Valorant team size, party size and playing ranked with friends

Valorant lets any five friends queue Competitive together, but smaller parties have to fit. A duo or trio must sit inside Riot's rank limits, a party of four can't queue at all, and a five-stack whose ranks are too far apart pays for it in Rank Rating. The rule of thumb players pass around, that friends two ranks apart can't play together, is wrong both ways: an Iron can queue with a Silver, two ranks up, while a Diamond 1 can't queue with an Ascendant 2, only one rank up.

This guide is for a player who wants to play Competitive, the game's ranked mode, with friends of other ranks, or whose friend the game won't queue with. It covers how big a party can be, which ranks can queue together, Immortal and Radiant, what a five-stack costs, friends new to the game, PC and console, and how to find players in range. For Premier and other games' teams, see every game's team format.

In short

• Valorant is five against five. In Competitive you can queue alone, as a duo, as a trio or as a five-stack, but not as four.
• A duo or trio goes by its lowest-ranked player. If that's an Iron or Bronze, the highest can be up to Silver 3; a Silver can have up to Gold 3, and a Gold up to Platinum 3. From Platinum up, the highest can be at most one rank above, at the same number, so Platinum 2 with up to Diamond 2.
• From Immortal 1 up, a player can queue only solo, as a duo or as a five-stack.
• A five-stack can be any ranks. It plays only other five-stacks, so it waits longer, and its Rank Rating changes are cut by a quarter when its ranks are wider than a trio's could be or it has an Immortal, and by 75% to 90% with a Radiant.
• Competitive opens at account level 20, so a friend new to the game plays Unrated or Swiftplay with you until then.

Team size and party size

Valorant is played five against five, in Competitive as in Unrated and Swiftplay. In Competitive a party can be one, two, three or five players. Riot's Competitive Mode FAQ rules out the fourth size: "Four-player groups are not allowed, as it tends to leave the remaining solo queue player on the team with a less-then-desirable experience." Unrated and Swiftplay take a party of four, so a four plays those, finds a fifth, or splits into two duos that fit.

Competitive opens at account level 20, by the same FAQ, and every player in the party needs it.

Premier, Valorant's team mode, works differently. A Premier team has five to seven players of any rank, and the team is placed in one of Premier's divisions by its top five players' MMR, so no party limit applies. Joining a Premier team covers it.

Which ranks can queue together

A duo or trio goes by its lowest-ranked player, and the highest-ranked one has to be within that player's limit. The Competitive Mode FAQ sets the limits "for parties of 2 or 3":

Lowest rank in the party	Highest rank allowed	For example
Iron or Bronze	Silver 3	Iron 1 with Silver 3: yes. Bronze 3 with Gold 1: no
Silver	Gold 3	Silver 1 with Gold 3: yes. Silver 3 with Platinum 1: no
Gold	Platinum 3	Gold 1 with Platinum 3: yes. Gold 3 with Diamond 1: no
Platinum, Diamond or Ascendant	One rank up, at the same number	Diamond 1 with Ascendant 1: yes. Diamond 1 with Ascendant 2: no
Immortal	Any Immortal, as a duo only	Immortal 1 with Immortal 3: yes, but no third player

Each rank has three divisions, 1 up to 3, and Riot calls them tiers. Its table allows Platinum and up "Exactly 1 tier higher max", but its own example, "Platinum 2 can queue with up to Diamond 2", is one whole rank up, at the same number. The example is the rule: three divisions at most. Patch 5.0, which added Ascendant, said the same thing, calling divisions ranks: "3 ranks above or below the Ascendant ranked player".

Below Platinum it counts ranks, not divisions. A Silver can have anyone in Gold, so Silver 1 and Gold 3 can duo, five divisions apart. Gold 3 and Diamond 1, only four divisions apart, can't, because Diamond is two ranks above Gold. The window narrows as players climb: an Iron 1 reaches Silver 3, eight divisions up, while a Platinum 1 reaches only Diamond 1. So "two ranks apart" fails both ways: an Iron and a Silver can always queue together, while a Platinum 1 and a Diamond 2, one rank apart, can't.

A trio is checked on its lowest and highest players. The one in the middle only has to sit between them. A third friend ranked below or above both of you becomes the new end of the party, and can stop a duo that fitted from queuing as a trio.

The rank that counts is the one the game holds. A rank that isn't shown still counts, so hiding it changes nothing. The party check uses ranks, while matchmaking uses each player's hidden MMR, so a party can meet players in a match it couldn't have queued with.

Immortal and Radiant

From Immortal 1 up, a player can't be part of a trio. The Competitive Mode FAQ says: "Players in Immortal 1 and above can only solo, duo, or 5-stack." A duo with an Immortal follows the Platinum-and-up limit, so an Ascendant 1 can duo with up to Immortal 1, and an Immortal 1 with any Immortal.

Radiant has no divisions, and Riot doesn't spell out who a Radiant can duo with. Players have reported a Radiant duoing with an Immortal 1, so an Immortal can apparently duo with a Radiant, though Riot hasn't said so.

The line has moved before. Until patch 5.0 in June 2022, it was Diamond 3; adding Ascendant moved it to Immortal 1. Answers that stop trios at Ascendant 3 are mixing up the old rule and the new one.

