The controversy around Valorant’s cosmetics has been building for a while. Skins have played a big part in Valorant’s success since the beginning. Riot Games found a way to make the player attached to these skins by adding sound effects and animation. Everybody loved them back then. Fast-forward a few years, and many players are frustrated with Riot Games about how skins and cosmetic content are handled. The game’s monetization system is growing thin, from overpriced bundles to a bad store system. Riot is making money, but at what cost to the player experience?
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A Bloated Store with No Control
Valorant Store
Since the beginning, Riot Games has designed the game shop to be a rotating store, with four slots changing every 24 hours, giving premium skins to appear less than common ones. This was fine back when the whole game had about 50 total skins, with roughly 10% getting a premium skin. The game has evolved and currently holds up to 500 skins; the odds are lower than ever, at less than 1%.
This lack isn’t random. Riot’s design fosters artificial urgency: if you see a skin you want, come up, better grab it now, because it may not be available for months. It’s a smart business strategy, to be sure, but it takes no control away from players and generates only resentment.
Night Market Is No Better
Night Market
What was once a beloved aspect now feels gimmicky. You get six random discounted skins every few months, but the chances of getting something you ever want are slim. Worse, premium-tier bundles and knives are straight-up excluded.
Players who skip buying bundles at launch because of the high price often hope to get them at a discount during the Night Market. unfourtely, that is not the case here as Riot Games has complete control over what skins are to appear.
Skin Prices Keep Rising
According to players, Riot Games has always priced its skins fairly compared to other games. But recently, it took a wrong turn when releasing the Helix Bundle. The Bundle was sold for 6,940 VP, and it came with only two guns and a knife, almost as much as the Reaver collection, which had four different guns and a knife for 7100 VP.
This price hike is primarily due to Flexes, a new cosmetic item with no gameplay function. They’re flashy, but functionally comparable to sprays. Yet, they often account for a larger portion of the bundle price than actual weapons.
Players aren’t against new cosmetics—they’re against paying more for less.
The EXO Bundle Backlash
EXO Bundle
The EXO Bundle takes it to another level. Priced at 9,500 VP, it’s pricier than most “exclusive” tier Bundles without delivering the same experience. Fans complained about the skin’s quality worsening over time, and this Bundle looks like a battle pass with flashy colors and sound effects.
This isn’t just about a single bundle. It speaks to a broader trend. Last year, the game had a massive success from the cosmetics, releasing bundles like Kuronami, Evori Dreamwings, Nocturnum, Xerofang, and Mystbloom, and this year it seems like Riot Games is putting the minimum effort into these skins.
Radianite: The Hidden Tax
After you buy a skin, you’re not done. Want to use all the visual effects or color options? That’ll set you back Radianite Points—another $30–$50 of hard cash if you don’t have some extra on reserve.
You can earn some Radianite with the Battle Pass, but that doesn’t suffice to keep up. And with what you already shell out, this added layer is like a money grab.
A quick fix? Update skins entirely by default when purchased in a pack. Or provide additional ways to obtain Radianite within the game, the more you play, the more Radiant you get outside the battle pass.
A Quick Fix For Riot Games?
All these problems with the skins and the lack of new creations of the new things in the game could easily be fixed if Riot Games decided to do so. The players who control the game and what players want are what Riot Games should do to keep this game alive.
Players aren’t asking for handouts. They’re asking for fair pricing, more transparency, and better rewards for their time—a simple solution for a simple problem.
