can only be played if you receive a Twitch Drop with access. This is the only way to participate in the beta. And to receive a drop, you need to watch a streamer who is officially authorized by Riot Games to offer such drops in their stream for at least 2 hours.
On the list of major streamers with drops are well-known names like Shroud, TimTheTatman, and Summit1g. Other streamers, like DrDisrespect and many smaller streamers on Twitch, do not have drops and therefore do not provide anything to those seeking beta access.
This has been criticized in the community, as well as all the streamers who were not allowed to offer drops but could brazenly write it in their stream description. DrDisrespect was the most notable case here. The Doc falsely advertised drops in his stream but had none.
Riot changes Twitch Drops – Every streamer has them now
What has changed now? It was recently announced on Twitter that Riot Games has now set different rules for the distribution of drops. Because now all streamers who stream Valorant can distribute drops. The remaining rules for the distribution of drops and the number of total distributed beta accesses remain the same.
Riot has now confirmed that ALL Twitch streamer playing VALORANT can now drop Closed Beta access.
— Valorant News (@ValorantUpdates) April 14, 2020
The amount of access drops are the same, but now you can watch any stream you want for a chance at access.
You are no longer forced to watch one of the established major streamers. Instead, you can now also follow smaller players who previously could not offer drops and therefore had little to do with the hype around the game.
Theoretically, it is even possible to watch your friend who already has access stream, and possibly snag a key. The drops are automatically activated during every Valorant stream.
This is what the community says: Fans of Valorant on reddit are pleased with the new rule:
- “The community asks for something and Riot delivers. Therefore, the game will be a success!”
- “These are massive news! People will now watch the really good players, not just the established ones!”
- “This is great news! We already have 24/7 streams, so there was no advantage in limiting it to the alpha players. If anything, it just led to scum like DrDisrespect cheating people.”
Other fans meanwhile mocked DrDisrespect. The controversial streamer recently stated that he had drops in his stream, which was outright lies to troll the community. Now various comments say, “Finally, now the Doc doesn’t have to lie about drops anymore!”
Others see the action as a brilliant marketing strategy by Riot Games:
“First, they build good relationships with major streamers who play and promote their game while their own channels grow. Then Riot expands this to smaller providers who benefit from the hype and can now also make a name for themselves. Valorant will thus remain at the top of Twitch for a while longer.”
This is how the distribution of Twitch Drops works: As already mentioned, the rules for the distribution of beta accesses in Valorant have not changed. So you still have to patiently watch streams. How long it approximately takes until a Twitch Drop with beta access reaches you can be found here in our article about watching Twitch to get beta keys for Valorant.
