Riot Games has released a five-year retrospective on the Korean servers of its character-based tactical shooter VALORANT, marking the game’s anniversary since its June 2, 2020 launch. The studio reports that PC bangs in South Korea have shifted from under 1 percent market share at launch to more than 16 percent today, a rise of roughly 16.6 times at peak usage.

Over the span from June 2, 2020, to April 30, 2025, Korean players accumulated about 837.58 million hours of playtime—equivalent to nearly 95 000 years. During that period, users fired an estimated 17.2 billion rounds; if laid end to end, the bullets would circle the globe nearly 25 times, or stack in a 45-meter-high conical heap.

A standout contest on August 30, 2024, stretched nearly 94 minutes and included 28 overtime rounds after regulation play ended in a tie. That match surpassed the duration of a full soccer game and outlasted the previous VCT record of a 48-round face-off between BBL Esports and FUT Esports on April 24, 2025.

Role selection data indicates Duelist remains the top choice among Korean competitors, chosen 38.8 percent of rounds, with Sentinel second at 24.2 percent. Performance leaders by role include Reyna among Duelists (49.72 percent win rate), Killjoy for Sentinels (50.67 percent), Fade in Initiator (49.69 percent) and Clove in Controller (51.62 percent).

Weapon statistics show the Vandal as the most purchased firearm with 1.25 billion buys and an average damage output of 1 043.79 per match, outpacing the Phantom’s 1 001 million purchases and 639.83 damage average. Key round outcomes—such as aces (1.37 percent), team aces (1.32 percent), thrifty wins (0.69 percent), clutches (6.85 percent) and flawless rounds (5.74 percent)—highlight diverse play styles.

Cosmetic trends place the Prime Vandal atop overall skins, while the Oni Phantom leads Phantom variants. Esports bundles like the Masters 2024 Bundle and the VCT 2025 CN Bundle continue to attract Korean players, highlighting sustained enthusiasm for competitive-themed cosmetics.