Always patched and ready to go.
Riot Games is reportedly adding a new feature to VALORANT next month in the form of an automated patching feature through the Riot Client called Background Patching.
In this quick guide, we have outlined everything Riot Games has revealed about the upcoming Background Patching feature.
What is Background Patching?
Background Patching is a new feature allowing the Riot Client to update VALORANT whenever a new patch comes out automatically. To complement the new Background Patching feature, Riot Games also promises a new feature that allows the Riot Games client to launch as soon as your computer starts up.
In its current form, Background Patching will only fully update VALORANT. Still, players should be able to keep VALORANT up-to-date and ready to play “at a moment’s notice” by simply keeping the Riot Client running in the background.
Players can also toggle the feature ON/OFF through the Riot Client settings.
How does Background Patching Work?
Players have to manually update VALORANT whenever a new update drops every other week. While the update process for VALORANT is typically straightforward, some players occasionally have trouble updating their game due to bugs or the dreaded 0.01kb/s bug where the update gets stuck mid-way through the update process.
Through Background Patching, players can allow the Riot Client to update VALORANT and other Riot Games automatically. At the same time, they are AFK, or the Riot Client is running in the background. This helps keep VALORANT up-to-date and ready to play, so you spend less time waiting and more time playing Riot Games’ tactical shooter.
With that said, Riot Games says that Background Patching for VALORANT will only fully update VALORANT in its first version. Other Riot Games, such as League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, and Teamfight Tactics, can partially update within their respective game clients. Still, they cannot fully patch in the background as VALORANT does.
When is Background Patching coming to VALORANT?
As of May 19, 2023, players with the Riot Client beta should already have the Background Patching working on their game clients.
Read: How To Get Arcane Sheriff in Valorant
Other players that do not use the Riot Client beta can enjoy the same feature next month, according to Riot Games, although there is no specific date for the release.
The new feature will roll out for Windows, with Mac getting support for the new feature at a later date.
Always Up-to-date
Currently, updating VALORANT can take anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, depending on the size of a new update or your download/upload speeds, whether you encounter the dreaded 0KB bug mid-way through the update process.
The wait time between downloading and installing a new patch generally isn’t too bad, but having the ability to keep VALORANT up-to-date in the background. At the same time, you do other things to ensure you’re ready when it’s finally time to play Ranked with your VALORANT friends.
