Riot Games to share over $100m with 2025 VCT partner teams from in-game item sales

Riot Games has revealed that the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) will share over $100m (~£75m) in 2025 with its partner teams through in-game esports digital goods.

As confirmed by Leo Faria, Global Head of VALORANT Esports, more than $86m (~£65m) of the shared revenue was generated directly from esports digital item sales, compared to $44.3m (~£33m) last year.

“2025 was a defining year for VALORANT esports. We saw incredible competition, unforgettable stories, and record-breaking engagement from players and fans around the world,” commented Faria in a press release.

“Our community continues to elevate this sport, and their passion fuels one of the healthiest ecosystems in esports. With new pathways for aspiring teams and more global live events in 2026, we’re entering an exciting new era for the VCT, and we’re just getting started.”

Riot’s franchised VALORANT Champions Tour features 40 partner team and eight organisations promoted from tier two scene across four regions, including EMEA, Americas, Pacific and China. 

In addition to owning a VCT slot, these teams also directly benefit from the revenue generated via several esports in-game bundles released every year.

Throughout the 2025 VCT season, fans were able to support their favourite teams through dedicated VCT team capsules. First introduced last year, these bundles feature a Classic skin, a player card, a spray, and a gun buddy.

Moreover, a significant amount of shared revenue is generated by the annual VALORANT Champions bundle, which celebrates the game’s season-ending international tournament.

However, Riot has also been experimenting with additional time-limited bundles, including the 2025 VCT Season Capsules.

Last year’s total shared revenue was reported at $78.4m (~£59m), with $44.3m (~£33m) generated directly from digital item sales. The remaining funds typically come from stipends and prize pools.

As the VALORANT community heads towards a new VCT season, major changes for the ecosystem and beyond have already been unveiled.

In 2026, Challengers teams will have the opportunity to directly qualify for VALORANT Champions for the very first time since the start of franchising. 

According to Faria’s end-of-year letter, Riot plans to further open the ecosystem by giving more teams access to funding resources. For instance, non-partner teams qualifying for Champions will be able to benefit from a ‘Champions competitive share’.

The end-of-year letter also teased changes to VCT capsules for 2027: “I’m also excited to share that we’re cooking up a new plan for digital goods in 2027. Something new… maybe not so classic.”