Valorant is getting its most experimental mode yet. Gauntlet: Glitched drops with Valorant Patch 13.06 on September 22, 2026, and it throws out the standard five-versus-five formula entirely. Sixteen players, eight teams of two, a randomized ability draft, and upgrades that can turn familiar skills into something unrecognizable. If you want to know what you're getting into before the mode goes live, this guide covers everything.
What is Valorant Gauntlet: Glitched?
Gauntlet: Glitched is a 16-player tournament mode built around short 2v2 battles. Instead of picking a standard Agent and using their fixed kit, every player builds a hybrid Robo-Agent by drafting abilities from a randomized pool during the match. The combinations that come out of this system are things that simply cannot happen in standard play: mobility tools from one Agent stacked alongside smokes from another, or crowd control paired with reconnaissance in ways the normal role system would never allow.
Matches are designed to run around 8 to 15 minutes, which makes Gauntlet: Glitched one of the faster formats in the game. The mode also removes rank restrictions for duo partners, so players who cannot normally queue together in ranked have a way to play side by side.
Valorant Gauntlet Glitched Guide: How the 16-Player Mode Works
How does the tournament format work?
The 16 players are split into eight teams of two. Each round, your duo is matched against another team in a 2v2 battle. Losing a round does not immediately eliminate you; instead, it reduces your team's health. Once that health pool hits zero, your duo is out of the tournament.
This structure means a single bad round is not necessarily fatal. You have time to adjust your build and change your approach before the next confrontation. The last duo standing wins.
While other teams finish their matches, players waiting between battles can reportedly practice aim against floating targets from a platform overlooking the arenas. It keeps the downtime from feeling wasted.
How do you build a Robo-Agent?
This is the core of what makes Gauntlet: Glitched different. At various points during a match, you receive a set of randomized ability options and pick one to add to your build. You can also choose to invest in an ability you already have rather than picking up something new, upgrading it from Level 1 up to Level 3.
The draft is not fixed, so you cannot plan a specific build before the match starts. You work with what the pool gives you and look for combinations that cover your duo's weaknesses. This roguelike element is what separates Gauntlet: Glitched from a straightforward ability swap mode.
Gauntlet: Glitched mode select
What do ability upgrades actually do?
Upgrades do not just add numbers. Some abilities gain entirely new behaviors at higher levels. Three confirmed examples from the mode:
- Yoru's Fakeout: At base level it functions as a standard decoy. Upgraded, it gains the ability to fire bullets independently.
- Skye's Trailblazer: The scouting creature can become a gigantic wolf capable of eliminating an opponent in a single attack.
- Gekko's Wingman: Scales up significantly in size while keeping its ability to concuss the first enemy it contacts.
These are not subtle stat bumps. Riot is deliberately pushing abilities past their normal limits, which is exactly where the "Glitched" name comes from.
Duo coordination matters as much as individual builds
Drafting abilities is not purely a solo decision. Your teammate's build directly affects which choices make sense for you. A player who picks up strong mobility tools becomes more dangerous when their partner holds reconnaissance abilities to reveal targets. Two builds that cover identical functions waste the draft's potential.
The randomized pool makes this harder to plan in advance. You need to assess each draft option against what your duo already has rather than following a predetermined path. Two individually powerful builds can still be a poor pairing if they address the same gaps and leave others open.
For players newer to Valorant's ability system who want to understand how roles and kits normally interact, the Valorant beginner's guide covering agents, aim, and economy is a solid foundation before jumping into Gauntlet: Glitched.
What maps does Gauntlet: Glitched use?
The mode launches with four arenas built specifically for its 2v2 format. These are not direct ports of existing maps; they take inspiration from existing Valorant locations, with Breeze, Icebox, and Corrode cited as influences, then restructure the geometry for smaller fights.
Building purpose-made arenas gives Riot control over sightlines, cover placement, and movement routes in a way that reusing full-size competitive maps would not. Upgraded abilities, especially ones with dramatically expanded effects like a gigantic Trailblazer wolf, need space that standard maps were not designed to accommodate.
When does Gauntlet: Glitched release?
Gauntlet: Glitched goes live with Patch 13.06 on September 22, 2026. The patch also introduces the new Warden rifle and the Agent Mastery system, making it one of the larger updates the game has seen recently.
Is Gauntlet: Glitched worth your time?
For players who have felt like every Valorant session follows the same rhythm, Gauntlet: Glitched is a genuine departure. The 8 to 15-minute match length makes it easy to fit in without committing to a full competitive session, and the randomized draft means no two runs play out the same way.
Players who prefer the precision and structure of ranked will need to adjust. There is no fixed meta to study here, and the best build in one match might be useless in the next. That unpredictability is the point. If you want to understand which Agents' base abilities are worth drafting when they appear in the pool, checking the Valorant agent tier list for ranked gives useful context on which kits tend to perform across different situations.
For everything else Valorant has to offer heading into Patch 13.06, the full Valorant guides collection has you covered.