Did the official Valorant esports account just drop a casual inquiry? ‘How often do you watch Valorant Esports?’ It seems so straightforward. But the responses were intriguing? They vividly illustrated the current state of the scene, the spectators, and how people will be experiencing competitive video gaming in 2026. A crazy combination of devotion, casual interest, and indifference. Let us get into the details.
First and foremost, it is impossible to overlook the vast number of people who are really into it. Among the players, Alamut97 is literally the one who eats, sleeps, and lives this stuff, claiming to watch ‘All of Emea (in person), all internationals, 60% of Americas, 50% of Pacific and 80% of off season.’ That’s basically a full-time job. Seriously. And this is not only true for him. Chicago_cgv says ‘Every time,’ while others like iRocketeeR and MeWhenAAAA also support the international events. For these gamers, Valorant esports is not just background noise; it is the main event. They follow it as one does with soap operas or sports leagues, always requiring to be in the loop with their team and the major tournaments. The hype surrounding events like Champions and Masters is so enormous with the responses that even explicitly call them ‘must-watch’.
On the other hand, there is the flip side of the coin. And this side is pretty loud. A large chunk of the replies just said ‘never’ or ‘I would rather play’. TheSlyHokage very candidly declared: ‘Never, I’m more of a “why would I watch an hour game if I can play it myself” kind of person.’ TheCannibalGuy and ernis420_ (the latter prefers CS2 which is a real bummer) expressed similar sentiments. This is pretty much a classic gamer divide—a group of people that cannot make sense of the spectator sport aspect and see the game and their fingers start itching for the mouse and keyboard. It is a valid viewpoint, however, it shows that esports still has a barrier to overcome to transform the pure players into spectators.
The aspect of the how of the watching makes things even more thrilling. Bobin the Coward admitted that they only catch ‘tiktok clips exclusively.’ That’s the modern media consumption pattern right there. Not everyone has the luxury to spare time for a complete best-of-three series, but a 60-second clip showcasing a stunning 1v5 clutch? That is easily consumable. Beardedbob had a more technical complaint saying they got confused when the observer cam switched views too fast and they wanted to know if there was a way to watch just one player’s perspective. That is a legit production feedback point right there. Perhaps a dedicated player POV stream for big matches? It could be a killer idea and Riot could already be thinking about it.
Then you have the loyalists. This is the point where esports are most similar to traditional sports. The answers contained specific team loyalty and were reminiscent of traditional sports. TutuYou_ is a hardcore fan watching ‘Everyday a @FNATIC game.’ Rubby_Ecktuh is following ‘if @LiquidValorant playing or just semi/grand finals.’ MDR_EndDread is watching only MandatoryGG’s matches. SHRIMP9823 offered a very relatable view saying that they used to watch all Americas matches but it got ‘too much,’ and now they only follow their favorite teams. That’s quite a smart viewing strategy, in fact. The scene has developed so much that to try and watch everything will surely lead to experiencing burnout.
Well, there is always a bit of drama. Evile_7780 gave a very detailed account of how they were watching KRU only for certain players, but they quit when there were some roster changes and trash-talking from the new IGL. That is fandom in a nutshell—it is very personal. It is as much about the players as it is about the organization. And Shabba_Es pointed out a troubling trend by saying ‘Less and less each year, that’s for sure.’ Is that an indication of viewer fatigue or simply their personal taste changing? It is hard to tell, but it is definitely a data point.
The poll elicited responses from… unusual bots, also. PixelThroneX’s reply was so non-specific and full of hype words that another user, luhbuh69, reacted with ‘What in the AI.’ Gotta love Twitter. And of course, you had the total extremes like pox4t and N3ylani who asserted ‘all times every day’ and ‘all day every day’ respectively, which if true, is both commendable and a bit alarming. Maybe go outside. Get some fresh air.
So, what’s the conclusion from this chaotic Twitter thread? Valorant esports has an exceptionally committed core audience. The community is vibrant, with fans watching on platforms like PlayStation and Xbox.