Five-stacks: any ranks, at a cost

A full party of five can be any ranks. The Competitive Mode FAQ puts it plainly: "you can play with 4 of your friends no matter what your skill levels are." Riot's July 2026 post on fair play lists "Five-stacking with friends, even if you are all different ranks" among what's allowed, and adds: "this is not about stopping people from playing with their friends."

What it costs, by the same FAQ:

• Longer queues. A five-stack is matched only with other parties of five.
• Less Rank Rating, if the stack is wide. Rank Rating, or RR, is what a player wins or loses for each match. If everyone is Ascendant 3 or below, the team's RR is cut by 25% when anyone is outside the duo-and-trio limits above. A five-stack of Silvers and Golds plays at full RR; one of Silvers, Golds and an Ascendant doesn't.
• Less RR with an Immortal. A five-stack with anyone from Immortal 1 to 3 has a 25% cut, whatever the others' ranks.
• Much less with a Radiant. A five-stack with a Radiant has a 75% cut, and 90% if anyone in it is below Radiant.

A five-stack whose ranks would all fit a trio plays at full RR. A wider group that wants full RR splits into duos and trios that fit the table, and a group that plays for the fun of it can take the cut.

Friends new to the game, and console

A friend new to Valorant can't play Competitive until their account reaches level 20. Until then, play Unrated or Swiftplay together.

An alternate account is allowed if it's your own. Riot's fair-play post lists "Playing on an alternate account that you created and leveled yourself" as allowed, and "Play only on your own accounts" as the rule. Playing on someone else's account isn't allowed, and queuing with someone who manipulates rank can cost you too: "Hitchhikers can also have their rank reverted for any rating gained by queuing with a player engaged in rank manipulation".

A friend in placements, or without a rank yet, is a gap in Riot's rules: the FAQ doesn't say how they count for a party. Invite them, and the client tells you whether the party can queue.

PC and console players can't play ranked together. By Riot's Console Guide, "VALORANT players on Console cannot face off against VALORANT players on PC—you'll have a separate rank and MMR when playing on either platform." Consoles do play together: "VALORANT supports crossplay across consoles", so a PlayStation player and an Xbox player can queue Competitive as a party, on their console ranks.

Finding players in range

Recruit players whose rank fits everyone already in the party, by the table, in the roles you're short of, on the same platform, at the hours you play.

Range first. Ranks move after every match, so leave room. A duo right at the edge of the table stops fitting when the higher player ranks up.

Three or five, not four. A four can't queue Competitive, so a duo recruits one player or three, and a trio two.

Roles. A five usually wants a Duelist, an Initiator, a Controller and a Sentinel, with the fifth player on whichever the map needs. Say which roles you're short of.

Keep a good teammate. After a good match with a stranger, add them by their Riot ID.

From ranked to a team. A five that plays every week and wants more can make a Premier team, which joining a Premier team covers, and How to make an esports team covers keeping a team together.

Post on TeamTavern. Ranked is what most Valorant players on TeamTavern have been after since 2021: 11,355 of the 13,435 player posts tick it. Put up a player post with your rank, your roles and your platform, and tick "Ranked" under "Looking for". A group looking for players puts up a group post with a rank range a duo or trio could queue across, by the table, or for a five-stack, one it can play at full RR. That's narrower than many Valorant group posts so far: 310 of the 975 that tick Ranked and give a rank range ask for one whose lowest and highest ends couldn't queue together as a duo or trio, such as Bronze 1 to Gold 3, or Platinum 1 to Diamond 3 (TeamTavern's posts, 2021–2026, counted 21 October 2026). A group like that can only bring both ends into one party as a five-stack.

Then filter the posts by rank, role and platform and message the ones that fit.

Valorant players and groups on TeamTavern

Frequently asked questions

How many players are on a Valorant team?

Five. Competitive takes parties of one, two, three or five, so a team of five can queue together.

Can you play ranked with 4 people in Valorant?

No. Riot doesn't allow parties of four in Competitive, because the fifth player would be a solo player with a premade four. Unrated and Swiftplay take four.

What ranks can play together in Valorant?

A duo or trio goes by its lowest player: an Iron or Bronze with up to Silver, a Silver with up to Gold, a Gold with up to Platinum, and from Platinum up, at most one rank higher at the same number. From Immortal 1 up, duos only. A five-stack can be any ranks.

Can Gold play with Diamond in Valorant?

Not as a duo or trio: a Gold can queue with up to Platinum 3. A Gold and a Diamond can play together in a five-stack, with a 25% cut to the team's RR, or more if a Radiant joins.

Can you 5-stack with any ranks in Valorant?

Yes. A five-stack plays only other five-stacks, and its RR is cut when its ranks are wider than a trio's could be, or when it has an Immortal or a Radiant.

Can PS5 and Xbox players play ranked together?

Yes. Console Competitive crosses PlayStation and Xbox. PC and console players don't play together, and each keeps its own rank: one for PC, and one that PlayStation and Xbox share.

Find your party

• The lowest player sets the limit: up to Silver from Iron and Bronze, up to Gold from Silver, up to Platinum from Gold, and one rank at the same number from Platinum up.
• Never four in Competitive: play as three or five.
• From Immortal up, duo at most.
• A five-stack can be anyone, at a cost in queue time and RR.
• A friend new to the game reaches level 20 first.

Post as a player with your rank and tick "Ranked" under "Looking for", or post as a group with a rank range your party can actually queue with: Valorant players and groups on TeamTavern.