VALORANT Gets a Major UI Overhaul in Patch 5.08
Image Credit - Riot Games
Valorant, in a recent patch, got a major overhaul in the UI department. The changes affected a lot of areas that ultimately improve the player’s out of game experience.
The new UI sees a complete renovation applied to the main menu, lobby, pre-match loading screen and end of game screens. It is a massive upgrade to the style of the game, improving legibility, featuring elements to pop out, and removing unnecessary elements that take away the modern aspect of the UI.
The overhaul has certainly improved the experience of the gamer outside of the game. The new UI has been seeing highly positive feedback, including it making navigating easier, getting in game easier with a big and bright ‘Play’ button.
The new main menu has also been significantly improved. It is easier to read text on the screen, with much bolder text and an overall cleaner look. Prior to the update, the main menu screen was cluttered with boxes of information, which, to me, looked too much like adverts.
They have, following that, removed all the clutter from the main menu, making it a seamless and elegant experience to load into the game.
The pre-match loading screen has been getting the attention it deserves, too! Riot said “We removed the map so your banners could take up the screen, better showing off your identity through your chosen player cards, titles, and rank badges. We punched up both sides’ colors, mirrored banner layouts for symmetry, and added ‘VS’ text to emphasize the head-to-head feeling.”
The lobby has gotten its fair share of improvements as well. It now has a more modern feel to it, with player cards fading out at the bottom. The start button also looks much better with a brighter and more saturated color. The countdown after queueing a match also now looks bolder, with a heavier impact. The match found screen is, personally, my favorite. The match found screen is now animated and takes more space in the screen. It pops out, and is quite pleasant.
Last, but definitely not the least, the end of game screens. Note that I say screens and not screen. There is now an MVP screen after the game ends, better representing the team aspect of Valorant and the contributions of the other players of the team.
The new UI has certainly impressed players and have attracted several new players to the FPS as well. We hope to see Riot continue with the amazing work.
